Psy 211 - Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia

Jabarri Moore

PSY/211

May 19, 2014

Nonah Elliston

Agoraphobia

The fear of open spaces, or being in a crowded public place, or it is the fear of leaving a safe place in the medical field this is called agoraphobia. It is rare that an individual is born with such a phobia, but rather conditioned to this behavior because of a traumatic experience. Often times this behavior has a long lasting effect on the individual whether the traumatic event happens early in life, or when the individual is considered elderly.  Although many this is a widespread illness among Americans fewer than twenty-five percent of individuals who suffer from agoraphobia and may or may experience panic attacks associated with agoraphobia, actually seek out medical treatment (Barlow,1998)

Classical Conditioning

In 1947, O. Hobart Mowrer proposed his two-element hypothesis of avoidance learning to explain how to illustrate the advancement and upkeep of fears. Mowrer's two-variable hypothesis joined together the taking in standards of established and operant conditioning. Based upon the standards of established conditioning, it was accepted that fears create as a consequence of a matched companionship between an unbiased stimulus and feared stimulus. Then again, established taking in principle couldn't illustrate the continuation of shirking and getaway practices. These practices regularly prompted further trouble and impedance in an individual's life, for example, 1) the shirking of pleasurable exercises; 2) the powerlessness to take part in every day exercises and obligations; and 3) the failure to keep up interpersonal connections (Feldner, M. T.,  Zvolensky, M. J., &  Schmidt, N. B.,2004)

Operant Learning

The second phase of Mowrer's model endeavored to demonstrate why individuals felt so forced to evade nervousness inciting boosts; or falling flat that, escape from the jolts. The response originates from Skinner's hypothesis of operant conditioning and the natural prizes generated by these adapting systems. Mowrer recommended that the shirking of (or break from) nervousness inciting boosts brought about the evacuation of upsetting feelings. In this way, evasion turns into a prize and fortifies (increments) the conduct of shirking. Case in point, a single person with social nervousness will feel a critical abatement in tension once s/he chooses to abstain from going to an expansive social occasion. This evasion brings about the evacuation of the obnoxious tension manifestations accordingly strengthening shirking conduct. Thusly, it turns into the individual's favored technique for adapting to future social occasions. So also, assume this same individual endeavored to go to a gathering, in spite of his/her reservations, and accomplished a frenzy strike while there. On the off chance that this individual promptly left the gathering, the frenzy will subside, and the conduct of getaway will be remunerated by the quick lessening in frenzy manifestations. Shirking and getaway are called negative support. The evacuation of upsetting indications (negative) prompts an expansion in that conduct (support)(McCabe,2003).