Phobias and Addictions Paper

Individual Phobias and Addictions Paper Fear. Primitive response.

Addiction. Uncontrollable urge. Unquenchable need. What do these two common words have in common besides being apart of everyday life? How they come about. Both fear and addiction are formed from either classical or operant conditioning.

Just like with anything we come in contact with in our daily lives, the outcomes of both classical and operant conditionings can come to an end. This end is known as extinction.Ivan Pavlov is credited with being the father of classical conditioning. While studying the digestive systems of dogs, he came across the phenomenon we now know as classical conditioning.

In his experiment, he noticed dogs would salivate when presented with meat, which is a reflex. Pavlov noticed that if stimuli, in Pavlov’s case a ringing bell, was associated with the presentation of meat, the dogs would associate the ringing bell with being fed and therefore, began to salivate every time a bell was rung (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 58). To break it down using Pavlov’s experiment, the meat is known as the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), the dog’s salivating is known as the unconditioned response (UCR), and the bell is known as the neutral stimulus (NS) to start.

During conditioning, the NS is paired with the UCS to get the UCR, until an association is made. Once the association is made, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS). Once the CS is presented, a conditioned response (CR) is created from that point on. How does classical conditioning create a phobia?The best answer to this question can be seen in the “Little Albert” experiment done by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner. In the experiment, Watson and Rayner presented nine-month old Albert with a white rat, among other things (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p.

160). After a while, when they presented Albert with the rat, they would strike a steel bar that would make a loud sound, scaring Albert (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 160). After a few pairings, Albert began to not only fear the rat when presented to him without the sound, but similar looking objects (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 60). Watson and Rayner made Albert afraid of not only rats, but also similar looking objects through classical conditioning.

This concept can be seen in everyday life. A person who was locked in a closet may develop a fear of enclosed places. A person who was attacked by a dog may develop a fear of dogs. The enclosed space and the dog are initially the UCS, getting locked in the closet and the dog bite are the NS, the sight of an enclosed space or a dog become the CS and the fear becomes the CR. Edward Thorndike is credited with being the father of operant conditioning.In Thorndike’s experiment, also known as the Puzzle Box experiment, Thorndike placed a hungry cat in a box with a mechanical latch and food within the cat’s view (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p.

167). The goal was for the cat to trip the latch in order to open a door and gain access to the food. After accidentally tripping the latch and gaining access to the food, the cat learned to use the latch in order to gain access to the food after several repetitions (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 167). The cat would then trigger the latch every time the food was presented (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 167).

Operant conditioning uses reinforcements, both positive and negative, and punishments, also both positive and negative, which are both considered consequences. The idea is that behavior is controlled by the consequences. A student studies hard in order to get good grades (positive reinforcement) or a student gets a bad grade (negative reinforcement), which makes them study harder. A person who speeds and gets a ticket (negative punishment) will decrease the likelihood of them speeding again or a person who is afraid of getting a speeding ticket (positive punishment) will not speed at all.How does operant conditioning create an addiction? When we think of addiction, the first thing that comes to our mind automatically is drugs and alcohol because they seem to be linked together.

However, addiction can also encompass gambling, sex, food, and even the use of electronics. With drugs, alcohol, and sex, what is all comes down to how you feel afterwards. With stimulants, such as cocaine and ecstasy, the drug causes: an elevated mood, an increase feeling of well-being, and an increase energy and alertness (“Stimulants”, 2011).People take the drug (behavior) for the feeling it gives them afterwards (consequence). With depressants, such as alcohol and marijuana, the drug causes: reduced inhibitions, inability to concentrate and pay attention for any period of time, impaired judgment and an inability to control one’s emotions (“Depressants”, 2005).

People take the substance (behavior) to affect their mood or to forget whatever is bothering them (consequence). With sex, people have sex for the act itself or because they enjoy the outcome.Not only that, people may be addicted to the pleasure they give others during sex. With food, some people eat because it makes them feel better, like the example of the crying woman going straight for the ice cream, or comfort food.

Just like with anything else in the world, responses and consequences have to come to an end at some point. That end is known as extinction. In classical conditioning, extinction is the process by which a conditioned response is weakened by the presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 163).In the case of Pavlov’s dogs, over a period of time, the dogs would stop salivating at the sound of the bell when the food was not presented and in the case of Little Albert, Albert would stop fearing the rat after a period of time when the sound was not presented. In operant conditioning, extinction is the process by which the connection between an operant and a reinforcer or punishment is similarly broken (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p.

163). If the student gets the grade they desire, they may not study as hard or if the driver gets a warning instead of a ticket, the driver may continue to speed.In both cases of classical and operant conditioning, there is a chance of spontaneous recovery. Spontaneous recovery is the emergence of a response or an operant that has been extinguished (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 163).

The dog may salivate after a few days of not salivating at the ring of a bell or the driver may drive the speed limit if he/she sees more police on the road. This recovery is usual short-lived. People who have a phobia or an addiction tend to be labeled weak mainly because they let their fear or addiction control their life. That is the viewpoint from the people outside looking in.

These people do not understand the underlying cause of the problem. Maybe if people understood the concepts of classical and operant conditioning, they would not hold the same views. Classical and operant conditioning help provided an understanding to some people’s problems. They also hold the keys in how to solve and extinguish the problems. All it takes is a little understanding.

References Depressants. (2005). Retrieved from http://www. aboutdrugs. us/depressants.

htm Kowalski, R. & Westen, D. (2009). Psychology (5th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Stimulants. (2011). Retrieved from http://teens. drugabuse.

gov/facts/facts_stim1. php