Phobias and Addiction Paper Essay

A phobia is a learned bodily response in reference to a difficult life event. Centered in the amygdala portion of the brain which regulates the â€Å"fight or flight† response, a somatic sensation of anxiety occurs in the presence of specific stimuli. The precipitating factor may have been experienced by the person themselves-or may have been experienced â€Å"secondhand† through misfortune that may have occurred to a friend or loved on. In some cases, a phobia may have no discernible cause or may appear â€Å"irrational†-to everyone but the person experiencing it! Phobic reactions or symptoms of anxiety can include: a racing heart, sweaty palms, an upset stomach and a general feeling of unease. Classical conditioning is a response that is triggered by an outside stimulus-or the thought of such stimulus. The perfect example is the Pavlovian response-in which Pavlov would ring a bell before dinnertime and his dogs would salivate. Over time, he extinguished the presence of the food yet kept the ringing of the bell. The dogs still salivated-at the idea of food coming, a basic bodily response to the suggestion of a specific stimulus. This is commonly referred to as a â€Å"Pavlovian response. † Classical conditioning has two components to it-the acquisition stage and the extinction phase. In the acquisition stage, the initial learned response is obtained. For example, in the case of a phobia-a person may break out in a cold sweat presence of crossing a bridge as he drives. In the extinction phase, the bridge may not be present but the memory of it may be present-enough to still cause the phobic reaction. Thus, merely thinking about a stimulus, even when it is extinct, can still bring on the same phobic response. The phobic response, therefore, is strengthened each time it is felt. The stimulus-present or not-extinct or not-become fused together in the person’s mind. The phobia sufferer then will go to great lengths to avoid the stimulus at any cost. The phobia then worsens as he avoids facing his fears head on. This is how classical conditioning can increase the intensity of a phobia. Addictions are defined as a persistent behavioral pattern that is marked by physical and/or psychological dependency on someone or something. Addictions became â€Å"an issue† in the treatment milieu when they significantly disrupt the life of the addicted individual. Terminology has become quite complicated. Those individuals from a medical background define addiction from a physiological basis. For example-opiates, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, alcohol and nicotine are classical examples of those substances, which cause a physical dependence. On a lesser scale, there are those items that can cause a physiological dependence, as evidenced by changes in the neurotransmitters in the brain-some examples would be over the counter nasal sprays or laxatives. Psychological addictions can be defined within the context of a â€Å"slippery slope†- there are as many â€Å"addictions† as there are specialists to treat them. (Evidence the most recent news of the plethora of celebrities being treated for sex addiction. ) Some examples of area in which psychological addiction may occur include the following-shopping, pornography, eating, exercise and self injury. There is a physiologic reward, however, as the object of the addictive person’s attention -aka†the reward† activates the â€Å"pleasure enter† of the brain-emitting dopamine. Therefore, the addictive behavior is rewarded with a rush of dopamine to the person engaging in the behavior. Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to form or shape a behavior. There are three main components relevant to operant conditioning. First, there is the aspect of reinforcement-this basically applies to a consequence that causes the â€Å"addictive† behavior to occur with greater frequency. An example of this would be as follows- An individual is consumed with shopping. They scour the news every day to find out where the sales will be taking place; they belong to a network of people that trade shopping information relevant to their area of interest. Then the day comes and they make the purchase. This act reinforces their addiction with a momentary high (that is usually short lived. ) Second, the aspect of punishment-a consequence that makes an action occur, less frequently-comes into play. When an addictive urge is felt, and the desired object is taken away (i. e. the punishment†) the urge to obtain the desired â€Å"rush† still exists-albeit even stronger. The person then works harder to obtain the drug, the act, and the food-whatever the addiction is. In this way, the operant conditioning aspect of punishment reinforces and addiction. Third, there is the element of extinction. Extinction occurs when there is a lack of consequence following a behavior-good or bad. An individual who is wantonly exhibiting a sexual addiction while in a s erious relationship-let’s take that as an example. Without being â€Å"caught†, there is no consequence. The addictive behavior continues unchecked. It is reinforced. I have exemplified the ways in which operant conditioning can develop and maintain addictive behavior. The difference between classical and operant conditioning is as follows: very succinctly put, classical conditioning forms a relationship between two stimuli-for example, one thinks of/or sees a chocolate cake, the salivary glands begin to work! Operant conditioning forms a relationship between a stimuli and a consequence. You touch the stove while it’s on, you get burnt. Bet you won’t do that again-a relationship is formed on the basis of a negative consequence. Conversely, the consequence can also be positive. Example-you do your homework on time and as assigned, you get a good grade, a positive consequence has occurred, which will (hopefully) shape future behaviors. Extinction is achieved through the gradual phasing out of â€Å"reward† in operant conditioning, while hoping to still achieve the same behavior. Example, one has been rewarded with a good driver award after years of possessing a great driving record. With the extinction of this positive consequence (i. e. no reward)-one would hope that the good driving habits would continue. In classical conditioning, I will present an example-if we ring a bell and cause a dog we have a conditioned stimulus-however if we keep ringing that bell without giving the dog any food (an unconditioned stimulus) eventually the dog will unlearn his conditioned response. Extinction has then occurred. In summation, extinction is operant conditioning relates to the phasing out of consequence – in classical conditioning it is the phasing out of response.