Ajay has a phobia of spiders. Which technique can be best suited to help him overcome his fear of spiders?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Systematic Desensitisation
A phobia is an irrational fear of a specific object or situation, such as Ajay’s fear of spiders.
Option (1) Differential reinforcement — Incorrect. It increases a wanted behaviour and decreases an unwanted one at the same time, for example by rewarding a girl who asks politely to be taken to the cinema and ignoring her sulking. It shapes everyday behaviour; it does not remove an intense fear.
Option (2) Aversive conditioning — Incorrect. It is the repeated association of an undesired response with an aversive consequence, as when an alcoholic gets a mild shock on smelling alcohol. It makes a behaviour unpleasant so that it is given up; Ajay already finds spiders unpleasant, so it would only add to his fear.
Option (3) Systematic Desensitisation — Correct. Introduced by Wolpe, it is a technique for treating phobias or irrational fears. The therapist prepares a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations, relaxes the client and takes her/him from the least to the more fearful situations, so that relaxation overcomes the anxiety step by step.
Option (4) Modelling — Incorrect. In modelling the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing a role model and is rewarded for small changes. It is a way of acquiring a new behaviour, not a step-by-step way of removing an irrational fear.
NCERT (2025-26): “Behavioural Techniques … Aversive conditioning refers to repeated association of undesired response with an aversive consequence. For example, an alcoholic is given a mild electric shock and asked to smell the alcohol. With repeated pairings the smell of alcohol is aversive as the pain of the shock is associated with it and the person will give up alcohol.…” “Behavioural Techniques … Unwanted behaviour can be reduced and wanted behaviour can be increased simultaneously through differential reinforcement.…” “Behavioural Techniques … Systematic desensitisation is a technique introduced by Wolpe for treating phobias or irrational fears. The client is interviewed to elicit fear provoking situations and together with the client, the therapist prepares a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking stimuli with the least anxiety-provoking stimuli at the bottom of the hierarchy. The therapist relaxes the client and asks the client to think about the least anxiety-provoking situation. Box 5.2 gives details of relaxation procedures. The client is asked to stop thinking of the fearful situation if the slightest tension is felt. Over sessions, the client is able to imagine more severe fear-provoking situations while maintaining the relaxation. The client gets systematically desensitised to the fear.…” “Behavioural Techniques … Modelling is the procedure wherein the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing the behaviour of a role model or the therapist who initially acts as the role model. Vicarious learning, i.e. learning by observing others, is used and through a process of rewarding small changes in the behaviour, the client gradually learns to acquire the behaviour of the model.…” |