Monica goes to a therapist to help her deal with her phobia. Identify the process of systematic desensitization that is used by the therapist:
(A) Over the sessions, Monica is able to imagine more severe fear-provoking situations while maintaining relaxation.
(B) The therapist teaches relaxation technique to Monica, and she is asked to think about the least fear-provoking situation.
(C) Eventually, Monica gets systematically desensitised to her fear.
(D) Monica is interviewed by the therapist to elicit the fear-provoking situations. Together with the client, the therapist prepares a hierarchy of fear-provoking stimuli.
(E) She is asked to stop thinking of the fearful situation if any tension is felt.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (D), (B), (E), (A), (C)
Systematic desensitisation is a technique introduced by Wolpe for treating phobias or irrational fears.
(D) Monica is interviewed by the therapist to elicit the fear-provoking situations. Together with the client, the therapist prepares a hierarchy of fear-provoking stimuli. — first the hierarchy is built, with the least anxiety-provoking stimulus at the bottom.
(B) The therapist teaches relaxation technique to Monica, and she is asked to think about the least fear-provoking situation. — the client is relaxed and starts from the bottom of the hierarchy.
(E) She is asked to stop thinking of the fearful situation if any tension is felt. — the moment the slightest tension appears, the image is dropped, so relaxation is never lost.
(A) Over the sessions, Monica is able to imagine more severe fear-provoking situations while maintaining relaxation. — step by step she moves up the hierarchy, still relaxed.
(C) Eventually, Monica gets systematically desensitised to her fear. — the outcome comes last. Relaxation and anxiety cannot be present together, and by the principle of reciprocal inhibition the stronger response (relaxation) inhibits the weaker one (anxiety).
NCERT (2025-26): “Behaviour Therapy … 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 anxietyprovoking 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.…” |