Behaviorism: Common Phobias and Common Essay

Childhood phobias usually disappear before adulthood. However, those that persist into adulthood rarely go away without treatment." (Gersley, p. 1)

This imposes a considerable responsibility upon the mental healthcare community find ways of identifying the roots causes of phobias and altering the behavioral patterns that cause these phobias to become ingrained. Hickey (2009) indicates that these root causes are often of a traumatic nature and that subjects tend to engage in "persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness." (Hickey, p. 1) This is dysfunctional behavior, Hickey indicates, that can manifest in other forms of cognitive and emotional dissonance.It is thus that the preliminary review of literature presented here above helps to reinforce the rationales stated above for the engagement of such a study.

Accordingly, the research proposed here should initiate first with a more comprehensive review of available literature and a more exhaustive identification of gaps in the areas of diagnosis and treatment for trauma related disorders.

Works Cited:

Friedman, M.J.; Keane, T.M. & Resick, P.A. (2010) Handbook of PTSD: Science and Practice. Guilford Press.

Gersley, E. (2001). Phobias: Causes and Treatments. AllPsych Journal.

Hickey, P. (2009). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Behaviorism and Mental….....