Unit 7
P2- Explain different psychological approaches to health practice
P3- Explain different psychological approaches to social care practice
In the previous task, I explained the principals of the main psychological perspectives. I will now
explain their different approaches to health and social care practice. I will deliver this task as a
written essay, giving examples of how each approach is used in health and social care by
professionals. Firstly, I will start off with the behaviourist approach.
Throughout the health care sector, many professionals use psychological approaches to help service
users overcome any issues. Different professionals may use different ideas and approaches, whist
one health care professional might use a cognitive approach to treat someone with an eating
disorder, whereas a social care professional might use a humanist approach.
Applying the behaviourist perspective to health and social care practice
The behaviourist approach claims that all our behaviour is decided and shaped by the environment.
If a behaviour has a positive consequence, it is likely to be repeated. However, if a behaviour has a
negative consequence, it is unlikely to be repeated. Furthermore, our behaviour is determined by
the reinforcement of the things we do. So, how can the behaviourist approach be used in health and
social care practice?
How the behaviourist perspective can be applied to health and social practice?
The principals of classical conditioning can be applied to everyday life in a very practical way.
Furthermore, it is a useful theory for explaining fears and phobias. Such as, acrophobia,
claustrophobia, and zoophobia and so on. A stimulus that is not at all in any way threating or
harmful such as, swimming in chlorine, is paired with an event that leads to an extremely unpleasant
fear or aversion response. For example, taking an event such as drowning in a swimming pool, so
severely that you nearly die because of the chlorine you are drinking. The next time that you smell
chlorine, the original fear response will be re-activated. Therefore, you will learn to be afraid of
chlorine.
An effective method for overcoming fears and phobias is systematic desensitisation. Commonly used
in health and social care settings, this method consists in creating what’s known as a hierarchy of
fear. In this hierarchy the most feared event is at the top and the least feared event is at the bottom.
For example, a person who has a phobia of hospitals might create a hierarchy like this.
Most feared The procedure itself
Smells associated with hospital
People in green gowns
Hospital equipment and machinery
Hospital wards
Taking a lift to a ward
Walking into the building
Driving to the building
Least feared Receiving an appointment card
, The purpose of this procedure is to support the patient in achieving a state of deep relaxation, on
the basis that relaxation and anxiety are incompatible. This method’s main aim is to replace anxiety
and fear with a state of calm and relaxation. During this method an image of the least feared
situation or object is shown to an individual until they are capable of viewing the situation or object
without fear. In the example, I gave when carrying out this method, receiving an appointment card
will be the first situation to be addressed. Once this fear has then been overcome, bearing in mind
this can take more than one session, the patient will then move up to the next level. Again, the
process is repeated, the patient works on relaxing until they are able to contemplate over the new
situation without anxiety. And so on moving up each level until the final, most feared, object or
situation can be faced. When carrying out this method, the patient is encouraged to attempt some
lower level fear-invoking situations before progressing upwards to help progress easier.
Above, I mentioned how the principals of classical conditioning are applied to health and social care,
so how are the principals of operant conditioning applied? Operant conditioning is a type of learning
that occurs due to the cause-and-effect relationship between a behaviour and its consequences.
Operant conditioning has resulted in several effective treatments in the health care sector,
furthermore, it is frequently used to treat weight loss, smoking, alcohol addiction, and drug
addiction. Within a social care setting such as a school, using the operant conditioning method is
essential as it encourages children to continue to behave well in the future, therefore being
conditioned to behave in a certain manner, and also discouraging children from behaving bad.
This approach can be used in a hospital setting. For example, in hospitals doctors and nurses could
treat someone with an alcohol addiction via desensitisation treatment. The doctor or nurse will start
at the least feared object or situation and apply classical conditioning to tackle the addiction. The
least feared object could be alcohol prices increasing and the most feared object running out of
alcohol. If a doctor was to approach the least feared topic first, then they can slowly build up the
patient to the most feared event. By starting at the bottom it will then be easier moving up the
events, as starting straight at the most feared event could cause fear.
Alternately, to a health care setting, this approach can be used in a social care setting. For example,
operant conditioning can be applied in a school, by using positive reinforcement on children. For
them to perform well the teacher reassures them that they will receive a gold star if they perform
well. If children are offered rewards for performing well, then they are more likely to perform well as
a reward could be seen as something to be proud of which could be shown to parents for praise.
The behaviourist approach can also be used to treat someone who wants to lose weight. Positive
reinforcement could be applied to help the patient lose weight. After every weigh in a nutritionist
could allow the patient to have a cheat meal as they have lost weight. By using positive
reinforcement, the patient may continue to perform well and lose weight, as they know they will be
provided with an award if they do so, therefore helping them stay on track.
