StudySmarter - The all-in-one study app.
4.8 • +11k Ratings
More than 3 Million Downloads
Free
Aversion therapy is a type of therapy based on the principles of behaviourism. As a recap, behaviourism states that all behaviour arises due to stimulus and response conditioning. There are two kinds of conditioning; classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Classical conditioning: when a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. Eventually, the neutral stimulus will become a conditioned stimulus that produces a conditioned response.
Operant conditioning: this is when we are reinforced positively or negatively for our behaviour. Positive reinforcement is adding something to reinforce the behaviour, such as giving a treat. Negative reinforcement is taking something away to also reinforce behaviour, such as letting a child go out without a guardian (taking away the guardian) when they show they are responsible (the behaviour that is being reinforced). Behaviour can also be decreased through punishment and stopped through extinction (when a behaviour is no longer reinforced).
Aversion therapy is based on classical conditioning. In this therapy, an undesired behaviour is paired with an aversive stimulus to produce an intense dislike (aversion) to the behaviour. Let us look at the different types of aversion therapy as well as the effectiveness of this therapy. After this, we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of this therapy.
No alcohol symbol in aversion therapy, flaticon.com/Vectors Market
Aversion therapy is usually used to treat additions to drugs or alcohol. It can also be used to help stop smoking, gambling, aggression, and even bad habits such as nail-biting.
Aversive stimuli include mild electric shocks, drugs that produce unpleasant sensations like nausea, and unpleasant tastes and smells.
For example, those who bite their nails can apply a nail polish that produces a horrible, bitter taste in their mouth whenever they bite their nails, which should eventually reduce nail-biting urges.
Let us look at how aversion therapy is used in the examples of alcohol and gambling addictions.
Patients with alcohol addiction are usually given a drug, for instance, Antabuse (unconditioned stimulus) that when taken has unpleasant effects, causing nausea or vomiting (unconditioned response).
Patients are asked to take the drug and then drink alcohol (neutral stimulus). The effects of the drug become associated with alcohol. The alcohol was a neutral stimulus, which becomes a conditioned stimulus with the unpleasant effects of the conditioned response, resulting in patients not wanting to drink alcohol anymore.
Aversion therapy for alcohol addiction, Erika Hae, StudySmarter Originals
Patients with a gambling addiction are commonly treated with mild electric shocks. For the gambling behaviour, the therapist could ask the patient to write down behaviours associated with gambling on cards. Neutral behaviours are written on other cards.
The patient reads the cards and each time they encounter a gambling-related card they give themselves an electric shock.
Aversion therapy for gambling addiction, Erika Hae, StudySmarter Originals
Research has shown that aversion therapy is effective in the treatment of alcohol addiction.
However, while aversion therapy is effective in the short term, its long-term effectiveness is still somewhat unclear. Aversion may be successful while undergoing the therapy but once the patient is out in the world without the help of the aversive stimulus, it is harder to avoid the undesired behaviour.
Elkins et al. (2017) conducted a study in which patients with alcohol use disorder received five sessions of chemical aversion therapy. The patients still avoided alcohol 30 and 90 days after treatment, 69% of patients were still sober one year after treatment. In addition, fMRI scans in the patients showed reductions in craving-related brain activity in the occipital cortex. This study highlights the longevity of the treatment plan and how effective it is after time has passed.
Smith et al. (1991) conducted a study in which 249 patients underwent aversion therapy (nausea-inducing drugs or mild electric shocks). They were compared with patients who had received counselling as treatment. After 6 and 12 months, the patients who received aversion therapy had higher alcohol abstinence rates than the patients who received counselling. This demonstrates the effectiveness of aversion therapy, especially when compared to other treatment plans.
Bordnick et al. (2004) found that aversion therapy (chemical, covert sensitization, and faradic) was effective in treating addiction to cocaine compared to a control relaxation group when studying and allocating 70 participants. Again, this demonstrates the effectiveness of aversion therapy, highlighting how the therapy can also apply to different addictions.
Let us consider the strengths and weaknesses of aversion therapy.
A1: Aversion therapy is a type of therapy based on the principles of behaviourism, specifically classical conditioning. Undesired behaviour is paired with an aversive stimulus to produce an intense dislike (aversion) to the behaviour.
A2: Addictions to alcohol are usually treated by pairing the alcohol with drugs, such as Antabuse, that produce nausea or vomiting. Other aversive stimuli used in treating undesired behaviours are mild electric shocks and unpleasant tastes or smells.
Q3: Why is aversion therapy controversial?
A3: Aversion therapy is controversial in that it could be considered as using 'punishment' as a form of treatment. The therapy also causes patients physical harm and may cause psychological harm if not monitored properly.
A4: Aversion therapy may be effective in the short-term but long-term effectiveness is still somewhat unclear. Aversion may be successful while being exposed to the aversive stimulus in therapy but once the patient is out in the world without the help of the aversive stimulus, it is harder to avoid the undesired behaviour.
A5: An example of aversion therapy is using mild electric shocks to treat gambling addiction. For the gambling behaviour, the therapist could ask the patient to write down behaviours associated with gambling on cards. Neutral behaviours are written on other cards. The patient reads the cards and each time they encounter a gambling-related card they give themselves an electric shock.
Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.
Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.
Create and find flashcards in record time.
Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.
Have all your study materials in one place.
Upload unlimited documents and save them online.
Identify your study strength and weaknesses.
Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.
Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.
Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.
Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.
Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.