1.3.2 Evaluation of aversion therapy

Question 1

What did Miller do to try and find the effectivness of aversion therapy

Answer 1

In a study of alchoholics Miller compared the effectivness of 3 types of treatment:

• Aversion therapy
• Counseling therapy + aversion therapy
• Counselling alone

Question 2

What did Miller find

Answer 2

One year later the recovery was the same for all groups, indicating aversion therapy offers no benefit over counselling

Question 3

What did Smith et al find about alchholics treated with aversion therapy

Answer 3

They had higher abstinence rates after a year compared to those who were treated with counselling alone

Question 4

What did Smith et al find about the effectiveness of aversion therapy on smokers

Answer 4

In a group of 300 smokers 52% maintained abstinence after a year

Question 5

What did Bancroft find

Answer 5

• High dropout rate
• 50% of patients either refuse treatment or drop out of aversion therapy

Question 6

What conclusions can be made from Bancrofts findings

Answer 6

Makes it difficult to evaluate aversion therapy if only willing patients engage with the therapy

Question 7

Are the effects of aversion therapy long term

Answer 7

• This is questionable as the effects are unlikely to transfer to the outside world when the punishing consequences of sickness enhancing drugs or electric shocks have disapeared
• Research on classical conditioning by Pavlov showed that a conditioned response is extinguished when the CS is no longer paired with the UCS

Question 8

What is a problem with aversion therapy in terms of treating the underying cause (symptom subsititution)

Answer 8

• It fails to treat the underlying cause
• Behaviourist approach believes that the maladaptive behaviour is disorder and therefor there are no underlying causes to be treated
• The consequences of this are the original symptoms may be removed but they may reaper in a differnt for say as gambling addiction
• The underlying cause has not been treated
• Symptom substitution

Question 9

Is aversion therapy ethical in terms of consent?

Answer 9

Pateints usually give valid consent and have the right to withdraw

Question 10

Do patients suffer physical harm?

Answer 10

YES - when they are exposed to the adverse stimulus (nausia, pain from electric shocks etc)

Question 11

Do patients suffer psychological harm?

Answer 11

Yes - their anxiety will increase during therapy

Question 12

How was aversion therapy used unethically in the past

Answer 12

• Was used to try to ‘cure’ homosexuality
• Wasnt until 2006 when amercian psychiatric association considerd it unethical
• Involved pps being given drugs to make them feel nauseous as well as being placed in dirty surroundings while being shown pin-up pictures of males
• It was thought this would create a negative assocation and turn them ‘straight’

Question 13

Give a real life example of aversion therapy being unethically used to treat homosexuality

Answer 13

• In 1962 Billy Clegg Hill dies after he had undergone aversion therapy to ‘cure’ his homosexuality
• He died from a coma and convulsions caused by a vomit inducing drug