Which therapy combines relaxation with gradually increasing exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli?

Which therapy combines relaxation with gradually increasing exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli?

• A. Flooding
• B. Systematic desensitization
• C. Aversion therapy
• D. Operant conditioning

Answer: (B)

Combining relaxation training with gradual exposure to fear-provoking stimuli is the defining feature here. This approach, systematic desensitization, starts by teaching the person calming skills such as progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing. Then it pairs those relaxation techniques with a hierarchy of feared situations, guiding the person to confront each item from least to most anxiety-provoking while maintaining a relaxed state. Over time, the anxious response diminishes because the person learns to stay calm even as they face the feared stimuli, a process driven by reciprocal inhibition and extinction. The other options don’t fit this pattern: flooding exposes you to the full fear all at once without a built-in relaxation component; aversion therapy pairs a behavior with an unpleasant consequence rather than reducing anxiety through graded exposure; operant conditioning relies on reinforcement or punishment to shape behavior without the structured exposure and relaxation sequence.

Combining relaxation training with gradual exposure to fear-provoking stimuli is the defining feature here. This approach, systematic desensitization, starts by teaching the person calming skills such as progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing. Then it pairs those relaxation techniques with a hierarchy of feared situations, guiding the person to confront each item from least to most anxiety-provoking while maintaining a relaxed state. Over time, the anxious response diminishes because the person learns to stay calm even as they face the feared stimuli, a process driven by reciprocal inhibition and extinction. The other options don’t fit this pattern: flooding exposes you to the full fear all at once without a built-in relaxation component; aversion therapy pairs a behavior with an unpleasant consequence rather than reducing anxiety through graded exposure; operant conditioning relies on reinforcement or punishment to shape behavior without the structured exposure and relaxation sequence.