Final answer:
Systematic desensitization attempts to recondition individuals to respond to phobic cues with a relaxation response instead of anxiety by using classical conditioning principles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "behavior" that is incompatible with anxiety, and that systematic desensitization tries to recondition to phobic cues, is the relaxation response. Systematic desensitization is a type of exposure therapy that pairs relaxation techniques with exposure to phobic stimuli, with the goal being to replace the anxiety response with a relaxation response. This therapeutic approach is based on the principles of classical conditioning, where the objective is to create a conditioned response (relaxation) that is incompatible with anxiety when confronting the feared object or situation.
In comparison to other behaviors such as avoidance behavior, obsessive-compulsive behavior, or aggressive behavior, relaxation is seen as directly opposed to the physiological arousal that characterizes anxiety. Hence, when someone is systematically desensitized to a phobia, they are trained to maintain a state of relaxation in the presence of anxiety-inducing stimuli, a process that contradicts and aims to extinguish the typical fear response.