Question

Gordon is so afraid of being confined in an elevator that he experiences mild anxiety when thinking about taking an elevator to a higher floor in the building, intense anxiety when pressing the elevator button, and extreme anxiety when getting into the elevator. his greatest fear, however, is experienced while in the elevator. during the process of systematically desensitizing his anxiety, the therapist is likely to ask gordon first to imagine

a. getting into an elevator.
b. thinking about getting into an elevator.
c. riding in an elevator.
d. pressing the elevator button.

Answer 1

Systematic desensitization begins with imagining the least anxiety-provoking situation. Gordon should first imagine thinking about getting into an elevator to gradually confront his phobia.

• Gordon's fear of being confined in an elevator is being addressed using systematic desensitization, a psychological treatment to reduce phobic responses.
• In this treatment, the therapist would initially ask Gordon to imagine the least anxiety-provoking situation first before gradually moving on to more anxiety-inducing scenarios.
• Therefore, the therapist is most likely to ask Gordon first to imagine thinking about getting into an elevator before progressing to more direct encounters like pressing the button, getting into the elevator, or riding in it.
• This graduated approach helps Gordon to manage his fear in a controlled and therapeutic manner, eventually reducing his overall anxiety.