Psycholanalytical Approaches and Theories to Childhood Phobias

Psychoanalytic theories encompass the idea that “developmental changes occur because of internal drives and emotions, which influence behavior” (Boyd & Bee, 2015, p.46). According to psychoanalytic theory, phobias arise from two core concepts: psychological conflict and unconscious mental processes (Nemiah, 1981). Freud believed phobias generally originate during childhood and involves an unresolved conflict. Furthermore the psychoanalytic approach views phobias, and fears in general, as a conflict between the id, ego, and superego – where the id is being repressed. Based on this approach, the child may have a deeper conflict, which is symbolized by this fear. For example, based on this approach, the child may have been left alone or a book was read to them that included a monster under the bed. The emotions, anxiety/ fear, were then displaced (connected) to darkness (Nemiah, 1981). From this displacement darkness symbolizes these negative emotions they felt.

Behavioral Approach

The Behaviorist approach can be defined by “behavioral changes influenced by the environment” (Boyd & Bee, 2015, p.51). Based on this approach behaviors are learned. The child would be scared of the dark due to a previous experience with the dark that was negative or scary. Phobias, like fear of the dark, are caused either by classical conditioning, operant conditioning, or social learning theory. Pavlov’s classical conditioning can explain how phobias are learned through conditioning, as shown in Little Albert experiment. Based on our example, the dark is the neutral stimulus. The child is trying to fall asleep when a bunch of fireworks go off next door. The fireworks (UCS) trigger a sense of fear and the child starts to cry (UCR). The child makes an association between the dark (NS) and the fireworks (UCS), which turns the dark into the CS. Now the dark (CS) has been associated with the loud noises of the fireworks (UCS) and brings about a sense of fear (CR). Skinner’s operant conditioning can influence learned behavior through reinforcement via reward or punishment. Operant conditioning often highlights how phobias remain after they have been learned through classical conditioning. Phobias tend to involve negative reinforcement because a certain behavior carried out in order to avoid an unpleasant outcome. Based on our example, the child may use a night-light (negative reinforcement) in order to avoid the dark and reduce their fear associated with it. Mowrer theorized the two-process model, which attempted to explain how phobias are originally learned via classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning (negative reinforcement). Lastly, Bandura’s social learning theory highlights that learning can also occur through observation (modeling). The child could have an older sibling who is afraid of the dark or watched something on TV where a monster lurked in the dark, and based on what they paid attention to and remembered an association between the dark and fear was learned.

Cognitive Approach

Cognitive theories in Psychology emphasize the role mental processing plays in development (Boyd & Bee, 2015, p.55). Cognitive theories address phobias as directly as the other approaches but involves the cognitive-development stages. Fears and phobias derive from conceptualized threats, which rely on cognitive abilities (Broeren & Muris, 2009). This child is in the preoperational stage, which involves perception and symbolic thinking but lacks logical thinking (especially at the age of the child given). That being said, the child may have encountered a situation where they perceived noises (like thunder) in the dark and, through schemes and assimilation, made the conclusion that the dark should be something that is feared. According to the cognitive approach, increased cognitive skills (cognitive maturation) leads to an increase in the ability to form fearful thoughts (Broeren & Muris, 2009). Generally, these fears/ phobias’ diminish as the child ages and enters the next stage (Broeren & Muris, 2009).

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Approach

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory views development “in terms of relationships between people and their environments” (Boyd & Bee, 2015, p.62). Development is influenced by an array of factors including genetics (biological), caregivers and peers (mesosystem), socioeconomics (exosystem), and culture (macrosystem) (Boyd & Bee, 2015, p. 62). Phobias are influenced based on these many factors. The child may have high anxiety and this would contribute to the development of a phobia from the biological level. Phobias are also highly influenced by social and cultural contexts. If a family or friend is afraid of the dark, this may instate the fear within the child, because they look up or observe from their social surroundings. Mammals learn from their social surroundings what is “danger”. Lastly, certain fears / phobias are not universal, which highlights a cultural component. Children in the Amazon or from undeveloped tribes are not afraid of the dark like Western children because the environment, living standards, and way of life are very different.