in vivo desensitization

a technique used in behavior therapy, usually to reduce or eliminate phobias, in which the client is exposed to stimuli that induce anxiety. The therapist, in discussion with the client, produces a hierarchy of anxiety-invoking events or items relating to the anxiety-producing stimulus or phobia. The client is then exposed to the actual stimuli in the hierarchy, rather than asked simply to imagine them. Success depends on the client overcoming anxiety as the events or items are encountered. Compare covert desensitization. See also systematic desensitization. [first developed by Mary Cover Jones]

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Psychology term of the day

January 15th 2025

respiratory disorder

a general term for any disorder involving one or more components of the respiratory system, such as the diaphragm, lungs, trachea, larynx, or nasal cavities. See also asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.