systematic desensitization

a form of behavior therapy in which counterconditioning is used to reduce anxiety associated with a particular stimulus. It involves the following stages: (a) The client is trained in deep-muscle relaxation; (b) various anxiety-provoking situations related to a particular problem, such as fear of death or a specific phobia, are listed in order from weakest to strongest; and (c) each of these situations is presented in imagination or in reality, beginning with the weakest, while the client practices muscle relaxation. Since the muscle relaxation is incompatible with the anxiety, the client gradually responds less to the anxiety-provoking situations. See also covert desensitization; in vivo desensitization; reciprocal inhibition. [introduced by Joseph Wolpe]

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Psychology term of the day

February 22nd 2025

Machiavellian hypothesis

the hypothesis that the evolution of intelligence, especially in its social aspects, was largely dependent on behavior characterized by a desire and striving for power. According to the hypothesis, individuals who are more Machiavellian in their behavior are more likely to be successful in adaptation and thus more likely to spread their genes to future generations. [Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), Italian political theorist]