Martha and Stan are newlyweds. They see a therapist because Stan is afraid of sexual intercourse. The therapist asks Stan exactly which acts make him anxious, constructs a hierarchy of those threatening acts, teaches him to relax, and asks him to imagine each threatening scene in the hierarchy and use the relaxation technique to reduce his anxiety. The therapist is using ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The therapist is using systematic desensitization, which involves creating a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations and gradually exposing the individual to each situation while teaching relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety. None of the other options mentioned (negative reinforcement, stepwise regression, and aversive conditioning) are applicable to this scenario.

Martha and Stan Are Newlyweds