A patient who had long feared going into elevators was told by his therapist to force himself to enter 20 elevators a day. The therapist most likely wanted to encourage the ________ of the patient's fear.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The therapist most likely wanted to encourage the extinction of the patient's fear, which involves reducing or eliminating a behavior by repeatedly exposing the individual to the fear-inducing stimulus until they no longer respond with fear. By forcing the patient to enter many elevators a day, the therapist was likely attempting to decrease the patient's fear response and ultimately eliminate it.

A Patient Who Had Long Feared Going into Elevators Was