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

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The therapist is using desensitization, specifically systematic desensitization, to help Martha overcome her fear of sexual intercourse. By creating a hierarchy of threatening acts and teaching her relaxation techniques, the therapist is gradually exposing Martha to the feared situations and helping her to become less fearful of them over time.

Martha and Stan Are Newlyweds