A recent behavioral technique, developed to eliminate unwanted behavior, is desensitization (Wolpe 1958). This procedure initially was utilized to countercondition fears (phobias) of specific objects or situations—such as fear of snakes, spiders, heights, closed spaces, etc. Later extensions of this method included its use to alleviate discomfort in talking and socializing with others (Kraft 1969). In this procedure the subject learns to relax, or to behave in a way that is incompatible with autonomic responses associated with the fear response. By engaging in behaviors incompatible with anxiety, the association or connection between the stimulus and the resulting fear response is broken.
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Wolpe, J.: Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition. Stanford Univ. Press, 1958.
