Seligman and Hager (1972) proposed that humans, as well as other animals, could learn to be fearful of some stimuli more readily than of other stimuli, highlighting an innateness in the development of phobias. What predisposition does this explain?
A Preparedness
B Desensitization
C Displacement
D Sublimation
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A. Preparedness.
Explanation:
Seligman and Hager (1972) introduced the concept of preparedness to explain why humans and many animals tend to develop fears or phobias more easily toward certain stimuli than others. This idea suggests that there is an innate biological predisposition to learn fear responses more rapidly and strongly to some objects or situations—such as snakes, spiders, heights, or darkness—because these were historically relevant threats to survival.
Why Preparedness?
- Evolutionary basis: Over thousands of years, natural selection favored individuals who could quickly learn to fear stimuli that posed real dangers. This enhanced survival chances.
- Selective learning: Unlike general associative learning where any neutral stimulus can be paired with fear, preparedness implies that certain stimuli are “prewired” to produce fear more easily.
- Phobias: Common phobias often involve stimuli that were potentially life-threatening in our evolutionary past (e.g., snakes, spiders). This explains why these fears are much more prevalent than, say, fear of modern objects like electrical outlets or cars, even though the latter may be objectively dangerous.
What the other options mean:
- B. Desensitization: This is a behavioral therapy technique used to reduce fear by gradually exposing a person to the feared stimulus. It doesn’t explain innate predispositions but is a treatment method.
- C. Displacement: This is a defense mechanism where emotions or impulses are redirected from a threatening target to a safer one. It’s a psychoanalytic concept, unrelated to learning fear.
- D. Sublimation: Another defense mechanism, where unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable actions (e.g., channeling aggression into sports). Also unrelated to fear learning.
Summary:
Seligman and Hager’s idea of preparedness helps explain why humans and animals are biologically predisposed to fear certain stimuli more easily than others, reflecting evolutionary survival mechanisms. This concept is fundamental in understanding the development of common phobias.