Effects of systematic desensitization, programmed fantasy and bibliotherapy on a specific fear

Abstract

The present study was an attempt to compare the efficacy of three treatments in reducing the fear of a harmless snake, to determine whether extraverts and introverts are differentially affected by systematic desensitization and to determine whether scores on an anxiety test are reduced as a result of successful treatment of a specific fear. Twenty-nine snake-fearing college students were randomly divided into three groups. A systematic desensitization group was treated in the usual manner, whereas a programmed fantasy group imagined the same scenes for the same length of time as the systematic desensitization group, but had no instructions in relaxation and had minimal contact with E. A bibliotherapy group read about snakes, and also had minimal contact with E. No significant differences were found between the efficacy of systematic desensitization and programmed fantasy, but both were more effective than bibliotherapy. These results were discussed in terms of the role of muscular relaxation in systematic desensitization. Systematic desensitization was found equally effective with extraverts, introverts and ambiverts, but successful treatment of the fear of a harmless snake did not result in a significant reduction of scores on an anxiety test.