The effect of immediate feedback during relaxation training on the process of systematic desensitization

In 1958, Joseph Wolpe published a formal statement on psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. The basis for this statement is simply that two incompatible responses cannot occur at the same time. Relaxation and anxiety are two such incompatible responses.Subsequent to this statement it has been demonstrated that the process of systematic desensitization is an effective means of replacing anxiety responses with relaxation responses. Wolpe argues that a client must be able to induce deep relaxation on cue in order for the process of systematic desensitization to be effective. In order to reach this end subjects are trained in deep muscular relaxation after the method described by Jacobson.After the subject has learned the relaxation response, he is exposed to a graduated series of anxiety producing stimuli. If the relaxation response has been well learned, stimuli which previously have been anxiety arousing will become associated with relaxation. When this has occurred, the debilitating effects of anxiety are removed, and the subject is free to operate in a constructive manner.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of immediate feedback during relaxation training on the process of systematic desensitization. In addition the study undertook an examination of the galvanic skin response record which was collected during relaxation training.It was believed if subjects through feedback could be taught to quickly and deeply induce relaxation that the systematic desensitization process would be improved.A review of the literature included the following areas: 1) traditional systematic desensitization, 2) group systematic desensitization, 3) relaxation training, 4) use of physiological feedback, and 5) standardized hierarchies.Subjects were nineteen students enrolled in introductory speech classes during the first five-week summer session in 1971 at Ball State University. All persons who took part in the study described themselves as experiencing anxiety in the speech giving situation.In pretest and posttest sessions all subjects were administered Paul's adaptation of Gilkinson's Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker to assess their feelings about performing in the speech situation before a group. In addition, in order to measure general anxiety level, five subtests of the Objective-Analytic Anxiety Battery (1960) published by the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing were administered.Subjects were divided into three groups: Group I received individual relaxation training with feedback of the galvanic skin response followed by group systematic desensitization; Group II received relaxation training without feedback of galvanic skin response followed by group systematic desensitization, and Group III received no treatment.An analysis of covariance was used to assess change in anxiety level as measured by the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker and the Objective-Analytic Anxiety Battery. If the analysis of covariance indicated that significant differences did exist, a Scheffe statistic was applied to determine which group differed from which other group or groups.Results indicate that no significant differences existed between groups as measured by the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker. On four of the five subtests of the Objective-Analytic Anxiety Battery no significant differences existed. On one subtest which purports to measure anxiety through ergic tension members of both Group I and Group II had a greater reduction (less than the .05 level) than did members of Group III.Discussion of the findings included the fact that although significant differences did not exist on six of the seven measures, there was movement in the hypothesized direction on five of the seven measures. Recommendations for further study were included.Thesis (D. Ed.