In class, I found an interesting contrast between two concepts we have learned about. Avoidance Theory is the avoidance or escape from anxiety-provoking stimuli resulting in the removal of unpleasant emotions. The behavior of avoidance essentially becomes a reward. These behaviors may occur in many different ways and include actions that someone may or may not do. In Chapter 9, this concept was introduced and I found it very interesting as I was able to compare it to procrastination.
Obsession was another concept in Chapter 9 that differed from the Avoidance Theory. Obsession would be someone obsessing over if they turned their flat iron off so they checked it five times in a row. Obsession is a factor in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I have slight OCD in a way that I never have handed a college assignment in late and I obsess over deadlines. It was cool to learn about these concepts and compare/contrast them from everyday life.
https://www.gracepointwellness.org/1-anxiety-disorders/article/38494-operant-conditioning-and-avoidance-learning#:~:text=Mowrer%20proposed%20that%20the%20avoidance,increases)%20the%20behavior%20of%20avoidance.
Hey, you have great points in your post! I have the same obsession as well, in a way this helps us out in times where there might be an emergency but all of our work is done!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I relate to both you and Melissa in that I obsess over deadlines, as well. The website link you used is helpful in looking deeper at operant conditioning and avoidance learning. I remember one of my professors said that avoiding things is usually the main contributor to 99% of our problems in life. It is definitely important to try to move past incubation and work towards conquering fears. I'm inspired to try so myself. Nice work!
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