Citation

Dymond S, Bennett M, Boyle S, Roche B, Schlund M. Perspect. Behav. Sci. 2018; 41(1): 189-213.

Affiliation

5Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Loeffler Building, Room 316, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40614-017-0133-6

PMID

32004365

PMCID

PMC6701705

Abstract

Humans have an unparalleled ability to engage in arbitrarily applicable relational responding (AARR). One of the consequences of this ability to spontaneously combine and relate events from the past, present, and future may, in fact, be a propensity to suffer. For instance, maladaptive fear and avoidance of remote or derived threats may actually perpetuate anxiety. In this narrative review, we consider contemporary AARR research on fear and avoidance as it relates to anxiety. We first describe laboratory-based research on the emergent spread of fear- and avoidance-eliciting functions in humans. Next, we consider the validity of AARR research on fear and avoidance and address the therapeutic implications of the work. Finally, we outline challenges and opportunities for a greater synthesis between behavior analysis research on AARR and experimental psychopathology.

© Association for Behavior Analysis International 2017.

Language: en

Keywords

Anxiety; Arbitrarily applicable relational responding; Avoidance; Experimental psychopathology; Fear; Generalization; Stimulus relations