- how can we tell if a person has interpreted a stressor as being benign-positive or as a challenge?
It can be a "challenge" if the person sees the situation as stressful or demanding but a person is positive about it. It can be "benign-positive" if it's overall a positive experience rather than something stressful.
You will know with the wording of the question or scenario. For example, heading into exam period is a stressful scenario but an individual could appraise it as "challenge." In this scenario, it would be unlikely that the person would interpret it as an overall positive scenario such as with "benign-positive."
- how do we explain CBT in detail and is there any difference between its use as an intervention for phobias and as a protective factor?
CBT aims to change irrational and distorted thinking into more realistic and positive ones. Irrational thinking leads to impaired reasoning and judgements which ultimately influences dysfunctional behaviour. There is also a behavioural component which uses systematic desensitisation (I think) and principles of breathing retraining for phobia.
There's not much difference between using it as intervention or protective factor in terms of targeting faulty cognition to change their subsequent behaviour.
- how do we explain how LTP and the role of stress response contribute to phobia?
Role of the stress response: an overactive or easily triggered fight/flight response contribute to the development of phobia as the brain immediately perceives danger when exposed to the phobic stimulus triggering the fight/flight response even if the individual is not in imminent danger. You can also link this to the amygdala and how adrenaline from stress response strengthens the consolidation of the memory which perpetuates the phobia.
LTP: LTP strengthens neural connections that form associations between the phobic stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus (a bad or unpleasant experience). As a result, the phobic stimulus is strongly associated with fear and danger which triggers the stress response.
- how exactly are specific environmental triggers contributing factors to developing phobias? Is it just that a traumatic experience can cause a phobia to develop?
1. individual personally experiences a traumatic experience.
2. observing someone else experiences a traumatic experience. This can be watching someone get viciously attacked by a dog or even learning vicariously through a parent. If a child sees that a parent has a phobia to something, they are more likely to develop it as well.
3. stigma (though perpetuates phobia rather than triggers its development)
Hope that helped a little