Joseph Wolpe

And here's where it gets really interesting.

Oh, the Joseph Wolpe connection.

Yes.

Anyone who has studied human psychology knows Wolpe.

Now let's talk about the application of the behaviorist approach, systematic desensitization.

This is a therapy developed by Joseph Wolpe in 1958 to treat phobias and anxiety disorders, and it is directly grounded in the principles of classical conditioning.

The logic is this: A phobia is a conditioned fear response.

A previously neutral stimulus, like a spider, has been paired with a frightening experience and has become a conditioned stimulus that triggers a fear response.