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1 INTRODUCTION 9 and suggested that safety behaviors may be used judiciously (i.e., carefully) in exposure-based therapy. This triggered a discussion about the role of safety behaviors in the persistence of pathological anxiety, and encouraged new research on the effects of safety behavior during exposure therapy (for an overview, see Blakey & Abramowitz, 2016; and Meulders, Van Daele, Volders, & Vlaeyen, 2016). In light of this discussion, the current dissertation applied an experimental psychopathology approach to investigate the role of safety behaviors in the persistence of irrational fears. In this introductory chapter, we first provide more background information about safety behavior, and its relationship to pathological anxiety. Next, we explain the theoretical and empirical justifications for the elimination of safety behavior during treatment, and discuss the controversial thesis of the incorporation of safety behavior in exposure therapy. Furthermore, we review the causal effect of safety behavior on anxiety and danger perceptions, and explore the potentially beneficial effects of approach-enhancing safety behaviors on treatment outcomes. We conclude this introduction with a description of the aims and outline of this dissertation. SAFETY BEHAVIOR Safety behaviors are overt (observable) and covert (unobservable) actions aimed at preventing, escaping, minimizing, or neutralizing a feared outcome (Blakey & Abramowitz, 2016; Deacon & Maack, 2008; Gangemi, Mancini, & van den Hout, 2012; Salkovskis, 1991). Safety behaviors consist of behavioral and cognitive strategies (Helbig-Lang & Petermann, 2010; McManus, Sacadura, Clark, 2008) that are functionally related to the expected threat (Salkovkis, Clark, & Gelder, 1996). They are often adaptive, inherently normal, and foster survival and well-being in the presence of actual threat (Deacon & Maack, 2008). In relatively safe situations, however, they are unnecessary and are considered to be maladaptive (Helbig-Lang &