The History, Causes and Effects, and Treatment of Phobias

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The History, Causes and Effects, and Treatment of Phobias

Just imagine for a moment that you have a cynophobia or the fear of dogs, would this be how you would feel. Driving down the road the oil light comes on. "I must stop the car to add more oil or I will damage the car engine. This looks like a good place to pull over. I'll just stop in front of this house. The oil is in the trunk, so I'll pop the top first, then get the oil out of the trunk. OK, I have the oil, but what if there is a dog at this house. Hurry, I have to hurry. A dog might come running out and bark at me any minute. Just get the oil in the engine. I can't my hands are shaking. Don't worry, there is no dog. Just get the oil in the engine. I don't care if I spill it, just get some in the engine. Take another look around, is there a dog anywhere. OK, the oils in, now hurry get back in the car. I can't breath. I'm safely back in the car, now just take a minute and breath. When will my hands stop shaking." This is how a person with a phobia of dogs might feel. There is no dog around anywhere in sight, but the thought of a dog running at them barking is enough to cause a panic attack. In "Exploring Psychology" David G. Myers defines phobia as "an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation" (432). This paper will explore the history, causes, effects, and treatment of Phobias.

The first area to explore is the history of Phobias. The word phobia was not used in medical literature until the late eighteenth century. Phobia comes from the Greek word phobos, which means "fear, terror, panic, and flight." In Greek mythology, Phobos was a Greek god who caused fear and panic in his enem...

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...n. Harold N.. "Phobia Free." New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc.. 1986.

Monroe, Judy.. "Phobias Everything You Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask." Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc. 1996.

Myers, David G.. "Exploring Psychology." 4th ed. New York: Worth Publishers. 1999

Appendix A

On Friday, July 28th at 9:00 PM, Fox aired a television show call "Now or Never: Face Your Fears". Jerry Springer hosted the one hour episode where he dared people for $500 to face their fears. The phobias included spiders, the dentist, fire and heights. I thought the show was a put on until I saw the girl afraid of small spaces being buried alive with a camera. You could see her lower lip quivering. Five Hundred dollars is not nearly enough for me to face my fear of dogs. Jerry will have to come up with a lot more for me to face a barking attack dog.

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