Imagine walking into a party and thick mob people. A woman walks in at the same time with a horrified look on her face. She grabs her head, she is shaking, her eyes close, and she starts to hyperventilate. This woman has a fear of crowds. Fears like, what this woman has, develop into phobias. People live their lives in fear and are consumed by it but some fear is actually good. Too much fear can result in a phobia. A phobia is a fear that interferes with normal living. This fear can be so over bearing that it can cause someone to have stomach aches, high blood pressure, ulcers, skin rashes, headaches, and other health problems (Orr, 1999). Phobias can cause a person to avoid tasks if their fear gets in the way. According to Abramovitz (2003), “5 to 12 percent of Americans have some kind of phobia.” Phobias are not just a recent discovery. The origins of phobias date back 2,400 years ago when Hippocrates was documenting cases of them. According to Hippocrates the first patient, “through bashfulness, suspicion and timorousness will not be seen abroad, loves darkness as life and cannot endure the light, or sit in lightsome places, his hat over his eyes, he will neither see nor be seen by his good will” and the second patient, he said, ”dared not to come in company for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gesture or speech, or be sick; he thinks every man observes him, aims at him, derides him, owes him malice.” As Hippocrates observed back then, phobias have not changed. He saw people with all different kinds of phobias. That is anywhere from animal phobias to social phobias and other fears that can be seen in any case today. It just so happens that the Greek word phobos means “intense fear or terror” and it... ... middle of paper ... ...elp. Other ways involve systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure that are both done by a psychologist or psychiatrist. As Steven Richards says, “Fear can make a moth seem the size of a bull elephant.” Works Cited Abramovitz, M. (2003, 10). Conquering fears and phobias. Current Health 1, 27, 20-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209832694?accountid=14752 Orr, T. (1999, 10). Tackling fears and phobias. Current Health 1, 23, 26-28. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209837125?accountid=14752 Saul, H. (2001). Phobias: Fighting the fear. New York: Arcade Pub. 18-20, 26, 31-32, 78, 206-207
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.
Anxiety is a concept that most people experience daily, but severe anxiety is associated with panic attacks and other disorders can debilitate a person’s life. In the 1997 documentary, Secret Fear directed by Sarah Barton, real-life people express their stories and experiences with anxiety. The film uses the stories of people who have recovered and / or continue to cope with their disorder. Furthermore, different types of therapy, medications, and coping methods are described for the viewer to understand the ways in which people are able to overcome anxiety. Since anxiety is not limited solely to panic attacks, the film uses people who have experienced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), hoarding, depression, or social phobias. The film
Pollard, C. Alec, and Elke White. The Agoraphobia Workbook: a Comprehensive Program to End Your Fear of Symptom Attacks. Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger, 2003. Print.
One of the characteristics of a phobia is a feeling that is greater than the fear of a situation or object with an exaggeration of the danger associated with the said situation or even object. This persistent fear often leads to an anxiety disorder that leads an individual to develop mechanisms that ensure one avoids the object or situation that triggers the occurrence of the phobia. Phobias can have highly debilitating effects on an individual including the development of depression, isolation, substance abuse, and even suicide. Many people take phobia for granted however, it is clear that it has the potential to impair the quality of life for both the affected and the people around them. The fact that many of the phobias are manageable using
Simple phobias include irrational fears of things like animals such as dogs, cats, or the most common snakes. Specific phobias are centered around specific situations such as small spaces, claustrophobia, or heights, acrophobia. Social phobias are irrational fears of interactions with other people. For example, a person might have a social phobia of public speaking or fear of embarrassment. Another form of social phobia is agoraphobia which restraints a person from being in unfamiliar, open or closed spaces, typically resulting in panic attacks. These different types of phobias have two things in common; they are irrational, and they are treated in similar
First, this theory ignores the biological components that could be at play in a persons disorder. Some people may be more predisposed by their genes to develop anxieties or phobias. Additionally, thought patterns from a cognitive approach are disregarded, suggesting that irrational beliefs or catastrophic thoughts contribute to the development of a phobia. Through this cognitive approach, it’s explained that even the thought of fearful situations initiate the phobia, a symptom Kyle exhibits. Family and social therapy are also important in treatment for phobias. Through this therapy, Kyle can be assisted and relate with those surrounding him going through similar situations. Support can be established and he will be able to realize he is not alone or isolated in this endeavor to combat his
Marks, I. M. (1987). Fears, phobias, and rituals: Panic, anxiety, and their disorders. New York:
Whenever you’re presented with the fear – no matter how big or small – your survival mechanism kicks in because it thinks that you need to be protected from some type of danger. Now how do you reprogram your flight or fight response? Again,
Phobia is the fear of a situation or object, which is not dangerous or troublesome to other people. Phobias range from someone being fearful of spiders to attending school. Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that can overtake someone’s life. It can limit his or her social and mental life if not treated. Theories have been deprive from studies discussing what causes phobias and how it can affect the person’s life.
Having anxiety is common and a part of everyday life however; there is a huge difference between a fear and a social phobia or anxiety disorder. The difference and important distinction psychoanalysts make between a fear and a phobia is “a true phobia must be inconsistent with the conscious learning experience of the individual” (Karon 1). Patients with true phobias “do not respond to cognitive therapy but do respond well to psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy” (Karon 2). Social phobia is a serious anxiety disorder that should not be taken lightly or mistaken as a fear you will simply grow out of the older you get. Social phobia has the power to destroy lives and can prevent people from living and enjoying their life to the fullest. Social phobia is a disabling condition that often starts between the ages of early childhood and late adolescence. The origins of social phobia can be linked to “traumatic social experiences and social isolation” (Hudson118-120). Social phobia is treatable however; research and statics show that not many seek help.
Systematic desensitization, also known as graduated exposure therapy which was developed by Wolpe, is one of the most effective method for reducing phobias, fears, and other anxiety disorders. This therapy uses counter-conditioning, a reverse classical conditioning technique, to unlearn or reduce the intensity of a conditioned response by establishing a new relaxation response to the conditioned stimulus gradually. Due to the fact that relaxation is incompatible with anxiety and fear, it then follows that relaxation response can counter fearful response. For Chandler to overcome his phobia of dogs, three critical concepts of systematic desensitization must be taken into account namely: relaxation training, fear hierarchy, and reciprocal inhibition.
There are three kinds of phobias: simple phobia, social phobia, and panic attacks. Simple phobias, also called specific phobias, are fears of a specific thing, such as spiders or being in a closed place. Most simple phobias develop during childhood and eventually disappear. Specific phobia is a marked fear of a specific object or situation. It is a category for any phobias other than agoraphobia and social phobia. The categories of specific phobias are 1. situational phobias such as: fear of elevators, airplanes, enclosed places, public transportation, tunnels, or bridges; 2. fear of the natural environment such as: storms, water, or heights; 3. animal phobias such as: fear of dogs, snakes, insects, or mice; 4. blood-injection-injury phobia such as: fear of seeing blood or an injury, or of receiving an injection. (Wood 520).
Wittchen, H. U., Stein, M. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1999). Social fears and social phobia in a
Main Point 1: There are three main categories of phobias. The first category is Specific Phobias which are known as simple phobias. Specific phobias or simple phobias are usually fears about specific situations, living creatures, places, activities, or things. Examples of simple phobias is dentophobia (dentists), aerophobia (flying), claustrophobia (small spaces), and acrophobia (heights). The other two categories are Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. These two are known as complex phobias. The article “What is a Phobia?”, describes them as complex phobias because “they are linked to deep-rooted fear or anxiety about certain situations, incidents or circumstances, which make them more disabling than simple phobias.” Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia may be defined in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. (Webmd.com) A person with social phobia finds being in social situations very difficult to handle with because of the lack of social skills or experiences that person may have. Going out to social events such as parties or functions may cause anxiety to a person with social phobia. There is that fear a person has of being embarrassed in public. People with this phobia may be afraid of a specific situation such as public speaking. Medicinenet.com defines “agoraphobia” as “a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.” The results of agoraphobia are anxiety and panic attacks. People with agoraphobia sometimes confine themselves inside their own home when symptoms are
Phobias are irrational fear to a person, place or object and they are classified as an anxiety disorder. There is a term for every phobia imaginable. Phobias affect approximately nineteen million individuals, with the fears ranging from blood to women and every thing in between. The symptoms one experiences when suffering with a phobia include profuse sweating, headaches, extreme nausea and a variety of other physical symptoms.