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The cause and effect of having a phobia
Theories of phobia
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Introduction
In this paper I will be describing phobias and fear, but more specifically coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) and Monophobia (the fear of being alone). I also will describe possible causes of phobias, the history of phobias, how fear is helpful in small amounts, what fear does to someone and how to defeat it. Fear is present in all people but some more than others and I would like to know why. The definition of a phobia is “an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something”. Phobias are never simple and often do not have a simple answers or cures, but there are ways of dealing with phobias. There are some treatments that can help you get over your fears. Phobias are not easy to get into without getting into very complex psychological science, but in this paper I will will give the basics as to understanding it and understanding fear.
Causes:
Causes of fear and phobias are difficult to identify due to there often irrational manner. However some phobias can be linked to traumatic childhood experiences. It is very likely that if when you were young, you got lost or separated from you family for any length of time, you will grow up a bit more cautious about getting lost, but whether or not this becomes a phobia is not always obvious. Phobia may also develop due to media or movies and films. for example, if everywhere you turn there are movies about killer clowns, you may double check what you previously thought about clowns. There are other causes of fear and phobias but they are not as easily defined or specified. This may be because there isnt a huge difference between someone who has many phobias and someone who doesn't. One of these more subtle causes for a phobia may be genetics. There is no one cause for...
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...arrying water back from the river. Only now, we're carrying a wallet and walking down city streets. The decision not to take that shortcut through the deserted alley at midnight is based on a rational fear that promotes survival.”-Layton, J. How Fear Works.
Works Cited
The Fear of Clowns?. (2012, January 1). . Retrieved , from http://www.coulrophobiafacts.com/
Qinion, M. (1996, January 1). Coulrophobia. . Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-col2.htm
The fear of being alone. (n.d.). . Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/docs/fear_of_being_alone.asp
Korgeski, G. (2009, May 28). The history of phobias. . Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://hiperfdiy.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/the-history-of-phobias/
Layton, J. (n.d.). How fear works. . Retrieved , from http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/fear.htm
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...
Karl Albrecht, Ph.D. "The (Only) Five Basic Fears We All Live By." Psychology Today (2012).
Agoraphobia is derived from the Greek words agora, meaning “gathering place” or “assembly” which was used to describe a city’s marketplace, and phobia meaning “fear.” It literally means "fear of the marketplace." Carl Westphal first coined the term “agoraphobia” in 1871 to describe people who were afraid of large open spaces. Since then, the definition of agoraphobia has been modified and continues to develop as more research is done. (Barlow, 2002, p. 328) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) defines the essential trait of agoraphobia as "marked, or intense, fear or anxiety triggered by the real or anticipated exposure to a wide range of situations." (p 218) It is the most common phobia. To further understand agoraphobia, this essay will explore the characteristics, causes, being a Christian with agoraphobia, and the treatments.
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
Conquering phobias is a specialty of hypnotherapists. A phobia is a compulsive fear of a specified situation or object (Knight 2). A few types of phobias are fear of open spaces, fear of snow, fear of the cold, fear of marriage, fear of insanity, fear of being alone, fear of darkness, fear of disease, fear of beards, fear of birds, fear of being stared at, fear of bein...
Fear prevents us from embracing the present moment. While fear does serve as a protective force, as individuals would not consider consequences without it, it also damages an individual’s ability to live mindfully. Fear prevents risk; it prevents individuals from taking risks that could move them from despair to fulfillment. We stand dissatisfied with the present, yet afraid of the unknown.
There’s a monster under your bed, and there are ghosts in the attic. The Bogey man is in your closet and ravens await your death so they can pick from your rotting flesh. Flowers are ready to strangle you, as pickles prepare to choke you in the night. It’s almost funny to hear of people who actually fear flowers and pickles. But these people have real legit fears of even the nicest of things. Although these fears are horrible, and should not be feared; I think the more we know about them, the more we can be prepared. There must be a deeper meaning of these weird phobias. Is it nature? Or inherited traits of the human body? Maybe they come from past experiences? Even as these fears are quite interesting, but unwanted, I want to know why people acquire these ridiculous fears and how we could stop them.
Almost everyone alive has a fear of something whether it be heights, spiders or even clowns. Some people however have more serious issues with their fears, fears that follow them almost everywhere they go, these fears are called phobias. It is estimated that 4 to 5 percent of Americans have some type of phobia, which is an irrational fear of situations and certain objects. There are over 500 known phobias; a very common phobia is social phobia.
Hudson, J. L., and R. M. Rapee. "The Origins of Social Phobia." Behavior Modification 24.1
...6. Generalization from the original phobic stimulus to stimuli of a similar nature will occur; 7. Noxious experiences which occur under conditions of excessive confinement are more likely to produce phobic reactions; 8. Neutral stimuli which are associated with a noxious experience, may develop motivating properties. This acquired drive is termed the fear drive; 9. Responses (such as avoidance) which reduce the fear drive are reinforced; 10. Phobic reactions can be acquired vicariously (Rachman 31). These theories are used to identify how people obtain phobias and other situations that may occur with phobias.
Human's fears should not be taken lightly. Fear could do anything to one's minds, though without fear, man can be as savage as animals. In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding presented fear of the unknown to be a powerful force in a man's mind. Fear of the unknown is a powerful force, which can turn to either insight or hysteria. The kids feared of not being rescued off of the island, so they made signal fires on top of the mountain. Then, there and gone, Roger's fear of the old rules he abided to. Also, there were the fears of the beast which confused and isolated the kids from the top of the mountain.
Fear can be caused by many different things and can be a result of different situations. “Fear is a primary emotion. It is an evolved and adaptive physiological response that occurs automatically in response to particular
What causes dental phobia? About 75% of such patients have had a bad childhood experience in a dentist's office. Another 25% suffer from other issues like post traumatic stress disorders e.g., war veterans, domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, for whom dental phobia becomes an unpleasant side effect. Also a lot of these patients didn't have a good access to dental care. Indirect experiences such as hearing about traumatic experiences/views of a friend or family member about dentistry may also contribute towards development of phobias.
Introduce Topic: A phobia as defined by medicalnewstoday.com, “is an irrational fear, a kind of anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a relentless dread of a situation, living creature, place or thing.”
This paper is focused on how fear as a subject is being perceived by many as a dominant and primitive human emotion. An uncontrollable energy that’s exists and created within every individual, which is directed towards an object or a given situation that does not present an actual danger. The individual then analyzes that the fear is contradictory and thus cannot help the reaction. Gradually, the phobia aims to build up and aggravate as the fear of fear response takes hold. Eventually they distinguish their fear responses as negative, and go out of their way to avoid those reactions. ‘Fear is derived as a basic feeling and therefore created by us – it is not something we have, but something we do. The principle of fear is to keep us safe.’