What was the sound beyond the hallway, or that figure on the corner of your eye? That certain sensation of your heart beat getting louder and your palms sweating,the chill called fear. Fear is a defense system to warn humans we could be in danger, but what if fear goes too far? People with phobias feel a cold sweat drop from their faces, their pupils dilated,shaking at the sight of stop-lights or does not have the heart to cross rivers, it is most likely a phobia. It is an irrational fear that takes over someone's mind and prevents them to surmount obstacles in their life. They can range from something as scary as spiders to something as strange as paper-towel rolls. Like Lea Winerman, a writer for American Psychology Association, states, “ All phobias are anxiety disorders, lumped in the same class as post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder, among others. And anxiety disorders are, fundamentally, based on fear.” Phobias prevents people from functioning normally and have a healthy life by taking hold of their lives and daily schedules. The effects of having a phobia results in inconveniences in your life, stress, and medical problems in your future.
One of the major concerns is having a phobia is that it get in the way of your daily life. A phobia can prevent a person from having a normal life. Being afraid of such things as cars or computers might be a liability in anyone's everyday life. These feelings of insecurity causes people to lash out or hide into corners. People are prone to have phobias because of past experiences, but they cause a huge gape in people's livelihood. Phobias may even cause people to become detached and yet powerless to their fears. Mr. Burnett, a doctor of neuroscience and professor proclaim...
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... can create unwanted stress, and stress turns into future health problems. Phobias are deep rooted fears but fears can be cured with patience and help from a doctor. No one should deal with fear themselves, it takes true courage and the support of others to gain control over the fear in your life.
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Works Cited
Burnett, Dean. "Phobias: The Rationale behind Irrational Fears."Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 28 June 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne, MD, and Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD. "Phobias: Learn About the Definition and Treatment of Phobias." MedicineNet. Medicinenet.com, 9 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Wittchen, HU, and E. Beloch. "The Impact of Social Phobia on Quality of Life." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 July 1996. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
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.
A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).
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...
Have you ever had something ever get to you or make you you scared? That is called fear and tons an tons of people have different fears. Fear is an emotion that makes you feel afraid or something is frighten. Some fears many include spiders, clowns and even death. ‘’Fear Prompts Teens To Act Impulsively’’ by Laura Sanders, ‘’Stress for Success’’ by Alison Pearce, and ‘’And Uncomfortable Bed’’ By Guy Maupassant all explain the idea of fear.
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.
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.
Phobias are considered a part of anxiety disorders, a phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a certain thing or situation. Some examples of phobias include fear of heights, insects, and even talking in front of a large crowd. The intensity of phobias differ from patient to patient but the severity of phobia...
...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.
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
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 have been on the rise and are progressively becoming more and more common. A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear or an aversion to something. Phobias are on the rise and you basically can not meet someone who doesn’t claim that they have a phobia of one thing or another. Phobias are a result of when fear is connected to certain objects or people, like clowns. In most people phobias can be instilled by childhood nightmares linked to the object they’re afraid of or because of events attached to these objects Whether it be a phobia of something common, like spiders or something that others may not ever understand, like a phobia of kneecaps.There are an incredibly large amount of phobias that fall into different categories. There are many different levels of fear for people who experience phobias as well this can range from the fear experienced being just an annoyance to the fear being almost disabling for others. Phobias differ very much from person to person but the amount of fear experienced shouldn’t determine who suffers more.
Teddy Roosevelt once said that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Fear is a product of the absence of knowledge and thoughts that are blown out of proportion. As humans we are scared of the unknown and what it conceals from us. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of children crash land on an unknown island without adults. As time passes, the kids become uneasy and try to seek comfort in their leaders. When their imagination takes over, the unknown soon ignites their fear and apprehension hinders the juveniles as they attempt to restore order. Since fear is fueled by imagination, the boys’ outward attempt to conquer it only results in violence and chaos.
Fear is an emotion that acts instantly. It will send signals so that it can avoid danger, but if it is unavoidable it intensifies and you will begin to subconsciously store all the details around the danger. Some details include sounds, smells, sights, time of day, weather, and much more. While this is helpful to keep yourself safe, it can later become a problem. After your body has experienced fear and remembers all the details of that situation, the sight, smell, or other details remembered can become a stimuli themselves and trigger fear when no danger is near.
Wittchen, H. U., Stein, M. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1999). Social fears and social phobia in a
Death is a difficult subject for many people. The topic alone can cause a lot of anxiety because of all the things we don’t know. Most of us fear death for many reasons. Whether it’s your final day, or a final moment with a loved one, it’s a painfully scary process because of its uncertainty.