Essay On Phobias

635 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social learning theory paper

This essay will assess the different categories of phobias and briefly summarize talk therapy and cognitive behavioral theories regarding attaining and maintenance of phobic disorders. A phobia is an irrational fear that creates internal feeling and apprehension, perceived as real with physiological responses such as heart palpitations, trembling and sweating. Depending upon the severity, phobias may interfere with the level of functioning in various settings: academic, occupational, or at home. It is classified under anxiety disorders with three major categories: agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder and specific phobias. Agoraphobia (AG) consists of fears of being in public places and the individuals’ ability to escape or receive help during a panic episode is limited. Individuals may initially experience one or more panic attacks that typically progress to AG. Clients become reclusive and may avoid situations that create distress and refuse to leave their home. People with AG do enter impending phobic conditions, but only with medication or when escorted by a trusted companion or therapist. They may also have also co-occurring disorders such as obsessions, substance abuse, and depression. Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia), the most prevalent anxiety disorder, characterized by extreme self-consciousness and excessive fear of being humiliated during social situations with other people or when asked to perform. Symptoms include fear of being judged, blushing, profuse sweating, nausea and other signs of anxiety. Individuals who suffer from social anxiety have an early onset usually during childhood or adolescence. Children may exhibit clingy behaviors or become mute in certain situations. SP pertains to onl...

... middle of paper ...

...nt anxiety. The operant conditioning takes place when the person emits avoidance in the presence of the neutral stimulus, since the stimulus never created the initial anxiety. by escaping the CS and getting an immediate reduction in its fear-eliciting properties, the avoidance response is maintained. Another etiology of phobias is offered by social learning theory, which state that watching parental avoidance strategies learns phobic behaviors. Cognitive theorists emphasize the role played by expectancies in potentially dangerous consequences versus neutral situations. Expectancies acts like a mediator between the two. Avoidance responding is acquired in the presence of the warning sign through cognitive process of comparing expectations for when and when not to respond. In this way an aversive outcome is maintained as a consequence of interacting with anxiety.

Show More
Related

  • Sheila Jackson Psychological Disorder Essay

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Agoraphobia is a psychological disorder characterised by panic and anxiety. This particular anxiety disorder involves the fear of experiencing a panic attack in a public place where safety may be unavailable, which causes discomfort (Lilienfeld, 2017). This disorder is commonly recognized in women and often arises during adolescent years. Often times, people develop agoraphobia after a previous panic attacks, which than causes them to worry about having another in the future (Agoraphobia, 2017). This results in avoidant behaviours, such as evading places where an attack may occur. There are many causes, symptoms, effects on both the individual with the disorder and their loved ones, as well as a variety of treatments available.

    Read More

  • Fear Conditioning: A Case Study Essay

    608 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kurayama, Matsuzawa, Komiya, Nakazawa, Yoshida, Shimizu, (2012) confirmed that these neutral stimuluses deed indeed has an effect and played a role in fear conditioning in people. The case showed that Treena had indeed learned to be scared of the incident and it proceeded to become a cue for to get anxious and get panic attacks. It has been claimed that patients with panic disorder exhibited fear potentiated startle responses to safety cues and therefore reduced discrimination between safety and danger signals during acquisition, indicating that the safety signal was processed as the aversive event in contrast to the danger signal (Nees, Heinrich, Flor, 2015). It also showed that the her failing to answer the question had affected her in other classes when she would not participate in other classes hence, this showed that the neutral stimulus has developed and grew into a conditioned stimulus which evoked feelings of fear and anxiety in her, in other words it had become a cue for her to be scared and

    Read More

  • Social Anxiety Disorder: Nature vs Nurture

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most common anxiety disorder is social phobia, which can sometimes be interchangeable with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Marc de Rosnay, and others, states that Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by a clearly noticeable fear and avoidance of most social situations where the individual may be put under scrutiny by others, and by fear in such situations, the individual will behave in an embarrassing manner (de Rosnay). One of the most notable feature of social phobia is that it has an early onset, as early as 7-9 months in most cases. The characteristics of having social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, is that the individuals are shy when meeting new people, quiet in a large group, blush easily, and often avoids making eye contact. There are a lot of concerns/problems with having social anxiety disorder. As a group, individuals with anxiety disorders had the largest burden of role disability compared to other common mental health conditions, exceeding the burden for mood disorders and in some cases, substance abuse (Grigorenko).

    Read More

  • Agoraphobia and its Impact on a Person's Life

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Biological And Environmental Factors In Defining Fear: The Importance Of Fear

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    In observational learning, a child takes note of what his or her mother or father considers to be threatening. On the other hand, children can also be conditioned by their own life experiences through a process called operant conditioning (SOURCE). In some instances, children tend to generalize their fears, subsequently forming a phobia. For example, a young girl who became increasingly cautious of flying insects after an unpleasant encounter with a nest of agitated yellow jackets. After being assaulted by these creatures, she associated all flying bugs with the painful sting of a yellow jacket. Of course, children can also be classically conditioned to display a fearful response; that is, they learn to associate an unconditioned fear-relevant stimulus with a conditioned stimulus, provoking a conditioned, fearful response. One of the most well-known examples of this is an experiment involving a young boy, famously dubbed Little Albert. Little Albert learned to fear small furry animals in a laboratory setting when the presence of these creatures was paired with loud banging noises (SOURCE). From the aforementioned experiments and studies, it is undeniable that external circumstances and experiences assist in the configuration of fear in

    Read More

  • Social Anxiety In College Essay

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    In general, Social Anxiety Disorder, or Social Phobia, is defined as an anxiety disorder characterized by an overwhelming amount of anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations (“Social Phobia,” 2014). These individuals have trouble with basic communication and interaction, often to the point where they can physically feel the effects of their anxiety. Profuse sweating, stomach ache, and nausea are not uncommon occurrences when a person with Social Anxiety Disorder is placed in an uncomfortable situation. There are several hypothesized causes of Social Anxiety Disorder; however, one of the most

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Phobias

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Are Social Phobias?

    2194 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Social Phobia or Anxiety Disorder

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Essay On Agoraphobia

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    Written from a true agoraphobic I am able to convey the causes, hardships and the lessons I have learned as well as the way I adapted to life. Though there were many contributing factors that caused the illness. It is my belief that my childhood trauma played a huge role in it. This trauma included bullying, unstable home life and my own inner struggles

    Read More

  • A Cure For Shyness?

    2315 Words  | 5 Pages

    Social Anxiety Disorder was first recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a disorder in 1980 (1). It is characterized by such physical symptoms as increased heartbeat, blushing, dry mouth, trembling and shaking, difficulty swallowing, and twitching in the muscles (2). Many people with social anxiety disorder also have depression. A study in France found that 70 percent of patients who developed social anxiety disorder before the age of 15 also suffered from major depression (3). Diagnostic criteria, according to the current definition of social anxiety disorder given by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, 4th ed. (DSM-IV), requires a persistent fear of at least one social situation which involves exposure to unfamiliar people or scrutiny by others. The patient must fear that he or she will act in this situation in a way that will cause embarrassment, and avoid the situation or experience extreme anxiety or a panic attack if faced with the situation. The patient must also realize that the fear is unreasonable. The avoidance or anxiety must interfere to a large extent with the normal routine, functioning, social activities, or relationships with the person (1).

    Read More

  • journal Entry # 2

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    The text defines avoidance learning as the process of learning to stay away from aversive stimulus. (Ormrod, 2012 pg. 71) Well no kidding, people tend to avoid things that cause them pain, anxiety, or frustration. I learned when I was very young to not stick a key into an electrical outlet. That memory is still very vivid and I can almost feel the shock and see the spark when I think about it. However, avoidance learning is more than just avoiding pain or anxiety; avoidance learning requires a couple of parts. First, in order to “learn” avoidance you need to have bad experience, ie aversive stimuli. (Ormrod, 2012) Then a connection needs to be made, whether it be conscious or not, real or not, logical or not, some connection between what happened to you and the cause or at least the warning signs that the “bad” thing is going to happen again. (Ormrod, 2012) This warning sign or feeling that if you do whatever action something bad will happen to you is labeled as a pre-aversive stimulus. (Ormrod, 2012) For ...

    Read More

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    People with social anxiety may usually experience extreme distress in some of these situations: when they are being introduced to other people, being teased or criticized, being the center of attention, meeting important people or authoritative people, being watched while doing something, having to announce something in a public situation, embarrassing easily, or making eye contact. Social anxiety may be selective, though. A person may have an extreme fear of one occasion, such as public speaking, but be perfectly comfortable in any other situation.

    Read More

  • Fear Of Phobia Essay

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the current crisis of the capitalist world system, elites in the United States, along with other central countries, promote fear of crime and terrorism. They shaped these fears so that people looked to authorities for security, which permitted extension of apparatuses of coercion like police and military forces.” Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to completely dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with only overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with animalistic reactions. Panic can occur singularly in individuals or appear suddenly in groups as panic. All beings capable of emotion have felt panic before. Panic is best visualized as uncovering a colony of cockroaches

    Read More

  • Essay About Phobias

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    What is it about the smaller things in life that makes humans terrified? Why are some people afraid of something that will obviously never happen to them, while others are oblivious to the problems around them? The people who are afraid of things that pose little to no danger to them have some type of phobia. A phobia can range from sociophobia, which is the fear of being judged by society, to sesquipedalophobia, which is the fear of long words. Phobias come in wide varieties, and can seriously affect the victim of said phobia. Some people say that phobias are just strange, random fears that “crazy” people develop, but studies have shown that phobias often have thorough reasoning behind their cause.

    Read More

More about Essay On Phobias

Open Document