Phobias have been in existence for many years. Phobias date back to the works of Hippocrates, a prehistoric Greek physician (Korgeski, 2009). The works of Hippocrates are still debated today. In The Seventh Book of Epidemics, one of the publications by Hippocrates, he studied an individual and he interpreted a condition that the person portrayed. The results of the observation were that the individual was petrified of the sound of a flute, if he wasn’t intoxicated. He noticed the individual was fine during the day listening to the flute but during the night hours everything was different (Korgeski, 2009). From this observation and the work of Hippocrates helped contribute to the creation of term phobia. The word phobia was formulated from a Greek god. Phobus, the son of Ares, means panic and fear (Atsma, 2000). The term phobia was used to describe psychological problems and it was used discreetly in the 1800s.
Moreover, a phobia is considered a type of anxiety disorder; because anxiety is one of the crucial symptoms individuals endure (Phobias, 2007). According to britannica.com, the mental definition of a phobia is a fear of an explicit object or situation. Phobias are common amongst people in the United States. There are approximately 6.3 million Americans that have been pronounced to have a phobia (Fear/Phobia Statistics, 2012). A phobia could be a learnt emotional reaction that transpires when the innovative thought of something that has happened to the individual or object is subjugated by a similar incident. For example, as a young child the person had a bad experience while speaking in front of a big audience.
Specific Phobia
Subsequently, there are many different subtitles that fall under phobia: specific phobia, soc...
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Tyson, Katherine & Cruess, Dean. (2012). Differentiating High-functioning Autism and Social
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Although Spiders provide a plethora of benefits to our community, they continue to be one of the most feared insects not only in the Northern Kentuckian area but also throughout the world. In this project, I will come to a conclusion on why people generally fear spiders, which is an actual diagnosis called arachnophobia. Arachnophobia can be triggered by the mere thought of a spider or even by a picture of a spider in some cases. Some people with arachnophobia will, upon entering a room, search it for a spider. If they find a spider, they will monitor its progress very thoroughly. Often the fear is caused by having an unwanted encounter with a spider earlier in life, such as their childhood. One of the more effective and
“At the University of California at Irvine, experiments in rats indicate that the brain’s hormonal reaction to fear can be inhibited, softening the formation of memories and the emotions they evoke” (Baard).
According to Klasco (2011), psychological disorders "are abnormalities of the mind that result in persistent behavior patterns" that can have an impact on daily tasks and life in general. There are many different groups of psychological disorders, one of those being anxiety disorders, which King (2013) states features "motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts" (p. 448). There are also many subgroups of anxiety disorders, including phobic disorders, in which agoraphobia is included in. Agoraphobia is considered a panic disorder because its’ ability to limit people from doing their daily activities.
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...
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
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
The Dangers of Fear Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worst attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point where they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were.
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...
... is fundamentally a whole; however, many of us have lost touch with significant elements of our selves. Through listening to the information of our dreams and active imagination, we can contact and reintegrate our different parts. The goal of life is individuation, the idea of coming to know, giving expression to, and reconciling the diverse elements of the psyche.
A phobia is an irrational fear that isn’t like a general anxiety disorder because it is usually connected to something specific. About ninety percent of children and ten percent of adults have Nyctophobia. Nyctophobia usually generate from a traumatic experience from one’s past. For example, being left in the dark as a punishment or joke as a child to scare them, possibly making siblings and friends responsible for creating the fear. The film industry and
There are over hundreds of phobias that deal with different things that consist of words, feelings, and animals. There have been close to 530 different phobias named. A phobia is when there is an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. There are seventeen named phobias just for insects, that does not include Animalia. There are plenty of things in the world that people fear, but people fear the things that they cannot describe.
Phobias are a very common disorder in the United States these days. The definition for phobia is "an abnormal or morbid fear or aversion" ("Oxford" 655). To be considered a phobia, a fear must cause great distress or interfere with a person’s life in a major way. The word phobia is Greek, therefore, any word that proceeds it should be Greek too. To coin a new phobia name, it is proper and only accepted to follow this rule. The rule has been broken many times in the past, especially by the medical profession. The medical profession is steeped in Latin and many times when forming a name for phobia, they use Latin.
Acrophobia comes from the Greek words acron that means (height) and phobos that means (fear). About one in 23, or 4.23% of the population of adults suffer from a phobia in the United States. People with this fear sometimes can't go past the 12th or 13th floor of buildings because it can be evident like, getting dizzy and disoriented. Acrophobia is one of the most common fears that there is. Acrophobia can prevent you from bad situations that could happen. Most people suffer from a phobia like acrophobia and people with acrophobia can feel discomfort.
What is man’s greatest fear? It’s not the dinosaurs, they are extinct. It’s not the sharks, grizzly bear, hyenas, crocodiles, lions or the wolves, you really have to get into their territory and even then very few succeed in becoming their prey. The fear that’s most prevalent from the beginning of all creation is the fear of man. Most people don’t admit it, nor do they realise it, but nevertheless, the fear of man prevails in the lives of most people.