BMT - Characteristics of Phobias

Question 1

What are phobias?

Answer 1

anxiety disorders characterised by extreme irrational fears

Question 2

What is anxiety?

Answer 2

an emotion all people experience and is a natural response to potentially dangerous stimuli

Question 3

What are the statistics of people having phobias?

Answer 3

10 per cent of people will suffer from phobias

females have twice the incidence of phobias as males

Question 4

What is avoidant/anxiety response?

Answer 4

a behavioural symptom

when in contact with feared stimuli, efforts are made to avoid it in order to reduce chances of such anxiety responses occurring (Operant c)

Question 5

What is disruption of functioning?

Answer 5

a behavioural symptom

anxiety and avoidance responses are so extreme are so extreme that they severely interfere with the ability to conduct everyday working and social functioning

Question 6

What is persistent, excessive fear?

Answer 6

an emotion symptom

phobias produce high levels of anxiety due to the presence of or anticipation feared objects and situations

Question 7

What is fear from exposure to phobic stimulus?

Answer 7

an emotional symptom

phobias produce an immediate fear response, event panic attacks, due to the presentation of the phobic object or situation

Question 8

What is recognition of exaggerated anxiety?

Answer 8

a cognitive symptom

generally phobics are consciously aware that the anxiety levels they experience in relation to their feared object or situation are overstated

Question 9

What are the three sub-types of phobias?

Answer 9

simple phobias
social phobias
agoraphobia

Question 10

What are simple phobias?

Answer 10

occur when sufferers have fears of specific things and environments (animal, injury, situational and natural phobias)

Question 11

What are social phobias?

Answer 11

being over-anxious in social situations, like public speaking. Phobics have the perception of being judged and feeling inadequate (performance, interaction and generalised phobias)

Question 12

What is agoraphobia ?

Answer 12

the fear of leaving home or a safe place, often occurs with panic attacks making them feel vulnerable in open spaces. Can also be brought on by simple phobias

Question 13

How can individuals form phobias?

Answer 13

phobias can either be learned from experience or genetically transmitted