Chapter 5: Phobias

Question 0

What % of adults are affected in a given year?
what % develop a phobia at some point in the lifetime
gender??

Answer 0

• 10%
• 14%
• females are twice as likely!

Question 1

what is a phobia?

how can they differ?

Answer 1

-persistent and unrealistic fears of particular objects, activities or situations
-often ppl avoid object or thoughts about it..reinforcing it.
-> differ via intensity of fear
L> desire to avoid the feared obj or sit
L>distress that interferes with functioning (maladaptive)

Question 2

What are the three kinds of phobias?

Answer 2

• specific (narrow)
• Social Phobia
• Agoraphobia

Question 3

Specific Phobias??
common types?6
are they treatable?

Answer 3

• persistent fears of specific objects or situations
• exposure causes immediate fear
• animals, insects, heights, enclosed spaces, thunderstorms and blood
• yes

Question 4

Specific Phobias stats?

• mult phobias can lead to?
• pop?
• life time?

Answer 4

• 9% pop have symptoms in a given year
• 11% develop a spec phobia at some point
• many suffer via mult phobias…women x2
• GAD

Question 5

Social Phobia?
narrow type? : more common type!!….4
broad?

Answer 5

• severe, persistent and unreasonable fears of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur
• talking, performing, eating, writing in public
• general fear of functioning inadequately in front of others

Question 6

In both cases of phobia whats in common among the individuals suffering?

Answer 6

the rate their performance as lower than it actually was

Question 7

Social phobia is often kept as a ?
affects ____ of pop in a given year
gender diff?
onset?

Answer 7

• secret
• 8%
• women…2:1
• childhood…may persist for years

Question 8

Whats the cause of phobias?

• supports what perspective?
• develops via?
• maintained by?
• once fear is acquired reinforced via?

Answer 8

-supports behavioural explanations
-develop via classical conditioning
-modelling, observation and imitations
-maintained by avoidance
L> once fears are acquired
they are considered to continue b/c feared objects are avoided (reinforcing)

Question 9

Treatment for phobias?
main perspective 
3 types..
duration 
makes reactions?

Answer 9

• all models are effective
• Behavioural : exposure treatments are most widely used, especially for specific phobias
• Desensitization, flooding and modelling
• 8-12 weeks = good results
• makes reactions normative