Emotional Characteristics Of Phobias Flashcards
What are phobias classed as?
Anxiety disorders
Phobias involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear.
Define anxiety in the context of phobias.
An unpleasant state of high arousal
Anxiety prevents relaxation and makes it difficult to experience positive emotions.
What is fear in relation to phobias?
An immediate and extremely unpleasant response to a phobic stimulus
Fear occurs when encountering or thinking about the phobic stimulus.
What is an example of a specific phobia?
Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.
How does Matt’s anxiety manifest when he enters a place associated with spiders?
His anxiety levels increase
This may occur in places like a zoo or his garden shed.
What emotional response does Matt experience upon seeing a spider?
Fear
This is a very strong emotional response directed towards the spider.
How are emotional responses to phobic stimuli characterized?
They are unreasonable
Emotional responses often exceed what is reasonable given the actual danger posed.
What is the nature of Matt’s fear towards a spider?
A very strong emotional response to a tiny and harmless spider
This response is disproportionate to the actual danger of encountering a spider.
