L5 - characteristics of phobias

Question 1

what are the 4 behavioural characteristics of phobias

Answer 1

• avoidance
• endurance: freeze or faint so predator e.g. snake thinks they’re dead and leaves them alone
• disruption of functioning: extreme anxiety and avoidance may interfere with functioning socially or at work
• panic: crying, screaming, vomiting, running away, freezing

Question 2

2 emotional characteristics of phobias

Answer 2

• fear: persistent, excessive, unreasonable fear, feelings of terror and worry about death
• anxiety: unpleasant negative feelings and worrying a lot

Question 3

4 cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 3

• irrational: resist rational arguments
• insight: aware that it is excessive and unreasonable but still hard to not fear object
• cognitive distortions: distorted perception e.g. may view snakes as alien and aggressive
• selective attention: focus all attention on phobic stimulus and ignore everything else