LS5 - Phobias Flashcards
Behavioural Characteristics Of Phobias (Actions)
Avoidance.
Endurance.
Disruption Of Functioning.
Panic.
Avoidance
The response to the phobia is to avoid the object or situation, which can interfere with an individual’s daily life, people could also avoid places where they might see their phobic objet.
Endurance (Freeze/Faint)
When faced with their phobia someone might freeze or faint so that the predator might think that they’re dead.
Disruption Of Functioning
Anxiety and avoidance created by the phobia could be so extreme that it interferes with the person’s ability to function socially or at work.
Panic
They might panic in response to the phobia and show behavioural characteristics of crying, screaming, vomiting, running away or freezing.
Emotional Characteristics Of Phobia (Feelings)
Fear.
Panic & Anxiety.
Emotions.
Fear
Long lasting excessive fear in response to the phobia, they might have feelings of terror and worry of death.
Panic & Anxiety
The person will feel highly anxious and experience unpleasant negative feelings when faced with the phobic situation.
Emotions
Strong emotions will be cued, which will be out of proportion to the real danger that’s posed.
Cognitive Characteristics Of Phobias (Thinking)
Irrational.
Insight.
Cognitive Distortions.
Selective Attention.
Irrational
The person will think in an irrational manner about the phobia, and resist rational arguments that counter it.
Insight
The person will know that their fear is excessive or unreasonable but still have that fear.
Cognitive Distortions
The person will have a distorted perception of the stimulus e.g. they might view snakes as alien and aggressive.
Selective Attention
When the person encounters the phobic situation, they can’t look away and they focus all of their attention on it, ignoring everything else around them.
