phobias Flashcards
what is a phobia?
an irrational fear of an object or situation
what are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
panic- crying, screaming, running away
avoidance- going to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with a phobic stimulus (affects daily life); fear of public toilets- limits amount of time spent outside home to see how long they can last w/out toilet, impacts work
endurance- remains in presence of phobic stimulus but continues to experience high anxiety (unavoidable- e.g. flying)
what are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
anxiety- emotional response of anxiety and fear, prevents relaxing and positive emotions, can be long-term (fear=immediate, extreme response when encountered or thought about)
e.g. arachnophobia- anxiety increases when in a place associated w/spiders, when sees spider feels fear
unreasonable emotional responses- responses wildly disproportionate to actual danger posed
what are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
selective attention- can’t look away from stimulus, evolutionary advantages but not useful when fear is irrational
irrational beliefs- e.g. social phobias ‘I must always sound intelligent’, increases pressure
cognitive distortions- perceptions of stimulus distorted, fear of belly buttons- ugly/disgusting