Phobias

Question 1

What is a Phobia?

Answer 1

• A group of menta disorders characterised by high levels of anxiety in response to a particular stimulus or group of stimuli.
• Anxiety interferes with normal living.

Question 2

Behavioural Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 2

• Panic in response to the phobic stimulus. May involve a range of behaviours including crying, screaming or running away. Children may react slightly different by freezing, clinging or having a tantrum.
• Avoidance - make an effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimuli. Makes it hard to go about everyday life. Can interfere with work, education or social life.
• Endurance - Alternative to avoidance. Sufferer remains in presence of phobic stimulus but continue to experience high levels of anxiety. May be unavoidable.

Question 3

Emotional Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 3

• Anxiety - phobias classed as anxiety disorders. Involve emotional response of anxiety and fear. Unpleasant state of arousal. Prevents sufferer from relaxing and makes it difficult to experience any positive emotion. Can be long term. Fear is immediate and extremely unpleasant response experienced when phobic stimulus is experienced or thought about.
• Emotional responses are unreasonable. Wild disproportionate to danger posed.

Question 4

Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias

Answer 4

• Selective attention to the phobic stimulus - if sufferer can see phobic stimulus it is hard to look away. Keeping attention on something dangerous gives us best chance of reacting quickly to a threat. Not good when fear is irrational.
• Irrational beliefs - holding irrational beliefs in relation to the phobic stumili. Kind of beliefs increases pressure on sufferer to perform well.
• Cognitive distortions - perceptions of phobic stimulus may be distorted.