Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia ?

Answer 1

Excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place, or situation

Question 2

What are the 3 types of phobias ?

Answer 2

Specific = of an object, animal, situation
Social = social situation
Agoraphobia = Being outside/ in a public place

Question 3

What are the key characteristics of a phobia ?

Answer 3

• unreasonable fear
• immediate anxiety response
• life-limiting
• six-month

Question 4

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobia’s?

Answer 4

Panic = Responding to phobic stimulus by crying, screaming or running away
Avoidance = conscious effort to not encounter stimulus
Endurance = Staying in the presence of phobic stimulus experiencing high levels of anxiety

Question 5

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobia’s ?

Answer 5

Selective attention = Focusing all attention of phobic stimulus
Irrational beliefs = Thoughts about the phobic stimulus are illogical
Cognitive distortion = Perceptions of phobic stimulus may be distorted/ unrealistic

Question 6

What are the emotional characteristics for phobia’s ?

Answer 6

Anxiety:
- High rate of arousal
- Difficult to experience positive emotions
Fear:
- Immediate anxiety faced when in the presence of phobic stimulus
- Short-term + more intense than anxiety