phobias Flashcards
what is a social phobia?
phobia of a social situation
give an example of a social phobia
e.g. public speaking, using a public toilet
what is a specific phobia?
phobia of an object
give 2 examples of specific phobias
e.g. clowns, flying, injections etc.
what is agoraphobia?
phobia of being outside/in a public place
what are the 3 behavioural characteristics?
panic, endurance, avoidance
name 3 behaviours of panic
crying, screaming, running away etc.
what happens during avoidance?
the person tries to avoid contact with the stimulus - this can interfere with daily life
how may someone with a fear of public toilets avoid their phobia?
they may limit their time spent outside the home in relation to how long they can last without a toilet
what happens during endurance?
the person remains in the presence of phobic stimulus but continues to feel high anxiety
give an example of a phobia that may have to be endured
e.g. fear of flying
what is anxiety?
an unpleasant state of high arousal
e.g. arachnophobia: what is the emotional response directed towards the spider?
strong fear
e.g. arachnophobia: when will anxiety levels increase?
whenever the person enters a place associated with spiders
what is an unreasonable response?
irrational strong responses to stimuli that may be seen as harmless
what are the 3 cognitive characteristics?
cognitive distortions, selective attention, irrational beliefs
how may a snake be cognitively distorted to someone with this fear?
someone’s perception of a fearful snake may be alien/aggressive etc.
e.g. social phobia: how do irrational beliefs affect someone with this fear?
ideas such as “I must always sound intelligent” increase pressures to perform well in social situations
what is selective attention?
keeping attention only on phobic stimulus (it is hard to look away)
may be seen as a good thing as it gives the best chance of reacting to threats
