Phobias Flashcards
What are the three DSM-5 categories of phobias?
- Specific phobia
- Social anxiety (social phobia)
- Agoraphobia
What is meant by agoraphobia?
A phobia of being outside or in a public space.
What is meant by a specific phobia?
A phobia of an object, such as an animal or a body part, or situation such as flying.
What is meant by a social phobia?
A phobia of being in a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toilet.
What is a phobia?
An irrational fear of an object or situation where the extent of fear is way out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic stimulus.
A common phobia is arachnophobia, what is this a fear of and what type of phobia is this?
Phobia of spiders, this is a specific phobia as it focus’ on a (specific) animal (spider).
Behavioural characteristics of phobias?
Panic, avoidance or endurance.
What is endurance?
Where the sufferer remains in the presence of their phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety.
What is avoidance?
The sufferer making a conscious effort to avoid coming into contact with their fear.
What is an alternative behaviour to endurance?
Avoidance.
What is an alternative behaviour to avoidance?
Endurance.
If someone has a fear of public toilets then what behavioural characteristic are they likely to show?
Avoidance, they are likely to avoid endurance at all costs and this can interfere with their social life as they cannot be out for too long.
What behavioural characteristic is shown by a child running and screaming from a spider?
Panic.
Which category of phobia does a fear of public speaking come under?
Social phobias.
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
Irrational and unreasonable levels of fear and anxiety.
T / F - Phobias are classified as anxiety disorders.
True.
Phobias are classified as anxiety disorders, this means that by definition that they involve which emotional response?
Anxiety and fear.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an unpleasant state of high arousal.
What are some negatives of anxiety?
It prevents the sufferer from relaxing and makes it very difficult to experience any positive emotion.
Which of these can be long term and which can be short term:
- Anxiety.
- Fear.
Anxiety can be long term, while fear is immediate.
What is fear?
Fear is an immediate and extremely unpleasant response we experience when we encounter or think of the phobic stimulus.
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
Selective attention, irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions.
If someone with arachnophobia becomes visually fixated on a spider, what cognitive characteristic are they showing?
Selective attention to the phobic stimulus.
What is meant by cognitive distortions?
The sufferer’s perception of the phobic stimulus may be distorted.
Which characteristic of phobia does irrational beliefs fall into?
Cognitive characteristics (brain processes).
Which characteristic of phobia does avoidance fall into?
Behavioural characteristics (traits).
Which characteristic of phobia does anxiety fall into?
Emotional characteristics (emotions and feelings).
Which characteristic of phobia does selective attention to the stimulus fall into?
Cognitive characteristics (brain processes).
Nomophobia, a fear of the lack of phone signal, is what type of phobia?
A specific phobia.
How do you categorise a phobia?
An excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation. The extent of the fear is completely out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic sitmulus.
What are behavioural characteristics?
Ways in which people act.
What are emotional characteristics?
Ways in which people feel.
What are cognitive characteristics?
Refers to the process of thinking - knowing, perceiving and believing.
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?
- Panic,
- Avoidance,
- Endurance.
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?
- Anxiety,
- Unreasonable emotional responses.
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?
- Selective attention to the phobic stimulus,
- Irrational beliefs,
- Cognitive distortions.
