Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia?

Answer 1

A phobia is an irrational fear of an object or situation.

Question 2

How are all phobias characterised?

Answer 2

All phobias are characterised by excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation. The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger resented by the phobic stimulus. This often effects a person’s life in some way.

Question 3

Which classification system do psychologists use to categorise phobias?

Answer 3

The DSM-5 provides categories of phobias.

Question 4

How many categories of phobias have been identified by the DSM-5?

Answer 4

The latest version of the DSM has provided three categories of phobias.

Question 5

The DSM-5 has provided three categories of phobias. What are these three categories?

Answer 5

• Specific phobia
• Social anxiety
• Agoraphobia

Question 6

What is a specific phobia?

Answer 6

A specific phobia is a phobia of an object (e.g. a fear of dogs, fear of the dark and fear of injections).

Question 7

What is social anxiety?

Answer 7

Social anxiety is a phobia of a social situation (e.g. fear of public speaking or a fear of being watched).

Question 8

What is agoraphobia?

Answer 8

Agoraphobia is a phobia of being outside or in a public place (e.g. fear of walking to work).

Question 9

When can an individual be diagnosed with a phobia?

Answer 9

According to the DSM-5 symptoms need to be present for at least 6 months in order to be diagnosed with a phobia.

Question 10

Characteristics of phobias can be classified in three ways. What are these three classifications?

Answer 10

• Behavioural characteristics
• Emotional characteristics
• Cognitive characteristics

Question 11

What are behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 11

Behavioural characteristics refer to ways in which people act.

Question 12

What are the three behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 12

Panic, avoidance and endurance are the three behavioural characteristics of phobias.

Question 13

‘Panic’ is a behavioural characteristic of a phobia. How do people behave in this situation?

Answer 13

A phobic person may panic in response to the presence of the phobic stimulus. Panic may involve a range of behaviours including crying, screaming or running away. Children may react slightly differently, for example by freezing, clinging or having a tantrum.

Question 14

‘Avoidance’ is a behavioural characteristic of a phobia. How do people behave in this situation?

Answer 14

Unless the sufferer is making a conscious effort to face their fear they tend to go to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus. This can make it hard to go about daily life.

Question 15

Give an example of avoidance behaviour.

Answer 15

Someone with a fear of public toilets may have to limit the time they spend outside the home in relation to how long they can last without going to the toilet. This can interfere with work, education and social life.

Question 16

‘Endurance’ is a behavioural characteristic of a phobia. How do people behave in this situation?

Answer 16

The alternative to avoidance is endurance, in which a sufferer remains in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety. This may be unavoidable in some situations (e.g. if a person has an extreme fear of flying).

Question 17

What are emotional characteristic of phobias?

Answer 17

Emotional characteristics refer to ways in which people feel.

Question 18

What is the single emotional characteristic associated with phobias?

Answer 18

Anxiety:
Phobias are classed as anxiety disorders. By definition then they involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear. This fear is immediate and intense. The emotional responses are irrational, meaning the fear should not be so intense for the situation.

Question 19

Anxiety is an emotional characteristic of phobias. What is anxiety?

Answer 19

Anxiety is an unpleasant state of high arousal.

Question 20

Phobias involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear. What is ‘fear’?

Answer 20

Fear is the immediate and extremely unpleasant response we experience when we encounter or think about the phobic stimulus.

Question 21

What are cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 21

Cognitive characteristics refer to the process of thinking.

Question 22

What are the three cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 22

• Selective attention
• Irrational beliefs
• Cognitive distortions

Question 23

Selective attention is a cognitive characteristic of phobias. What is selective attention?

Answer 23

If a sufferer can see the phobic stimulus it is hard to look away from it. Keeping our attention on something really dangerous is a good thing as it gives us the best chance of reacting quickly to a threat, but this is not so useful when the fear is irrational.

Question 24

What are irrational beliefs?

Answer 24

A phobic may hold irrational beliefs in relation to the effects of a phobic stimulus. This increases the pressure on the sufferer to perform well in the situation.

Question 25

What are cognitive distortions?

Answer 25

The phobic’s perceptions of the phobic stimulus may be distorted and irrational.