Pyschopathology L5 Flashcards
What are 3 behavioural characteristics of phobias?
- Panic
- Avoidance
- Endurance
Describe ‘panic’ as a behavioural characteristic of phobias
- The person might panic in the presence of the phobic object
- They may show behavioural characteristics including: crying, running, screaming, freezing, fainting, collapsing, or vomiting
Describe ‘avoidance’ as a behavioural characteristic of phobias
- When faced with the phobic object or situation, the responds is to evade it
- This can interfere with the person’s normal daily life
Describe ‘endurance’ as a behavioural characteristic of phobias
The person may remain in the presence of the phobic object frozen and unable to move
What are 2 emotional characteristics of phobias?
- Fear
- Anxiety
Describe ‘fear’ as an emotional characteristic of phobias
Persistent, excessive, and unreasonable worry & distress might be felt in the presence of the phobic object
Describe ‘anxiety’ as an emotional characteristic of phobias
When they encounter their phobic object, the person will feel terror and be apprehensive about what is going to happen
What are 2 cognitive characteristics of phobias?
- Irrational beliefs
- Selective attention
Describe ‘irrational beliefs’ as a cognitive characteristic of phobias
- The person’s thoughts about their phobia do not make logical sense, and they will resist rational arguments that counter it
- e.g: someone who is scared of flying will not listen to the fact that it is the safest form of transport
- The person will also have a distorted perception of the stimulus
- e.g: a person with arachnophobia may believe that all spiders are dangerous, even though there are no deadly spiders in the UK
Describe ‘selective attention’ as a cognitive characteristic of phobias
When the person encounters the phobic object, they will become fixated on it because of their irrational beliefs about the danger posed
