Section 2: Phobias Flashcards
What are behavioural characteristics of a phobia?
Avoidance, enduance, panicking
What are emotional characteristics of a phobia?
Anxiety, fear, irrational response
What are cognitive characteristics of a phobia?
Selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions
Define phobia
A phobia is an extreme and irrational fear of an object or a situation
How are phobias characterised?
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 presented by the phobic stimulus.
What are the 3 types of phobia?
Social phobias, agoraphobia, and specific phobias
Define specific phobias
Specific phobias are phobias of specific objects. These are the most common forms of phobias.
How are specific phobias characterised?
Specific phobias can be characterised by animal phobias, injury phobias, situational phobias and natural environment phobias
How are social phobias characterised?
Social phobias are concerned with high fear of social situations and involve high levels of anxiety due to the perception that other people are judging them or where they feel inadequate. They can be further classified as performance phobias, interaction phobias, and generalised phobias.
What does a person with social phobia fear?
They fear someone will see them expressing their fear - a trembling hand, or a quavering voice, and think badly of them. As a result, they try to avoid certain social activities and situations.
What is agoraphobia?
This is the least common form of phobia. The DSM-5 states that agoraphobia is an excessive fear or anxiety of being in open or public places where escaping may be difficult or embarrassing. E.g using public transport, being in a crowd, or a shopping centre. The fear can be so extreme people become reluctant to leave the safety of their own home.
