Specific phobia Flashcards
What is stress?
The psychological and physical response to internal or external sources of tension (stressors).
What is anxiety?
A state of physiological arousal which is associated with feelings or worry or uneasiness.
Severe anxiety is usually accompanied by intense physiological responses: e.g. dizziness, hyperventilation, muscle tension, heart palpitations
What are anxiety disorders?
A group of disorders that are characterised by chronic feelings of extreme apprehension, fear, stress and unease.
What are examples of an anxiety disorder?
> Generalised anxiety disorder > Social anxiety > Specific phobia > Panic disorder > PTSD
What is a phobia?
A persistent, irrational intense fear of an object or event.
What are the four categories of phobic stimuli?
> Animal phobia
Natural environment phobia
Situational phobia
Injury phobia
What are specific phobias?
When exposure to the phobic stimulus triggers an involuntary anxiety response.
What are the types of specific phobias are there? (In terms of a continuum)
Normal response: no treatment needed
Common/reversible: anxious, moderate levels, may need professional help
Significant: high stress, irrational fear, avoidance –> seek professional help
Severe: excessive anxiety, fear, can’t sleep, can’t do tasks, –> need professional help + medication
How does the Fight-Flight-Freeze Response act as a biological contributing factor to specific phobia?
The Fight-Flight-Freeze response
How does long-term potentiation act as a biological contributing factor to specific phobia?
Long-term potentiation acts is the link of brain plasticity with a physical change to the brain.
E.g. Memory of a fear is consolidated in the hippocampus, arousal is stored in the amygdala and when the memory is consistently revisited through the hippocampus and the amygdala, the neural connection is strengthened, thereby creating specific phobia
How does GABA and glutamate act as a biological contributing factor to specific phobia?
GABA plays an inhibitory role in the fight flight freeze response, hindering anxiety whilst glutamate is excitatory
Low GABA leads to increased glutamate - leads to increased anxiety - contributes to the specific phobia
How does precipitation through Classical Conditioning act as a psychological contributing factor to specific phobia?
Classically conditioned to have a phobia by creating a conditioned response to the neutral stimulus.
E.g. Lady who associated the sound of cane toads being run over (UCS) with toads and frogs (NS) which caused repulsion and disgust (UCR), which led to the same repulsion (CR) to toads and frogs (NS).
How does perpetuation through Operant Conditioning act as a psychological contributing factor to specific phobia?
Active avoidance acts as a negative reinforcement for the phobia, whilst the sense of relief is a positive reinforcement
How does cognitive bias act as a psychological contributing factor to specific phobia?
Anxious individuals usually interpret situations differently, expecting to view things in a certain way
What is attentional bias?
The tendency to selectively attend to phobia related stimuli.
