characteristics

• DSM classifies a phobia as an anxiety disorder
• Effects a persons day-to-day life
• Behavioural

  • Panic - if avoidance not possible, high levels of anxiety
  • Avoidance of feared object in everyday life
  • Endurance - maintaining watchful eye on feared object
• Emotional 


  • Excessive and unreasonable fear and anxiety
  • Triggered by presence of object or anticipation
• Cognitive

  • The way one processes information about phobic stimulus
  • Irrational belief - danger when none is present
  • Selective attention - can only focus on feared object
  • Cognitive distortions - appearance of object and intentions severely distorted