Phobia characteristics

• What is a phobia?

  An irrational fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation
• what are the DSM-5 categories?

  • specific phobia
  • social phobia
  • agoraphobia
• what is specific phobia?

  phobia of an object or a situation
• what is social phobia?

  phobia of a social situation
• what is agoraphobia?

  phobia of being outside or in a public place
• what is meant by behavioural?

  ways in which people act
• what are the behavioural categories?

  • panic
  • avoidance
  • endurance
• what is panic?

  in the presence of the phobic stimulus, they may: cry, scream or run away.
• what is endurance?

  when the individual remains in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety.
• what is avoidance?

  When the individuals puts in a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus. This can make it difficult to go about daily life.
• what is fear?

  the immediate and unpleasant response we experience when met by the threat of danger or harm
• what is meant by emotional?

  ways in which people feel
• what are the emotional characteristics?

  • anxiety
  • emotional responses are unreasonable
• what is anxiety?

  an unpleasant state of high arousal that prevents the individual from relaxing and makes it difficult to experience any positive emotion.
• what are phobias classed as?

  anxiety disorders
• what is meant when emotional responses are unreasonable?

  the emotional responses we experience in relation to phobic stimulus go beyond what is reasonable
• what is meant by cognitive?

  ways in which people think and believe
• what are the cognitive characteristics?

  • selective attention
  • irrational beliefs
  • cognitive distortion
• what do we mean by selective attention?

  • when a sufferer can see the phobic stimulus, they will find it hard to look away from it.
  • keeping our attention on danger gives us a good chance of reacting quickly.
  • but it is not useful when the fear is irrational.
• what are irrational beliefs?

  a phobic may hold irrational beliefs in relation to phobic stimulus.
• what is cognitive distortion?

  when the individuals perception of the phobic stimulus may be distorted