Characteristics

• Emotional Characteristics of phobias include

  Anxiety - unpleasant state of arousal long term

  Fear - immediate unpleasant response , short term

  Emotional response unreasonable
• Behavioural Characteristics of phobias include

  Avoidance of phobic stimulus

  Panic - crying , screaming , running away

  Endurance - stay close to phobic stimulus , keep an eye on it
• Cognitive Characteristics of phobias include

  Cognitive distortions - perception of phobic stimulus

  Irrational beliefs

  Selective attention to phobic stimulus
• DSM-5 on phobias

  Characterised by excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object , place or situation

  Specific phobia - place , object body part

  Social phobia - phobic of social situations

  Agoraphobia - phobic of the outside