characteristics

• Emotional

  • Anxiety - Exposure to phobic stimulus causes worry or distress
  • Fear - Exposure to phobic stimulus causes terror
  • ( feelings of anxiety/fear may be excessive and unreasonable and often out of proportion to any real danger.)
• Cognitive

  • Persistent irrational beliefs about phobic stimulus e.g. spider will harm you
  • Selective attention - keeping attention on the phobic stimulus and finding it difficult to look away in case of 'danger'
• Behavioural

  • Avoidance - conscious effort to avoid coming in contact with their phobic stimulus
  • Panic - crying, screaming.