Characteristics of phobias

• A phobia is an irrational fear triggered by an object, place or situation. The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic stimulus
• Characteristics of mental disorders:

  • Emotional= how you feel
  • Behavioural= how you act
  • Cognitive= how you think
• Cognitive characteristics can be helped by CBT
• Behavioural characteristics:

  • Panic- may cry, scream or run from the stimulus
  • Avoidance- prevent contact with the stimulus
  • Endurance- chooses to stay in the presence of the stimulus, but experiences high levels of anxiety
• Emotional characteristics:

  • Anxiety- unpleasant state of high arousal that prevents relaxation, long term
  • Fear- immediate, unpleasant response we experience when encountering or thinking about the stimulus, intense but short term
  • Unreasonable emotional response- the anxiety/fear is disproportionate to any threat posed
• Cognitive characteristics:

  • Selective attention to phobic stimulus- it is difficult to ignore
  • Irrational beliefs- e.g. arachnophobes may think all spiders are deadly
  • Cognitive distortions- unrealistic and inaccurate perceptions of the phobia