Phobias

• Phobias-

  Specific phobia- phobia of an object (animal, body part, situation)

  Social anxiety- phobia of social situations (public speaking)

  Agoraphobia- phobia of being outside or in a public place

  Anxiety- phobias are a response to anxiety, making it hard to relax, can be long term

  Fear- immediate/extremely unpleasant response to a phobic stimulus

  Unreasonable response- e.g. being scared of a small spider which most would ignore
• Characteristics of phobias-

  • Panic – crying, screaming, running away (kids may freeze/tantrum).
  • Avoidance – make an effort to avoid their phobia, which could make it hard for people to live a normal life (fear of public toilets may make them avoid going out, inter fearing with work or school).
  • Endurance – when the person chooses to stay with their fear (in a room with a spider and watching it not running away).
• Phobias-

  • When someone with a fear notices it, it becomes hard for them to ignore it.
  • Possible irrational beliefs around their phobias like someone who fears being in public believing that they must sound ‘intelligent’ increasing their pressure to perform well in public.
  • They also have cognitive distortions like someone seeking snakes as alien like.