phobia

(noun)

Fear of a specific thing.

Related Terms

Examples of phobia in the following topics:

  • Specific Phobia

    • For this reason, many people with phobias simply avoid the object of their phobia.
    • Blood-injury phobias, (e.g., fear of getting a shot, fear of the sight of blood)
    • Though the specific cause of phobias is unknown, they could be inherited; research has shown that if a person has a family member with a phobia, they are more likely to have one themselves.
    • There are various methods used to treat phobias.
    • (Hope you don't have a phobia of spiders!)

  • Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

    • Social anxiety disorder (formerly called social phobia) is characterized by extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations in which the person could potentially be evaluated negatively by others (APA, 2013).
    • As with specific phobias, social anxiety disorder is common in the United States; a little over 12% of all Americans experience social anxiety disorder during their lifetime (Kessler et al., 2005).
    • Research into the causes of social anxiety and social phobia is wide-ranging, encompassing multiple perspectives from neuroscience to sociology.
    • As with specific phobias, it is highly probable that the fears inherent in social anxiety disorder can develop through conditioning experiences.
    • The first-line treatment for social anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been shown to be effective in treating social phobias through both individual and group therapy.

  • Applications of Classical Conditioning to Human Behavior

    • The influence of classical conditioning can be seen in responses such as phobias, disgust, nausea, anger, and sexual arousal.
    • Systematic desensitization is a treatment for phobias in which the individual is trained to relax while being exposed to progressively more anxiety-provoking stimuli.

  • Introduction to Anxiety Disorders

    • "Anxiety disorder" refers to any of a number of specific disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

  • Hypnosis

    • Hypnotherapy has been used to address addiction, weight loss, fears and phobias, and to release repressed memories, which may have given rise to negative effects.

  • Pharmacotherapy (Medication)

    • Antidepressants are used to treat major and bipolar depression, panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
    • Antidepressants are used to treat depression, panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  • Cluster C: Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders

    • There is controversy as to whether avoidant personality disorder is a distinct disorder from generalized social phobia, and it is contended by some that they are merely different conceptualizations of the same disorder, where avoidant personality disorder may represent the more severe form.
    • Generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder have similar diagnostic criteria and may share a similar causation, subjective experience, course, treatment, and underlying personality features, such as shyness.

  • Behavior Therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis

    • It is often used to treat phobias, anxiety, and other stress-related disorders.
    • Systematic desensitization has been shown to successfully treat phobias about heights, driving, and insects, as well as any anxiety that a person may have.

  • The Value of Social Support in Managing Stress

    • For these people, stressful situations create higher amounts of panic, phobia, and disorder than for those with high social support.

  • Case Studies

    • Freud and Little Hans: Sigmund Freud completed an extensive case study about a 5-year-old boy he called "Little Hans," exploring the reason for his phobia of horses.