Phobias

Question 1

What are behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 1

Panic:

• May involve behaviours such as crying, screaming when seeing phobic stimulus

Avoidance:

• Putting in effort to prevent contact wiht phobic stimulus

Endurance:

• Involves remaining with the phobic stimulus and continuing to experience anxiety

Question 2

What are emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 2

Anxiety:

• An unpleasant state of high arousal and prevents individual from relaxing

Fear:

• The immediate response we experience when we encounter or think about our phobic stimulus

Emotional response is unreasonable:

• Disproportionate to the threat posed

Question 3

What are cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 3

Selective attention to the phobic stimulus:

• Hard to look away from phobic stimulus

Irrational beliefs:

• Phobias may involve beliefs e.g if i blush everyonne will think i’m weak

Cognitive distortions:

• Unreallistic thinking