Phobias

Question 1

what is a phobia

Answer 1

excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object place or situation
- extend of fear is not proportional to any real danger presented by the stimulus

Question 2

what are the behavoiur characteristics of phobia

Answer 2

(PEA)
1. Panic
- in response to the presence of the phobic stimulus
- crying, screaming, running away
2. Avoidance
- prevent coming into contact with the phobic stimulus
- make it hard to go about daily life
3. Endurance
-chooses to remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus
- staying in the room with the phobia to keep an eye on it

Question 3

Emotional characteristics of phobia

Answer 3

(FAR)
1. anxiety
- phobias involve an emotional response of anxiety and unpleasant state of high arousal
- prevents a person from relaxing and makes it difficult to experience positive emotion
2. fear
- the immediate and unpleasant response when phobic stimulus is encountered
3. Response is unreasonable
- anxiety is much greater than normal is disproportionate to any threat posed

Question 4

Cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 4

(SIC)
1. selective attention to the phobic stimulus
- keeping our attention on something dangerous gives us the best chance of reacting quickly but this is not useful when the fear is irrational
2. Irrational beliefs
- a person with phobia may hold unfounded thoughts in relation to phobic stimuli
-this kind of belied increases the pressure onto perform well in social situations
3. cognitive distortions
- perception of a person with a phobia may be inaccurate and unrealistic
- eg mushrooms look disgusting