>psychopathology - phobias - charactertistics

Question 1

what is meant by phobia?

Answer 1

-an anxiety disorder that inferferes in living everyday life
-an instance of irrational fear producing conscious avoidance of feared object/situation

Question 2

according to DSM, what are the 3 types of phobias?

Answer 2

-specific, sufferers will experience feelings of anxiousness in the presence of phobic stimulus
-social, phobia of public situations eg public speaking
-agoraphobia, phobia of being outside/public places

Question 3

behavioural characteristics?

Answer 3

-panic, person may panic in response to phobic stimulus eg freezing, crying, screaming etc
-avoidance, person will go out of their way to avoid phobic stimulus, this can interfere with persons life eg jobs, relationships
-endurance, occasionally the person may not be able to avoid their phobic stimulus + have to stay in the presence of it, whilst experiencing high levels on anxiety

Question 4

emotional characteristics?

Answer 4

-high levels of anxiety/fear in presence of their phobic stimulus
-unpleasant state of high arousal
-may occur if person imagines/anticipates fear situation/object
-these feelings are often unreasonable + disproportionate

Question 5

cognitive characteristics?

Answer 5

-selective attention, person will not look away from their phobic stimulus when in the presence of it
-irrational beliefs, individual will hold irrational beliefs about their phobia
-likely to have cognitive distortions
-individual realises that their thoughts are irrational + unreasonable however is likely to resist rational arguments