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.

  • Personal Benefits of Public Speaking

    • Public speaking is a very common phobia, right up there with spiders and killer clowns.
    • If you said spiders, we can't really help...but if you said public speaking, read on to see why a phobia of public speaking is worth overcoming.

  • Situational Anxiety

    • Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially (for example, when performing before a camera).
    • In some cases, stage fright may be a part of a larger pattern of social phobia or social anxiety disorder, but many people experience stage fright without any wider problems.
    • Many people with no other problems can experience stage fright (also called performance anxiety), but some people with chronic stage fright also have social anxiety or social phobias which are chronic feelings of high anxiety in any social situation.

  • Practicing through Anxiety

    • Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially (for example, when performing before a camera).
    • In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, which is one of the most common phobias.
    • In some cases, stage fright may be a part of a larger pattern of social phobia or social anxiety disorder, but many people experience stage fright without any wider problems.

  • Freud

    • The most common problems treatable with psychoanalysis include: phobias, conversions, compulsions, obsessions, anxiety, attacks, depressions, sexual dysfunctions, a wide variety of relationship problems (such as dating and marital strife), and a wide variety of character problems (painful shyness, meanness, obnoxiousness, workaholism, hyperseductiveness, hyperemotionality, hyperfastidiousness).
    • The most common problems treatable with psychoanalysis include phobias, conversions, compulsions, obsessions, anxiety, attacks, depressions, sexual dysfunctions, a wide variety of relationship problems (such as dating and marital strife), and a wide variety of character problems (painful shyness, meanness, obnoxiousness, workaholism, hyperseductiveness, hyperemotionality, hyperfastidiousness).

  • 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.

  • Summary of the Benefits of Public Speaking

    • Many people have a phobia of public speaking.

  • Coercive Patriotism

    • A phobia of anything German engulfed the nation .

  • 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.