Are
phobias inherited or learned?
Everyone in life has fears, whether
it be fear of snakes, dogs, spiders or heights. It's natural for a person to be
afraid of certain stuff, but is quite different from having a phobia. A phobia
is an irrational fear, which can cause a person to have
feeling of dread or panic when they encounter the source of that fear. The fear
can be of a particular object, situation or
person, which can affect a person's ability to function normally at work or in
a social settings. It can also cause them to experience
feelings of isolation, anxiety, embarrassment or helplessness. Thus, being aware of the adverse
cause of phobias, can make it better for individuals to understand ways to deal
with them.
Common Types of phobias
To
begin, there are two main categorizes that phobias can fall under, these are
social phobias and specific phobias. Specific phobias involves the excessive
fear of being exposed to certain object, places or situation such as clowns, needles,
spiders or even something like dentist. People with specific phobia often try to
avoid the feared object or situation. On the other hand, social phobia seem to
be the common type of phobia that majority of young adults are facing today. According
to a survey," About fifteen million adults in the United States suffer
from having social phobic disorder and most developed symptoms in their early
teens" ( Cherry, 2016). Social phobias deals with the fear of being shamed
or embarrassed by others. As stated in article "With social phobia, a
person’s extreme shyness, self-consciousness, and fears of embarrassment get in
the way of life. Instead of enjoying social activities” (2017). Thus, social
phobias may become so severe that it can limit one's social or communication
skills from developing and prevent social connections, friendships or
relationships altogether.
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| Figure 1 |
The complications of phobias
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| Figure 2 |
Cause
and risk of phobias
Moreover,
one must also wonder how it is possible for a person to develop a phobia.For
now the cause of phobia is unknown. But, there is a possibility that a person
can be taught to fear something, by predisposing someone to something
specifically to frighten them or simply by telling
them they should be afraid of it. For instance, if a child was to fall down a
tree, the child may develop a fear of heights in general, acrophobia or someone
who has been bitten by a vicious dog by generalize their fear to include all
dogs, regardless of the animals' dispositions. So, theoretically, it's possible
to develop an irrational fear to anything.
In
an interview that I conducted for this research, I founded that a relative from
my mother side of the family had a phobia knows as trypophobia, or the fear of
holes. For trypophobes, the sight of clusters of holes in various formations
can cause one to have unpleasant reaction from serious migraines to panic
attacks. So, when it came to asking her how she develop this kind of disorder;
she had no ideahow she got it since none of her family had phobias. I also ask
an expert who is my locate doctor on what is the cause of phobias. She said “Your
genetics and your environment are what fuel your phobia, but one's surrounding
are taking in more into consideration since they play a bigger role. As shown
in Mc Gill's article, it states " Phobias usually develop during childhood
or, if not then, by early adulthood" (p. 24).Thus, I came to the
conclusion that the only way for a person to develop phobia(s) is by learning it
through one’s environment.
Symptoms and signs of phobias
In
additionally, there are certain signs to phobias that we should consider such
as overwhelming feelings if anxiety, a panic attack can also cause physical symptoms , such as
sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, choking sensation,
hot flushes or chills, and pain or tightness of the chest. As a result, these
symptoms can cause one to have serious problems in life and limit your daily
activity. As shown in this figure,many young adults are afraid of certain stuff
that they purposeful try to avoid coming into contact to the source of their
fear. But, in the end it might cause them to develop symptoms when they come
into contact with their fear. For example, someone with a fear of spiders
(arachnophobia) might often have panic attacks that can occur without
warning.In most severe cases, the individual might also experience
psychological symptoms, such as fear of losing control or fear of fainting.According
to Kohler “Symptoms for phobias can get worse over time" (2016).
Therefore, treatment is necessary for the patient to get better.
Treatments/Solutions
Further,
the best treatments for any type of phobia is a form of psychotherapy called
exposure therapy also known as systematic desensitisation (SD) in which individuals who suffer from phobias are
repeatedly expose to the source of their fears and the related thoughts and
feelings until they learn to manage their anxiety. For example, if you're
afraid of elevators, your therapy may focus first gradually on thinking about
getting into an elevator, to looking at pictures of elevators, until you can
finally face your fear and get on the elevator.
Another kind of therapy is known as
(CBT) it stands for cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a very effective
treatment for behavioral and emotional problems that helps individual identity
their fear, and then from this, learn how to cope with the feelings to better
help you deal with different problems. According to Fourier (2016), “CBT is one
of the leading treatment for patients who suffer from phobias or any kind of
emotional disorder"(p. 5).
As illustrated in this image, many people who suffer from phobias can also take medication to reduce the symptoms such as sedatives. These kind of drugs are called benzodiazepines that helps you relax by reducing the amount of anxiety you feel. But, sedatives should be used with caution because it can become addictive just like any other drug.
To sum up, phobias are one of the most common
disorders in the United States these days that can become something big for a
lot of people. Therefore, it would be necessary to get the proper help and
attention care to be able to live a happy and healthier life.
References
Cherry, K. (n.d.). Afraid of What? Check This List of Strange and Common Phobias. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/list-of-phobias-2795453
Fourier, D. P. (2006). Treating phobias or treating people? Of acronyms and the social context. Health SA Gesondheid, 11(3), 41+. Retrieved from http://ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_johnjay&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA170582029&asid=85357ca2e5ebe12b16f0e3cabd2ad63d
Kohler, M., Christensen, L., & Kilgo, J. (2014). Fears and phobias in children and adolescents. Childhood Education, 90(5), 386+. Retrieved from http://ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_johnjay&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA384340493&asid=486cbaf85ee8a6d4b7e872b0aa88a7e1
McGill, N. (2015, May-June). Phobias: learning how to face your fears. The Nation's Health, 45(4), 24. Retrieved from http://ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_johnjay&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA414135394&asid=af7504ae419aedae33def21ae6597622
Phobias: Inherited or Learned? (2014, September 10). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/everyday-life-tips/phobias-inherited-learned/
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