Specific Phobia and Social Phobia

Specific Phobia

·        Persistent and irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation

·        Leads to avoidance or intense anxiety on exposure to feared stimulus

·        Fear recognised as excessive

·        Disruptive to functioning (important – who cares about a snake phobia in NZ)

·        Can also be anxious about fear reaction 

·        Usually related to animals (mice, snakes, spiders), natural environment (earthquakes), blood, injection or injury; specific situations (eg claustrophobia)

·        Develop due to:

o  Direct conditioning through personal experience

o  Verbal or vicarious transmission (eg develop shark phobia after watching Jaws)

·        Treatment:

o  Graded exposure

o  Cognitive restructuring

o  Physiological control: relaxation and medication (short-term only)

Social Phobia

·        Fear of negative evaluation of performance in social situations. Fear they will do or say something embarrassing or humiliating. Fear visible anxiety symptoms

·        Probability and cost of negative evaluation is over-estimated

·        Early onset

·        Leads to avoidance of social gatherings, public travel, etc

·        Epidemiology: 6 month prevalence is 2 per 100, more females, onset in teens through to 35 ® social isolation

·        Aetiology: ?conditioned response, genetics