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Essay / Phobias: the cause, the effect and the solution Phobia, by definition, is an extremely strong aversion or fear towards someone or something. However, it is not just an aversion, it is a factor that can govern a person's entire life. The individual who suffers from this disorder strives to avoid the object. If this is unavoidable, the individual goes through the situation with great distress. There are two terms that cover all phobias: specific phobias, which cover specific fears such as arachnophobia, and social phobias which cover fears such as xenophobia, fear of the unknown, overlap with several others . There's a lot we don't know about why people develop certain fears, but we do know how to help them. The direct cause of a phobia still remains a mystery, although one of many hypotheses is that genetics plays a role. “Studies show that twins raised apart have a higher than average risk of developing similar phobias” (1). Interestingly, babies who are not identical are less likely to show signs of phobias for the same object. David Rakison of Carnegie Mellon University did an experiment to see if arachnophobia was a phobia that appeared from birth. He gave five-month-old babies pictures of spiders. He also showed them photos of blurred images. David found that the babies spent 24 seconds looking at the spiders, but skipped the others. Likewise, there are ideas that phobias are linked to ancient human survival. “In prehistoric environments, remaining in large spaces would have increased the risk of being attacked and eaten by predatory animals” (2). ...... middle of paper ...... who suffers from a phobia decides to avoid it all his life, he will never learn that he can overcome it. Exposure is an effective way to constantly expose yourself to fear, in a limited but beneficial way. As a result, self-treatment causes fear to become less and less of a problem. Phobias are complex and interesting disorders, about which we don't know much. Unfortunately, they can become so overwhelming that they can change people's lives. They can lead to social anxiety and certain social disorders. The individual who suffers from this disorder strives to avoid the object. If this is unavoidable, the individual goes through the situation with great distress. By definition, phobias are an extremely strong aversion or fear towards someone or something. We may not know much about where they come from, but we know how to stop them..
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