Essay

Sarah Bott

Mrs. Boresen

Expos. 6th hour

Phobia Classification Essay

2/4/09

Do you happen to have any exaggerated or unrealistic ideas about the harmfulness of a situation? This is one way to describe a phobia. The feeling of panic in a situation or around an object is a symptom of a phobia. You will also know if you have a phobia if the fear goes beyond normal boundaries, your reactions are uncontrollable in the situation, and you take extreme measures to avoid the object or situation you are afraid of. We all know that there are several different phobias, but phobias are also classified into three different types. The three groups are agoraphobia, social phobia, and specific phobia.

Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces. It is also, however, used to describe fear of being away from home or family. This is mostly because of fear of having a panic attack. When away from home, people with agoraphobia have overwhelming physical symptoms of anxiety. Other fears associated with agoraphobia are claustrophobia, main roads, and public transportation. This type of phobia seems to be more common in women rather than men, and six out of ten people who go to a psychologist for a phobia are agoraphobics (Bupa 2). According to the latest specific phobia statistics, approximately 3.2 million Americans have agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is very hard to treat because so many fears are associated with it. People with this kind of phobia are afraid of being in situations in which immediate escape is not possible or help is not available in the case that the person has a panic attack or is overwhelmed by anxiety (AllPsych 1). A panic attack is an intense attack of anxiety characterized by feelings of impending doom, and trembling, sweating, pounding heart, and other physical symptoms. Agoraphobics usually are very lonely because they tend to stay home a lot or only go to places they feel very comfortable. This can often lead to depression and, sadly, some cope with their depression by turning to drugs or alcohol.

Social phobia is quite different form agoraphobia. Social phobia can disrupt normal lifestyle by intruding on relationships with others and work. Some cases are more sever than others. Social phobia can begin during childhood but the average age for onset is 15 to 20 years of age (AllPsych 1). People with social phobia are constantly worried about being judged by strangers. They are very uncomfortable around people they don’t know and are afraid of embarrassing themselves. Some people with this phobia feel they need alcohol before attending social event for a sort of confidence booster. These people often get very lonely because even though they might have the social skills they need, they avoid social situations. Some people may be afraid of meeting new people, especially potential partners, or could even have a fear like being afraid to eat in front of others (Bupa 2). Having a social phobia makes it very difficult to have any type of relationship outside of their immediate family. People who suffer from this phobia may also have difficulty with their jobs because they don’t communicate as well with other workers. About 5.2 million Americans deal with these problems because of their social phobia. Having a social phobia makes having a normal life with normal relationships challenging.


Specific phobias are the third and final classification of phobias. Within this group of phobias are four types of fears divided up. The four types are animal phobia, fear of the natural world, situational phobia, and blood-injection-injury phobia. These phobias often start in childhood and are more common in women. Because these phobias are simple, people with a specific phobia rarely have any other psychological problems. There are over 350 types of specific phobias ranging all the way from fear of looking up, to fear of snakes. Specific phobias are very common, but it is also common for people to grow out of them. For example, most young children are afraid of the dark but as they get older they grow out of that fear. Statistics show that 6.2 million United States citizens have a specific phobia. Although specific phobias are more common than agoraphobias or social phobias, these kinds of phobias affect lives the least out of the three classifications.


Phobias are separated into three different categories to group their differences. First off are agoraphobics that are constantly worried about having a panic attack. Then, there are people with a social phobia who are scared of any type of social situation. Lastly, are people with a specific phobia that have fears of a certain object or situation other than those that fall under agoraphobia and social phobia categories. It is interesting how people are afraid of so many different things; things that other people, or even the person with the phobia, can not understand. There is not a concrete explanation for phobias. One theory I find interesting is that certain fears were important for survival of the human species thousands of years ago and they are still in our brains today. Other theories have to do with traumatic events during one’s childhood and genetics. Yes, as strange as it sounds, it is believed that some phobias run in families. Over all, these three types of phobia are likely to affect between five and ten people out of every one-hundred, and the best way to get rid of any phobia is to face it.