Irrational Fear: Phobia

Everyone is afraid of something. Fear is an emotion that every human being experiences. It is normal. However, there are some people who are extremely afraid of certain things that most people would consider irrational. You wouldn't believe that there are people who are afraid of food, of breathing, of numbers, of open spaces and every common thing there is. This intense irrational fear is called “phobia.”

A phobia is an extreme irrational fear of certain objects, activities, situations or people. It is different from ordinary fear that we experience in the sense that it can debilitating to the person. It can make the life of the sufferer miserable as it causes embarrassment and undermines self-esteem and confidence.

There are so many phobias that listing them all can be impossible. There are as many different phobias as there are many objects and situations to be feared. However, we can classify phobias into two major types: simple and complex.

Simple phobias: A simple phobia is a fear of a single, specific stimulus. Examples of these phobias include fear of heights, frogs, snakes and enclosed spaces.

Complex phobias: A complex phobia is a fear of at least one stimuli. For example, in fear of flying, a sufferer may not be afraid of flying per se but all the other fears that come with it such as fear of crashing, being in an enclosed space or losing self-control.

Phobias are generally developed as a result of a person being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You may have already realized it but whenever we are in an intense state (be it sadness, hunger or fear), our brain links the things in around us at that particular time. This association is related to the learning process known as “classical conditioning.” It explains why we respond to certain situations in life much more quickly than others. This very process is also responsible for the development of phobias. For example, when you were a kid, you got stuck in the elevator for a very long time. This experience can trigger not just an extreme fear of elevators but also narrow, enclosed spaces in general. Sometimes, you may even feel out of control upon hearing the sound of an elevator. Some people may have a difficult time understanding why you react that way but it's because they did not have that particular experience inside the elevator.