According to the American Psychiatric Association, a phobia is an irrational and excessive fear of an object or situation. Irrational meaning that there is no logical explanation behind the fear of that particular object, situation, activity. The person experiencing a phobia may have developed it due to a negative past experience or genetics in play. Phobias are generally classified under Anxiety Disorders.
There have been various psychological theories to deduce why and how phobias are actually developed.
According to Psychoanalytical theory, phobias are a result of internal anxiety when there is a conflict between id and superego. When that conflict is repressed or displaced onto another object, the person develops a phobia. Psychoanalysts believe in treating phobias by exploring the root cause of the phobia.
According to the learning theory based on behaviourism, it is believed that phobias are learned behaviours. Meaning, phobias are developed as a result of reinforcement and punishment.
According to the medical model, phobias develop due to faulty regulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain hence SSRIs are considered the most effective medication to treat phobias by doctors.
Specific Phobias
According to DSM-V diagnostic criteria, specific phobias can be defined as marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation. Some of the most common responses to phobias are:
Worsening of anxiety
Intense fear or panic in the presence of the subject of the phobia
Feeling of powerlessness in the moment of fear/panic
Physiological reactions such as cramps, muscle tension, nausea
Some of the common types of specific phobias are:
Achluophobia: Fear of darkness
Acrophobia: Fear of heights
Algophobia: Fear of pain
Agoraphobia: Fear of open spaces or crowds
Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders
Arithmophobia: Fear of numbers
Bacteriophobia: Fear of bacteria
Bibliophobia: Fear of books
Claustrophobia: Fear of confined spaces
Chromophobia: Fear of colours
Chronomentrophobia: Fear of clocks
Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns
Cyberphobia: Fear of computers
Cynophobia: Fear of dogs
Dendrophobia: Fear of trees
Dentophobia: Fear of dentists
Elurophobia: Fear of cats
Entomophobia: Fear of insects
Gamophobia: Fear of marriage
Genuphobia: Fear of knees
Glossophobia: Fear of speaking in public
Haphephobia: Fear of touch
Heliophobia: Fear of the sun
Hemophobia: Fear of blood
Herpetophobia: Fear of reptiles
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia: Fear of long words
Hydrophobia: Fear of water
Iatrophobia: Fear of doctors
Insectophobia: Fear of insects
Koinoniphobia: Fear of rooms
Koumpounophobia: Fear of buttons
Leukophobia: Fear of the colour white
Lilapsophobia: Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes
Lockiophobia: Fear of childbirth
Megalophobia: Fear of large things
Melanophobia: Fear of the colour black
Microphobia: Fear of small things
Mysophobia: Fear of dirt and germs
Necrophobia: Fear of death or dead things
Noctiphobia: Fear of the night
Nosocomephobia: Fear of hospitals
Nyctophobia: Fear of the dark
Obesophobia: Fear of gaining weight
Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes
Ornithophobia: Fear of birds
Papyrophobia: Fear of paper
Pathophobia: Fear of disease
Pedophobia: Fear of children
Pteromerhanophobia: Fear of flying
Pyrophobia: Fear of fire
Scoptophobia: Fear of being stared at
Selenophobia: Fear of the moon
Sociophobia: Fear of social evaluation
Somniphobia: Fear of sleep
Tonitrophobia: Fear of thunder
Trypanophobia: Fear of needles/injections
Trypophobia: Fear of holes
Verminophobia: Fear of germs
Xenophobia: Fear of strangers or foreigners
Zoophobia: Fear of animals