Why are some phobias so specific?

Question

Spiders really freak me out and, to a lesser extent, so do crabs. However, I'm fine with scorpions, cockroaches, octopuses, millipedes, flies, praying mantises, etc, etc..

I'm not sure what it is about spiders: they way they move maybe, but then even one just sitting there gives me the willies.

So, can anyone help with my question?

Answer 1

1stly, its ur phobia u tell us y they scare u an other animals dnt.

2ndly, they all look diffrent so maybe its 1 ov the difrences that bothers u. eg the way spiders move, n th hairs, eyes etc.

i dnt like snakes, but i dnt mind worms n like lizards

Answer 2

phobias are an irrational fear, a type of anxiety disorder. Most of them can be overcome with systematic desensitization.. this is where you would take 'baby steps' to overcome your fear. Maybe when you see a spider next time, move a little toward it (unless you know its very poisonous :)). phobias may be triggered by a traumatic chilhood experience, ptsd, etc.

Answer 3

Causes of Specific Phobia

The causes of specific phobias are complex, probably involving a history of negative experiences in the feared situation, other psychological factors, as well as biological factors.

Learning History

• Direct Learning Experiences – Specific phobias can sometimes begin following a traumatic experience in the feared situation. For example, someone who is bitten by a dog might develop a fear of dogs, or someone who has a car accident might develop a fear of driving.

• Observational Learning Experiences – There is evidence that people can learn to fear particular situations by watching others show signs of fear in the same situation. For example, growing up with parents who fear heights could lead to a fear of heights in some children.

• Informational Learning – This involves learning to fear a particular object or situation by hearing or reading that the situation is dangerous. Examples include learning to fear flying by hearing about plane crashes in the news, or learning to fear driving by continually receiving warnings from others that driving is dangerous.

• Note that only some individuals with specific phobias report that their fears began through direct learning, observational learning, or informational learning. Many individuals report that their fear started without any obvious trigger or cause. Some individuals report having had their fear for as long as they can remember. Also, note that most people are exposed to negative experiences (e.g., car accidents, being bitten by dogs) and do not develop phobias. So, the interesting question is, “who develops a phobia following one of these experiences and who doesn’t?” This question is still being answered by researchers.

• Several factors may contribute to any one individual developing a specific phobia after having a negative experience that involves a particular object or situation. One factor is the individual’s previous experience in the situation. For example, an individual who has grown up with dogs may be less likely to develop a fear of dogs after being bitten, compared to an individual who is bitten the first time he or she encounters a dog. A second factor is subsequent exposure to the situation (after the negative experience occurs). For example, an individual who gets right back behind the wheel following a car accident may be less likely to develop a phobia of driving than someone who avoids driving for a period of time after the accident.

Other Psychological Factors

• Attention and Memory – Generally people with specific phobias tend to pay more attention to threatening information that relates to their fear. For example, individuals with spider phobias are often the first people to see a spider if there is one in the room. People with phobias also tend to have distortions in their memories for encounters with the objects and situations they fear. For example, people with an animal phobia may remember a particular animal that they have encountered as larger, faster, or more frightening than it actually was.

• Beliefs and Interpretations about Feared Objects and Situations – People with specific phobias tend to hold beliefs and to interpret situations in such a way as to maintain or increase their anxiety. For example, people with fears of heights may assume that they are likely to fall. People who fear enclosed places, such as elevators, may believe that they will run out of air, or that they will be unable to escape.

• Avoidance and other Anxious Behaviors – Avoidance of feared situations prevents people with specific phobias from learning that the situations they fear are not as “dangerous” as they feel. In addition, relying on “safety behaviors” (e.g., driving extra slowly to avoid an accident, always wearing long pants to prevent spiders from touching one’s legs) can also help to maintain a person’s fears.

Biological Factors

Unlike other types of anxiety disorders, there has been relatively little research on the role of biology in causing or maintaining specific phobias. Still, there is evidence that specific phobias sometimes run in families and that genetics may play a role. In addition, when a person is exposed to a feared object or situation, there are many biological changes that occur in the body, including changes in brain activity, the release of certain hormones (e.g., cortisol, insulin, growth hormone), and an increase in physical arousal symptoms (e.g., increased heart rate and blood pressure).

http://www.anxietytreatment.ca/specificP...

Answer 4

childhood experiences

Answer 5

Many people's unusual fears originate from other people's reactions and not infact he object itself. However if that object is prominent at the time the fear can be attatched to it.

For example if someone screamed/panicked/shouted/swore at the site of a spider while you were witness it may be why it's so specific. It doesnt seem like you have a fear of poisonous creatures so I'd reckon it probably originated from something like.

It's kind of like a minute form of ptsd if originated like that.

(post traumatic stress disorder)

For eg:  my partner is also terrified of spiders. She didn't know why but apparently(according to her mum) a spider (tiny but all the same a spider) crawled over her face in her cot. Then her mum screamed the place down when she noticed it. Which is where her fear most probably comes from.

So basically you are not really scared of spiders but you were scared by an event attatched to spiders.

(maybe one of family members have a similar fear)

Answer 6

It's really weird lol. Cockoroaches don't scare u?

When I was a kid I was afraid of roaches! Not spiders though.. now I'm not so afraid of either. Now I'm just insensitive about everything. I guess  when you grow up a bit you become a donkey, or indifferent, or an ***.

That's what Ive become, indifferent. I don't care about stuff anymore. And I can't feel pleasure from anything.

The only thing that truly scares me is being left alone, but that I"m getting used to as well...

Answer 7

Everyone is different, so they have different fears.

Answer 8

Everyone has a phobia...

Answer 9

Well, if you think about it, spiders and crabs look reasonably similar, so maybe it is just the shape, or the scuttling.

Some phobias are really specific because people may have had bad experiences with them

Answer 10

its an irrational thought u have passed on maybe by ur mum. im not scraed of spiders but i am of the ocean.

Answer 11

mm its a wonder your not afraid of them all.. we all have them tho.