what is a phobia

When looking at what is a phobia is can get quite convoluted. What is a phobia? Well there are several different types, but all of them can make life miserable, cause embarrassment and undermine self confidence and self esteem. There are simple phobias, which are fear of a single stimulus such as fear of heights, ladders, frogs, enclosed places, etc. More complex phobias involve a fear of a number of stimuli. In fear of flying, for example, the person may be afraid of crashing, being enclosed in the plane, losing self control etc. What is a phobia of the social kind? This is when you are afraid of what might occur when in the company of other people, for example, fear of blushing, losing self control, forgetting what you are about to say, fear of trembling, etc. You could also ask what is a phobia and what are panic attacks? These are very common, but can be quite frightening and appear to mainly affect people who normally give the impression of being confident, reliable and dependable.

What is a phobia and what is a fear; well a the distinction generally made is to say that a fear is rational and when fear becomes irrational it is a phobia. In reality the difference is mainly one of degree and the handiest way to distinguish what is a phobia is by saying that a phobia is different from a fear by being more irrational; because, having being fuelled by our imagination, every fear will have a degree of irrationality to it. Therefore, the answer to what is a phobia is that a phobia is a mainly irrational fear of something; which is why someone who is phobic will often say I know it's silly, but... They are quite well aware that, while there may be some rational basis for their fear, it is largely irrational. It is not an illness, or a mental disorder; nor is it a lack of will-power, 'moral fibre', or determination.