My inquiry question for semester one is ‘How do we develop phobias?’
As I mentioned in my second blog post, my first step towards finding the answer to how do we develop phobias is understanding ‘Where these fears come from?’ So, in this blog post, I will be talking all about where our irrational or sometimes rational fears come from.
When I first realized I was scared of dogs, I wasn’t sure where I got this from. Some believe phobias are passed genetically (1). For me, that was not the case as most of my family members love dogs and would get one any day. Growing up, I had never had a bad experience with one, which lead me to thinking where could this fear come from? The reason I personally think I have this fear is because when I was around 6 months old, my family dog passed away. My parents say, she always sat next to my crib and protected me. Researchers say, some phobias also come from situations that affected one growing up which is why most are developed in the early years of life. While we are still little, we tend to get scared of small things that often fade away. Some take longer or stay till we do something about it because of how various bodies react to various situations (2). Another reason why someone could have a specific fear is because of what they have heard about it. Sometimes our minds like to believe what others say which leads us to believing those statements are true (3)
To sum it all up, phobias come from various places. Some include
- Genetically
- Negative experiences growing up
- Negative talk about something particular
- Specific phobia. Anxiety Canada. (2020, August 6). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.anxietycanada.com/disorders/specific-phobia-2/.
- Experts, K. H. B. H. (Ed.). (n.d.). Fears and phobias (for teens) . KidsHealth. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/phobias.html.
- Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). Don’t believe everything you think or feel. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/use-your-mind-change-your-brain/201106/don-t-believe-everything-you-think-or-feel.
Hey Annanya! I love this write up! It is so in depth and it really shows to put effort into it. I think the topic that you chose is great and I love reading about it! This blog was very well done and I like how you put how you relate to this topic! It is cool being able to hear about your phobia of dogs as well as sharing other peoples. Keep up the great work. I will be following you along with your inquiry project because I find this super cool!
-Syd
Hi Annanya,
First of all, this is such an interesting question. I always had a fear of snakes and wondered why I have this phobia as I love geckos which are lizards. After reading your research on this I have a general idea of why I have this fear. My grandma had a friend who was lying on the ground and a snake came and bit their arm. A question I have is what are the most common phobias? https://www.healthline.com/health/list-of-phobias#common-fears this is a link that might help. I’m looking towards your next research!
-Kiara
hi anannya! i loved reading this post and i love how passionate you are about educating people about phobias. it’s so interesting how phobias can be developed early on in your life because of past experiences. while reading your posts i started to wonder what the difference between regular fears and phobias are. i think this would be something interesting to research about in the future! heres a link that could help you:
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/phobias/related/fear-vs-phobia/#:~:text=Fear%20is%20a%20natural%20emotion,the%20actual%20danger%20they%20present
good luck!!