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Psychology vocabulary · Mental Health Conditions

Phobia

Meaning in psychology, with examples

/ˈfəʊbiə/nounCore term

In psychology, phobia means: An intense, lasting and out-of-proportion fear of a specific object or situation, such as spiders, heights or flying, that leads to avoidance.

In Turkish: fobi

How it is used

DSM-5 uses specific phobia for fears of particular things and lists social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia separately. Exposure therapy is the main psychological treatment. Many specific names end in -phobia, such as claustrophobia.

Example sentences

  1. Her phobia of flying meant she had not visited her family abroad for years.

  2. Specific phobias usually respond well to a few sessions of exposure therapy.

Common collocations

  • specific phobia
  • social phobia
  • a phobia of
  • overcome a phobia
  • anxietyA feeling of worry, tension or fear about something that might happen, often with physical signs such as a fast heartbeat; when intense and lasting, it can be part of a disorder.
  • exposure therapyA behavioural treatment in which a person faces feared situations, objects, memories or sensations gradually and safely, so that fear decreases and avoidance stops.
  • classical conditioningA type of learning in which a neutral stimulus, after being paired many times with a stimulus that naturally causes a response, comes to cause a similar response on its own.
  • panic attackA sudden wave of intense fear that peaks within minutes, with physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, breathlessness and dizziness, and a fear of dying or losing control.

More terms: Mental Health Conditions

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.