The 7 differences between phobia and normal fear

Everyone has felt fear more than once, and it's normal. It is an emotion that has guaranteed the survival not only of the human species, but of all animals with brains.

Knowing how to identify a situation that may imply danger for the individual is something necessary to be able to get away from it and, thus, avoid its harmful consequences. However, sometimes it may be the case that the response given to a stimulus seen as threatening is exaggerated, and this is when we talk about phobia.

What differences are there between phobia and normal fear? Let's find out a few lines below.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Phobia and fear: are they not the same?

Before going into more detail about the main differences between the concepts of fear and phobia, it is necessary to briefly describe both terms.

First of all, fear is understood as the emotion that manifests itself in a situation that may be threatening to the individual. Normally, in most of the cases in which it appears, it does so almost innately, without the need for prior learning of the threatening situation. Others, on the other hand, through experience, learn what situations should be feared, since they can put the integrity of the person at risk.

Fear, like all the emotions that make up the broad human emotional spectrum, has a very important adaptive function, its purpose being ensure the survival of the individual.

Phobias, on the other hand, are considered unadjusted behavior patterns. They imply a very high degree of fear, too much in relation to the stimulus that is feared. What causes this phobia can be anything and is usually acquired, either through trauma or through vicarious learning.

There are many psychologists who consider, from the perspective of psychoanalysis, that the origin of phobias occurs during childhood, especially during the phallic stage (from 2 to 5 years). In this stage, the child develops a strong anguish in front of the experience of an unpleasant event., making it apply a very strong self-defense mechanism that, eventually, will be the phobic disorder.

Differences between phobia and normal fear

Next we will see the fundamental differences between phobia and fear, in addition to what are the factors that may be behind them, their importance at a psychopathological level and the responses associates.

1. degree of control

Fear is not an emotion that facilitates rational thinking, however, it is still a mechanism of survival, which allows you to act quickly and decide what to do to ensure that the stimulus is avoided harmful.

Within the cases in which there is no psychopathology, emotions are our responsibility, that is, you can learn to control. Fear is no exception.

It is possible to have a certain degree of control over this emotion, while still being aware that you are dealing with something that can be harmful, but keeping in mind that the more clearly you think about it, the more efficient you will be when it comes to dealing with it.

On the other hand, phobias, as psychopathological that they are, involve enormous difficulty in controlling both their emotional intensity and the ability to think coldly of the person.

Whether you are in front of the feared stimulus or just thinking about it, the person loses completely control over his thinking, watching as truly terrifying ideas invade his mind.

2. physiological signs

It is normal that in the face of a scare some physiological signs are shown, such as tachycardia, sweating or even tremors. However, the signs that people with a phobia show to a specific stimulus are very intense.

The physiological reaction in these cases can become overwhelming, with problems being very common. gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and dry mouth, as well as excessive sweating, chest pain, dizziness and even headache.

It should be noted that the signs caused by fear occur in the face of the feared situation, while in the case of phobia, just thinking about the phobic stimulus or talking about it favors all the symptoms to occur here described.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

3. Response intensity

When you are facing a real threat, it is normal to prepare to escape or prevent the factor that could be harmful from getting worse.

For example, if a dog chases us down the street, a situation that is clearly feared, the most logical and proportional to the threat is either to escape or to attack the animal before it does it to us.

On the other hand, in the case of phobia, the response to the stimulus is totally disproportionate, regardless of whether it is really something that could damage the physical and mental integrity of the person or, on the contrary, something harmless.

The person can scream, cry, completely lose their rationality, attack the people around them... behaviors carried out by the person with a phobia can be of all kinds and almost none of them can be considered adaptive.

4. Intrusion into daily life

Everyone is afraid of something, but normally this emotion does not imply a degree of serious affectation in the routine, given that in most cases the feared situations are not common.

For example, everyone is afraid of being eaten by a shark, but really, how likely are we to come across a shark swimming on the beach?

In the event that there is the possibility of being in a dangerous situation, most Human beings take the necessary precautions to avoid such a situation, and life goes on. normal.

In the case of phobia, the fear of being faced with the feared situation is such that the person can initiate a series of comprehensive changes to your entire routine, causing her well-being to be harmed, just to avoid being faced with the phobic stimulus.

For example, a person with arachnophobia may avoid going through a park on their way to work, despite being the shortest way, or enjoy excursions with friends for the simple fact of fearing to meet only one spider.

Thus, the person develops a wide repertoire of strategies that give him a certain sense of security, but at the cost of his standard of living and his development as a person.

5. individual differences

Normally, everyone is afraid of practically the same stimuli. To give a few examples, it would be being in front of a lion, going through a marginal neighborhood at night, being in front of people with a violent appearance...

There are many situations in which the vast majority of the human population would not like to find themselves. Instead, in the case of specific phobias there is a greater degree of individual differences. There are phobias for everything: cockroaches, snakes, sex, glass...

It is in this type of anxiety disorders where it is possible to see more clearly how there are stimuli that are practically harmless to the majority but a small group of the population has a fear of them not at all adaptive or provided.

6. Memory of the feared situation

Normally, when a situation or stimulus that generates adaptive fear is remembered, the person is able to remember the I remember intact, without distortions or exaggerations, even if it implies a certain degree of emotionality, as anxiety.

In the case of the phobia, however, since the person feels a high physiological and psychological activation, prefers to avoid evoking the memory. It blocks the part of memory where the feared situation is found.

7. Psychopathology

Last but not least, the fundamental difference between normal fear and phobias should be clarified.

Fear, as we have already indicated throughout this article, implies a response pattern that is would be within the normal range, and it has an adaptive function: to guarantee the survival of the person against a threat.

Instead, Phobias are considered disorders within the group of anxiety disorders.. Phobias usually occur in situations that are not very real or that really imply a negligible degree of threat and, therefore, are not adaptive.

As disorders that are, they involve a series of symptoms at a psychological level that normal fear does not manifest, the main one being distorted thinking regarding the phobic stimulus, in addition to not facing it or thinking rationally about its degree of danger real.

Bibliographic references:

• Antony, M.A. and Barlow, D.H. (1997). Specific phobia. To see. Caballo (Dir.), Manual for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders (Vol. 1, p. 3-24). Madrid: XXI century.
• Bados, A. (1998). Specific phobias. In Vallejo, M.A. (Ed.), Behavior Therapy Manual, (Vol I, pp. 169-218). Madrid: Dykinson.
• Capafons Bonet, J. YO. (2001). Effective psychological treatments for specific phobias. Psychothema, 13, 447-452.
• Marks, I.M. (1991). Fears, phobias and rituals 1: The mechanisms of anxiety. Barcelona: Martinez Roca.
• Pelechano, v. (1984). Psychological intervention programs in childhood: Fears. Behavior Analysis and Modification, 10, 1-220.