Q.What are phobias? If someone had an intense fear of snakes, could this simple phobia be a result of faulty learning? Analyse how this phobia could have developed.

Phobias are irrational fears related to specific objects, people or situations. They often develop gradually or begin with a generalised anxiety disorder, and are grouped into three types: specific phobias, social phobias (social anxiety disorder), and agoraphobia. An intense fear of snakes is a specific phobia.

Yes, such a phobia can result from faulty learning, as the behavioural model proposes — psychological disorders are learned, and what is learned can be unlearned. A snake phobia could develop through: classical conditioning, where a snake becomes paired in time with a frightening or painful experience so the fear gets attached to snakes; operant conditioning, where avoiding snakes reduces anxiety and so the avoidance is rewarded and strengthened; and social learning, where the child imitat …

What are phobias?

Phobias are marked by irrational fears related to specific objects, people or situations. They often develop gradually or begin with a generalised anxiety disorder. Phobias can be grouped into three main types:

• Specific phobias — the most common type; irrational fears such as an intense fear of a certain type of animal or of being in an enclosed space.
• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) — intense and incapacitating fear and embarrassment when dealing with others.
• Agoraphobia — fear of entering unfamiliar situations; many people with agoraphobia are afraid of leaving home, so their ability to carry out normal life activities is severely limited.

An intense fear of snakes belongs to the first category — a specific phobia.

Could a snake phobia result from faulty learning?

Yes. According to the behavioural model, both normal and abnormal behaviours are learned, and psychological disorders are the result of learning maladaptive ways of behaving; importantly, what has been learned can also be unlearned. Learning takes place through three types of conditioning, and a snake phobia could develop through any or all of them:

• Classical conditioning — this is learning by temporal association, in which two events repeatedly occur close together in time. If the sight of a snake is paired with a frightening or painful experience, fear becomes conditioned to snakes, so that later the snake alone triggers intense fear.
• Operant conditioning — here behaviour is followed by a reward. Each time the person avoids or runs away from a snake, the anxiety drops; this relief 'rewards' the avoidance, strengthening and maintaining the phobic fear. …