Having a specific phobia of something means suffering from a reaction of exaggerated fear and panic when faced with the stimulus that torments us so much. According to psychology, phobias are distinguished from fear by being disproportionate responses without an apparent reason. Today, there are many people who suffer from some type of specific phobiaIn fact, they are one of the main reasons for consultation in therapy. But what are the most common phobias?
Next, we are going to offer you a definition of the types of fear according to psychology and a detailed list of the 15 most common phobias in our society. If you want to know in depth which phobias affect more people, do not hesitate to continue reading this interesting article from Psychology-Online where you will find the list of the most common phobias.
The most common phobias
What are the most common phobias? Before starting this article on the 15 most common phobias, let’s answer the following question “what is a phobia?“A phobia is defined as an exaggerated, irrational and uncontrollable fear response towards a stimulus. The origin of phobias can be one’s own traumatic experience or the mere observation of a negative event. That is, We do not necessarily have to go through a traumatic event to develop a phobia..
Phobias have different levels depending on the discomfort they cause and the avoidance behaviors exhibited by the person with said phobia.
- For examplebeing afraid of heights but being able to climb a mountain is not the same as experiencing an anxiety crisis if we look out of a balcony, even if it is a first floor.
Types of fear
It is important to define the different types of fear since some are more adaptive than others. We can distinguish fears irrational of the rationalthe exaggerated of the controllable and the specific of the general.
- For example, needle phobia is an exaggerated, irrational and specific fear (it is only directed at one stimulus). On the other hand, some people who experience social anxiety suffer from a type of generalized fear, irrational but controllable through therapy.
List of the most common phobias
The most common phobias in our society are the following:
- Agoraphobia: phobia of open spaces
- Acrophobia or fear of heights
- Fear of flying or aerophobia
- Claustrophobia
- Needle phobia or belonephobia
- Cholurophobia or phobia of clowns
- Social phobia
- Glossophobia or fear of speaking in public
- Hemophobia
- Scotophobia
- Trypophobia
- Arachnophobia
- Phobofbia
- Thanatophobia
- Cynophobia
Next, we are going to explain to you what each of the most common types of fears consist of.
1. Agoraphobia: phobia of open spaces
Agoraphobia is one of the most common phobias. People who suffer from agoraphobia are characterized by anxiety and a lot of psychological discomfort when they have to face open spaces. Agoraphobia has very marked symptoms and they are the following:
- Fear of going outside
- Irrational fear of being alone
- Mood swings and irritability
- Symptoms of anxiety in an open space
- Tendency to avoid social gatherings
If you want to know more about this type of phobia, we recommend reading this interesting article about it.
2. Acrophobia or fear of heights
The fear of heights is one of the most common phobias in our society. This is because it is an adaptive fear. That is, at an evolutionary level it is normal to be afraid of heights since they are potentially dangerous situations for our physical integrity.
However, when it extends to less dangerous stimuli (climbing stairs, looking out from a balcony, climbing a mountain…) it becomes a phobia that we must treat in order to have a normal and calm life.
3. Fear of flying or aerophobia
Closely linked to the fear that we have mentioned previously, aerophobia is defined as the fear of airplanes and flying in general. Aerophobia is also one of the most common phobias, derived from an adaptive fear. The o is usually based on the belief or fear of suffering an accident during the flight. This phobia can be very disabling since it does not allow many people to take flights and travel by this means of transportation.
Treatment for aerophobia is usually para. deal directly with belief and fear. However, for these cases, exposing yourself directly to the stimulus can end up being a quite effective therapy.
4. Claustrophobia
Another of the most common and well-known phobias is claustrophobia. Also known as the fear of closed spaces, claustrophobia is defined as the irrational fear of being in a small place without access to the outside, such as an elevator, for example. The fear of limited spaces can manifest itself in the form of anxiety attacks, sweating, tension,…
Claustrophobia, like many, has different levels of severity: from a certain anxiety when entering a small room to a terrible panic that prevents the person in question from entering a closed area.
5. Needle phobia or belonephobia
Belonephobia, another of the most common and common phobias, is uncontrollable fear of needles or towards some sharp object. This phobia originates from our survival instinct and the unconscious response of not wanting to be harmed. However, when this fear becomes exaggerated and uncontrollable, it must be treated immediately since it can become an impediment when performing some type of medical procedure. Discover here.
6. Colurophobia or phobia of clowns
Coulrophobia, that’s what the phobia of clowns is called. The coulrophobia It is a very common fear that usually has its origin during childhood and it is that, the phobia of clowns It is a phenomenon experienced by more people than we think. Some experts claim that it occurs as an adaptive response to a different and disconcerting stimulus. Other people simply claim that clowns are terrifying, both because of the makeup and the gestures they use.
- A study carried out in different hospitals in 2008 determined that the use of clowns to reduce anxiety levels was not an effective proposal. Furthermore, another study carried out in England states that children experience higher levels of discomfort and anxiety when the hospital room is decorated with motifs related to clowns.
7. Social phobia
Although it is not a specific phobia of a stimulus, we want to highlight in this article the 15 most common phobias since, as indicated by its prevalence (between 3 and 13%), social phobia is one of the types of most common phobias. We define social phobia as a state of anxiety and great discomfort when we are surrounded by people or when we have to go to an event where more individuals are going to attend. Some of the symptoms of social phobia are:
- Avoid interacting with others
- Poor social skills
- Difficulty establishing intimate bonds
- Feeling dizzy, drowning or anxiety when surrounded by people
If you experience any of these symptoms, we recommend doing this.
8. Glossophobia or fear of speaking in public
The is another of the most common phobias. Glossophobia may be related to the social anxiety that we have discussed previously. There are many people who do not have a good time when they have to speak in public, however, glossophobia can cause really bad panic attacks. One of the factors related to the Scared of speaking in public may be a shy and introverted personality.
9. Hemophobia or hematophobia
Better known as fear of bloodHemophobia or hematophobia is characterized by a feeling of dizziness (and even fainting) when seeing blood and is also one of the most common and common phobias. This fear is closely related to belonephobia (the fear of needles), so people with hemophobia usually avoid needles and sharp objects.
One of the limitations of people with hemophobia is that they have great difficulty helping someone who has suffered an accident since they get dizzy when they see blood and that does not allow them to be aware of said person.
10. Scotophobia
This name may not sound familiar to you, but fear of the dark It is one of the most common phobias today. The explanation for scotophobia is based on the fear of the unknown and the inability to know what surrounds us. Here you will find the .
Our fear skyrockets not being prepared for a possible attack and people who suffer from fear of the dark are not able to correctly manage these emotions.
11. Trypophobia
In this list of the 15 most common phobias, trypophobia has also earned its place. This curious phobia is defined as fear of holes or geometric figures Close together. If you want to know more, you can read the following article about .
12. Arachnophobia
He fear of spiders It is one of the most common phobias in our society. Arachnophobia is the most common specific phobia linked to animals. The typical symptoms that people with arachnophobia present in the presence or possibility of spiders are sweating, increased heart and respiratory rate, dizziness and nausea.
13. Phobophobia
This type of fear is very surprising since it is defined as the phobia of having a phobia. It is one of the 15 most common phobias and one of the most disabling, since people with phobophobia can feel strong anguish and anxiety at the slightest danger or possibility of it.
14. Thanatophobia
Also known as necrophobia, one of the most common phobias is the exaggerated fear of death and die. Thanatophobia is also linked to hypochondria and must be treated if we notice that it prevents us from having a peaceful life. In the following article you will find more information about the .
15. Cynophobia
To finish the list of most common phobias, we find cynophobia. They are man’s best friend, however, there are people who suffer from cynophobia or fear of dogs. This type of phobia is usually triggered by a fear that produces this response.
If you want to know other phobias, in the following article you will find a list of phobias with other types of phobias, as well as . In it you will find the strangest phobias in the world.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to The 15 most common phobias and their definitionwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- Meisel, V., Chellew, K., Ponsell, E., Ferreira, A., Bordas, L., & García-Banda, G. (2009). The effect of “hospital clowns” on the psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors of boys and girls undergoing minor surgery. Psychothema, 21(4), 604-609.
Bibliography
- Caraveo-Anduaga, JJ, & Colmenares, E. (2000). Prevalence of phobic anxiety disorders in the adult population of the city of…