specific phobia
Origin and maintenance
Sword, Olivares and Mendez (2005), tells
us that the origin of specific phobias can be understood through the
interaction of a number of biological and psychological factors. Some of them
could be: lack of coping resources, lack of social skills, educational style
too overprotective, negative life experiences direct or indirect, genetic
endowment, etc..
Through these factors can be explained as
the individual becomes anxious expectation to the feared object or situation
that will result in an anticipatory somatic arousal, expectations and
interpretations of anxiety and danger, and a sentimental and negative emotional
state. At the same time develop an overestimation of the aversiveness and
probability of exposure to phobic stimuli.
The avoidance behavior of feared
situations happen when there is an imbalance in the balance of anxious
expectation and perceived lack of resources to cope and irrational fear.
When there is the avoidance phobia is
reinforced negatively to lessen or prevent anxiety and prevent the presumed
occurrence of the aversive effects. In certain cases, the phobia can be
positively reinforced through the support and care of others, and so on.
The increase in patient anxiety when the
feared situations, making stimulus can not be avoided. Then it will increase
expectations of anxiety and distress, and somatic anticipatory activation. All
these elements will drive the expression of defensive behaviors, such as: escape
the situation, carrying objects reassuring, taking medication, smoking, drinking
or alcohol, etc.. These behaviors produce immediate relief but will contribute
to the maintenance of the disorder.
The intensity of the anxiety that is
experienced with the feared situation will depend on various factors
conditioning. Among the mostrelevant are: the characteristics of the phobic
stimulus type, the existence of safety signs, the emotional and sentimental
person, the level of impairment of escape, etc.
As danger expectations, it will be
maintained through the avoidance defensive behaviors.
Also important to note is that maintaining
these specific phobic behavior may be due to new and negative experiences (direct
or indirect) with the feared stimulus and unexpected stressful events.
Moreover, clinical research and academic
anxiety before exams as situational specific phobia has revealed a number of
triggers that can facilitate the development of the disorder. Among all of them
stand out for their importance as follows:
- The separation of parents (mostly mothers).
- The disease of parents.
- The death of parents.
- The separation of a brother / sister.
- The overestimation of potential hazards
and parents.
- The tendency to avoid negative emotions
and situations by parents.
- The overprotective parents.
- Perfectionism parent.
- The family educational style.
- The genetic endowment.
- Temperament.
- The personality.
- The change of school or college.
- The change of academic level.
- The fear of failing academically.
- The absence from school due to illness or
convalescence.
- The teaching style of teachers.
- Fear of a teacher too demanding.
- The fear of threats with peers.
- Fear fights with peers.
- Bullying (bullyng).
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia).
- The lack of coping skills, social skills
and problem solving.
- Stress for other special events.
- Etc.
The model explaining the origin and
maintenance of academic anxiety before exams as situational specific phobia
could explain briefly as follows:
A student is in a situation of fear. He's
afraid to attend school and face the exams. Several of their biological and
psychological factors have facilitated the emergence of precipitation and
phobic state.
Among these factors that make you
vulnerable to anxiety include: stress experience motivated by changing schools,
separation of parents, lack of coping resources in social skills and problem
solving (eg poor school level).
It has acquired an expectation of anxiety
about the situation you fear. This will generate an intense anxiety state which
manifest:
- Expectations and interpretations of
anxiety and danger, which will be evidenced through cognitive expressions as:
"I will stay the course," "You're going to laugh at me at school,"
"It is very difficult", etc..
- An anticipatory somatic arousal (psychophysiological
responses), reflecting through: discomfort, tension, dry mouth, headache, etc..
- A negative emotional state and
sentimental, which is expressed by: insecurity, discouragement, failure, sadness,
etc..
- An overstatement aversive when exposed to
external stimuli phobic.
The avoidance of the feared situation
happen when there is a mismatch between the perception that students have of
the requirements that poses the feared situation (anxious expectation) and
coping resources available.
When there is avoidance behavior will be
reinforced phobia negatively. This is because the pupil lessens or prevents
anxiety, preventing the occurrence of the presumed aversive effects. Phobia may
also be positively reinforced (eg through the deferral of homework and go to
school, facilitated and supported by their parents).
Anxiety will increase the student when the
situations they fear can not be avoided. Experience an increase in anticipatory
somatic activation, and expectations of anxiety and danger. These elements will
favor the expression of defensive behaviors in the situation. Example of these
are: avoid attending school, refusing to get dressed and eat breakfast, do not
take the exam, accompanied by a trusted person (parents, friends), interrupting
homework, go to class, leaving the exam before have done, to avoid being asked
in class, mourn, angry, eat something, postponing the study, carried
tranquilizers objects (ie blessed religious medal, etc.). All of them produce
immediate relief, but reinforce the maintenance of phobic disorder. Expressions
cognitive expressed in these circumstances could be: "I am locked", "I
can not concentrate or study," "I'm no good", "I'll stay
safe", etc..
The intensity level of anxiety that the
student experience to the feared situation, will always depend on the following
factors: the characteristics of the phobic stimulus (situation: academic, examination,
teaching and learning), the emotional and sentimental student, degree of
impairment of escape, etc.
Anxiety can also interfere negatively on
student attention and concentration of upsetting their implementation and
school performance. This deterioration will facilitate the response increases
anxiety in him.
Furthermore, the danger will be kept
expectations through defensive behaviors and avoidance.
It is also important to consider that the
maintenance of this school phobic disorder may be due to new experiences and
negative, direct or indirect with the feared stimulus (eg testing situation), and
stressful life events (eg change of school, the mother dies ). Figure 1 provides
a schematic explanatory model origin and maintenance of this disorder.
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