Phobias

1
Phobias psychodynamic view

• Psychological disorders are a manifestation of
  repressed emotional problems
• Phobias are symbols for other fears that the
  conscious mind cant face
• Unconscious fears are displaced onto innocuous
  objects

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2
Simple Phobia
Conscious
Fear avoidance of a specific object or situation
Unconscious
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3
Simple Phobia
Conscious
Fear of sharp instruments, knives, scissors
Unconscious
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4
Simple Phobia
Conscious
Fear of snakes
Unconscious
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5
Little Hans (Freud, 1909)
Conscious
Fear avoidance of horses/being bitten
Unconscious
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6
Issues for evaluation

• Limited evidence from clinical case studies
• Methodological issues bias, incomplete
  reporting, sampling etc.
• Conceptual issues reliance on interpretation of
  symbols
• Competition from other theories (Occams razor)

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