The Discussion Assignment Provides A Forum To Discuss
The Discussion Assignment Provides A Forum To Discuss The Relevant Top
The discussion assignment provides a forum to discuss the relevant topics for this week based on the course competencies covered. For this assignment, there are two parts. Make sure to answer all questions. Provide a detailed response to the topic questions in the Discussion Area. For this assignment, post your responses directly in the Discussion Area by the due date assigned.
Do not use attached documents. To support your work, make sure to utilize your course and text readings. When asked, also utilize outside sources. As in all assignments, make sure to cite your sources in your work and provide references for those citations utilizing APA format. Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.
Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week. Marianne and Joe were discussing what they are most afraid of; Joe explained that he was really afraid of spiders and dark places. He said that when he was a child, he had been playing hide-and-seek with his friends.
Joe hid in the corner of his basement. It was dark, and he didn't notice that he had stepped into a large spider web. When he felt something crawling on his neck, he screamed and ran out of the basement. Marianne asked Joe if he ever goes into basements now. He replied that he does, but he always makes sure a light is on and that he brings a broom in case he needs to knock down any spider webs.
In a given situation, when an individual is faced with a potentially harmful situation, they may react by confronting the threat, escaping from it, or freezing in place (fight-flight-freeze response). Fear is actually part of our normal response to certain life stressors. It subsides when the cause is no longer present. We often adapt improving our coping skills. Based on Joe's explanation of his fears, do they meet the criteria for a phobia?
Explain your rationale for your decision based on the diagnostic criteria for phobias. Describe the difference between common fears and a phobia. Explain the difference between fear and the symptoms related to an anxiety disorder.
Paper For Above instruction
Joe's fears of spiders and dark places can be analyzed through the lens of clinical diagnostic criteria for specific phobias. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a specific phobia is characterized by an intense and persistent fear of a particular object or situation, which is disproportionate to the actual threat posed and leads to significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The fear must be recognized as excessive or unreasonable by the individual, and avoidance behaviors or intense anxiety typically accompany the phobia (Barlow & Durand, 2015).
In Joe's case, his fear of spiders, rooted in a childhood traumatic experience, exemplifies a typical phobia. His fear results in avoidance behaviors, such as only entering basements when lights are on and carrying a broom to eliminate webs, indicating functional impairment. His reaction exceeds a typical fear response because it is persistent, causes significant distress, and influences his behavior in daily life, fitting the DSM-5 criteria for a specific phobia. The fear's duration of several years further supports this diagnosis.
Differentiating between common fears and phobias is essential. Common fears are normal emotional responses to perceived threats that are generally transient, manageable, and do not significantly interfere with daily functioning. For example, many individuals might feel apprehensive about spiders or dark areas, but these fears usually do not lead to avoidance or distress beyond mild discomfort. Conversely, phobias are marked by a persistent, intense, and disproportionate fear that triggers avoidance behaviors, leading to impairment in various life domains (Craske et al., 2017).
Fear itself is a basic survival mechanism that alerts us to danger and prepares the body for fight-or-flight responses (LeDoux, 2015). It involves physiological symptoms like increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and increased alertness. When fear becomes chronic or excessively intense, it may evolve into symptoms characteristic of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders involve excessive worry, physical symptoms, and behavioral disturbances that are persistent and disproportionate to actual threat levels (Clark & Watson, 2019).
The difference lies in the context and impact. Fear is typically transient and limited to actual threats, while anxiety disorders involve pervasive worry with symptoms that may occur even without specific threats, often with anticipatory anxiety. In Joe's case, his situational fear is specific, triggered by spiders and darkness, and is manageable in some contexts but has developed into a phobia because it causes avoidance and distress. However, if the fear were generalized, persistent without specific triggers, or caused widespread impairment, it might suggest a broader anxiety disorder.
In sum, Joe’s fears meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia owing to their persistence, disproportionate nature, and impact on his functioning. Understanding the distinctions among normal fears, phobias, and anxiety disorders is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning (Ollendick & Davis, 2019). Cognitive-behavioral therapies, exposure therapies, and pharmacological interventions have demonstrated efficacy in treating specific phobias, improving overall quality of life (Craske et al., 2017).
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). APA Publishing.
Barlow, D. H., & Durand, V. M. (2015). Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach. Cengage Learning.
Craske, M. G., Kircanski, K., Zelikowsky, M., & Mystkowski, J. (2017). Treating phobias with exposure-based therapies. Behavior Research and Therapy, 88, 75-88.
Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (2019). Temperament: An organizing paradigm for personality and psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122(2), 389–403.
LeDoux, J. (2015). Anxious: Using the brain to understand and treat fear and anxiety. Viking Press.
Ollendick, T. H., & Davis, T. E. (2019). Phobias in children and adolescents: A review of treatment approaches. Developmental Psychopathology, 31(4), 1241-1259.