Fear of Flying (research paper)

             A phobia is a clinically recognized, intense fear of an object or situation. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (Colman, 2004), a phobia can be defined as "a persistent, irrational fear of an object, event, activity, or situation called a phobic stimulus, resulting in a compelling desire to avoid it" (555). There are numerous different forms of phobias, some of which are more common than others, but nearly everyone is familiar with the term and often has either personal experience with a phobia of their own, or knows someone who has a phobia. Common phobias include phobias of animals, especially snakes and spiders, phobias of storms, such as thunder, rain or darkness, and phobias of illness or blood, including phobias of blood, needles, or contamination. While any irrational fear can be accurately termed a phobia, the American Psychiatric Association has developed specific criteria, which must be met before a fear is considered a clinical phobia. Clinical phobias differ from everyday phobias in their intensity and their ability to disrupt daily living patterns and day-to-day functionality of an individual. This paper will examine the basic parameters of phobias within the clinical framework, followed by a discussion of a particular phobia (the fear of flying), and concluding with an examination of useful treatment options for individuals who suffer from a fear of flying.
             Clinical disorders are presided over by the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual, referred to as the DSM-IV, categorizes all known mental illnesses using a five axis system. Within the manual, under the different axes, the diagnostic criteria and symptoms of specific disorders are laid out in a manner intended to assist mental health professionals in their ability to diagnose patients. Within the DSM-IV, phobias fall on Axis I under the category of Anxiety Dis...

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