Monday, May 9, 2011

Are Phobias Inherent or Inherited?


Fears are extreme worries in specific situations missing real danger or fears which are completely out of proportion. Most of the time, the person with the fear realizes that its concern is irrational and illogical, but he still keeps sensation the pain and is hostaged by fear. Only staying away from the painful situation can bring relief.



Probably the most common phobias is Social Phobia. Social phobia is a very overstated shyness typified by persistent as well as strong feelings of anxiety and fear when facing certain sociable situations, interacting with other people, or even when being observed, to this kind of extent that this feeling greatly interferes in the development of the normal lifetime of those who suffer it.



One of the main characteristics associated with social phobia is the strong anxiety felt before the feared occasions take place, known as "anticipated anxiousness." People start worrying and feeling terror before facing the feared scenario, so, once they really face it, and due to their nervousness, it comes out worse. It results in an increase in the level of "anticipated anxiety" next time they confront exactly the same situation. A vicious circle is created and that is self-generating and causes self-destruction.



Social fear is much more widespread compared to we believe, for it is estimated that about 3 to 13% from the population suffers from it in some way. Unlike the majority of phobias, it affects men and women equally, normally appears during adolescence or before the chronilogical age of 25 and is frequently hereditary, or perhaps, culturally imbibed inside the family or social setting. Social phobia usually develops in childhood or adolescence, specially following a humiliating experience. Approximately 40% of social phobia cases occur before the age of ten and 95% before the age of Twenty. Often the question that is frequently asked; are phobias hereditary? This could be queried in cases of sociable phobias where each male and female are susceptible to this particular disorder. Are fears inherited or learned? There has been a continuous debate on whether a phobia is genetic or not.



In most cases, the actual supposedly hereditary component of phobias or panic disorders remain unidentified for a substantial amount of time. Individuals know they are afraid but, at the same time, are hard-put at explaining the reason why they are afraid. They might be scared as this sense of fear or terror is deeply established in their blood down the generation plus they simply do not understand when and where this fear originated.



Hereditary element of phobias relate a series of phobic tendencies passed down in one generation to another. Within 30% cases, social fears develop due to hereditary or genetic influences and in 70% cases due to environmental factors like faulty upbringing by mother and father and learning from social behaviors of other people.



If a person has inherited this feeling of fear primarily from ancestors and forefathers or from a few members of the family, or even from the close circle of friends --- he or she cannot get rid of this genetic component of phobias, as the reason of their terror is unknown. With the gradual passage of time, the fear gets a part of his character. Probably another reason is the fact that children learn fears from adults. Tribal elders knew sufficient to be afraid when they encounter wild animals during the Stone Ages, therefore it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint which fear and anxiety and fear may be inherited.



Article resource: articlemotron . com


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