Causes of Phobias

There is no one cause of phobias, also known as specific phobias. For some people with specific phobia, an apparent environmental cause or life event causes or triggers fear or anxiety, eventually resulting in a phobia. For others, there seems to be a stronger genetic predisposition to a phobic response. However, biology and environment likely come together to play a role in developing a phobia.

Symptoms of Phobia

Specific phobia symptoms are often severe, irrational fears of specific objects or situations. Individuals with this anxiety disorder frequently experience increased anxiety or panic when exposed to their phobic trigger. These symptoms might include shaking, sweating, shortness of breath, and a strong desire to avoid the dreaded item or scenario at all costs. Furthermore, people may have recurrent and upsetting thoughts about their phobia, causing considerable disruption in their everyday lives. It's critical to detect these symptoms since phobias are highly curable using cognitive-behavioral therapy for phobias.

Environmental Causes of Phobias

Sometimes, a phobia may develop as a result of environmental factors. Undergoing certain situations, such as a traumatic event, can create a strong association between an object or situation reminiscent of the event and intense fear in the form of a panic attack. For instance, being attacked by a dog at an early age can cause an irrational fear of dogs following the incident. Similarly, observing someone else going through a traumatic event, such as dying in a car accident, can also result in a phobia. During the trauma, the intense fear experienced is strongly linked to the situation, such that afterward, memories of the situation elicit similar fear.

If you witness a traffic accident in which someone is covered in blood, and this provokes intense fear in you, it is likely that fear will be experienced the next time you see the feared object or situation: either blood or a busy intersection. This can turn into a phobia if you try to avoid being in contact with or thinking about blood or cars. In fact, the more you avoid these activities, the less opportunity you have to disprove the assumption that they are dangerous. Building them up in your mind without evidence to disconfirm the belief they are dangerous can maintain and increase anxiety until you develop a full-blown phobia. This is why cognitive behavioral therapy for phobias, (and exposure therapy in particular) is so effective – it helps people disrupt this process and change assumptions about and reduce avoidance of the feared situations.

Evolutionary Causes of Phobias

Phobias are not only the result of past trauma. In reality, most people with phobias are not able to identify a causal trauma that provided the spark for the phobia. There is some evidence that phobias, to a large degree, are hardwired in our genes. Notably, most people who develop phobias only develop a type of phobia in response to things with some possibility of danger. In other words, many people have a fear of water, and water can be life-threatening if you are unable to swim. Very few people, however, are afraid of light. Or the color blue. Researchers have used this as evidence to support an evolutionary theory of phobia, in which fear of certain threats (such as other animals) was adaptive with regard to keeping the species alive. This may explain why claustrophobia (fear of enclosed or confined space), acrophobia (fear of heights), and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) are so common. 

Genetic Causes of Phobias

In addition to evolutionary theory, other evidence supports the idea that genes and biology play a role in the risk of developing a phobia. Twin studies are very helpful in determining how much genetic factors influence a disorder or illness. Because identical twins share the same genes, we know that if one has a genetic disorder, the other will likely share the disorder. This has proven to be the case with phobias. Three in four sets of twins in which one has a phobia, both twins have the phobia. The most current research suggests that almost 50% of the development of phobia can be attributed to genetic loading. This explains why phobias tend to run in families. 

At Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles, we specialize in treatment for phobias and other anxiety disorders. Call or email today to schedule an appointment.