What makes a fear a fear?

Asked by charcoalwasp (101

) July 29th, 2012

What makes it a fear or phobia?
Do you have to hyperventilate or faint at the sight/sound etc of the thing you don’t like? Or do you just have to be made uncomfortable by it?
For example, I really don’t like Moustaches. I don’t have a problem with the people who have them, just the hair itself. they send shivers down my spine and I have to look or sometimes turn away, and even cross the road if someone is walking towards me. I don’t run screaming, or pass out at the mere mention of Moustaches, but I have been known to grimace and I even recoiled into my chair once
No shave Novembers are a real challenge…
Is this a fear? or just an intense dislike?
No offence to anyone with a Moustache of course…

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6 Answers

Phobias are irrational fears. No real reason for it. A fear is when you have a reason. I have mild tripledecaphobia. Fear of a certain number. Totaly irrational. I have a fear of snakes. I’ve been bitten by a snake before. Totaly rational.

Mr_Paradox (3049

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A phobia is when some kind of thing always makes you react, no matter what the situation—whether there is any reason to fear anything or not. A fear is a specific reaction to a specific situation, and is based on a specific threat, not a generalized threat.

wundayatta (58741

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Consider this old term : Fear of the unknown or the lack of knowledge of any perticular thing : For example : If you were being stalked by someone and had no knowledge of who that someone was then this alone would generate fear , Learn to understand the thing that you fear the most and the fear of it will die .

Paschar (53

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Fear can be defined as the condition or feeling of being afraid. IMHO it is one of the two great motivational feelings of the human experience, the other being love.

Strauss (23835

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