- Symptoms of arachnophobia
- Causes
- Evolutionary explanation
- Social explanation
- Treatments
- Consequences
- References
The arachnophobia is a mental illness that causes an irrational fear of spiders and other similar animals, such, scorpions. This word comes from the Greek terms for spider, arachne, and for fear, phobos. It is a disorder encompassed within specific phobias.
Arachnophobia and extreme fear of spiders may be an evolutionary response to these animals, as some species (especially poisonous ones) have long been linked to disease, infection, and even death. However, it also seems to have a certain learned component.
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The phobia of spiders causes an extreme disgust reaction that is not in line with the real danger of the situation. People with severe arachnophobia may have such an extreme aversion to these animals that they may be afraid to even go to a basement or garage because a spider could be present in these locations.
In the most extreme cases, arachnophobia can become a real impediment for the individual to carry out their daily tasks or to function normally in their day to day life. In this article we will see what are the main characteristics of this disorder, its causes and its most common consequences.
Symptoms of arachnophobia
In general, people with arachnophobia will feel uncomfortable in any area where they think there may be insects of any kind. This fear will become much more pronounced whenever there is evidence of the presence of spiders, such as webs.
In the event that an arachnophobic sees a spider or any other insect that causes them fear, they will generally avoid approaching by all means. On many occasions, they will also suffer an anxiety attack, with all the symptoms that this entails.
Thus, some people who suffer from this phobia run away, scream, cry, become aggressive, experience breathing difficulties, sweat or may even pass out when they are in the vicinity of a spider or any sign related to them, such as a web.
In some very extreme cases, the presence of a spider is not necessary for all the anxiety-related symptoms that we have already described to be triggered. Thus, for particularly sensitive people, even a realistic image or drawing of one of these insects can provoke strong and irrational fear.
Causes
There are two possible explanations for the appearance of arachnophobia. Some experts believe that this disorder is a maladaptation of an instinct that helped our ancestors survive, while others think that it is a cultural anomaly that is only present in Western societies.
Evolutionary explanation
The possible evolutionary origin of arachnophobia remains uncertain, but many experts defend this possibility. A plausible science-based explanation of brain development is the fact that insects used to cause disease and death in the ancient world, so being afraid of them could be an innate response in humans.
As in many other settings, there is a very wide range in the strength of fear of spiders, and only those with highly exaggerated symptoms would be considered phobic. Being moderately small, spiders do not fit the standard definition of dangerous animals, so although they may be scary, the terror that arachnophobes feel of them cannot be justified.
However, some research reveals that humans have developed an innate ability to detect spiders and other poisonous insects in our environment, which could give strength to the evolutionary hypothesis.
Social explanation
Not all experts agree with the evolutionary development of fear of spiders. The alternative opinion is that the threat posed by these animals is not very high, and therefore could not have had a direct impact on our evolution as a species.
For people who defend this theory, fear of spiders would therefore be a social issue. As proof of this hypothesis, the researchers point out that in some cultures, such as among the tribes of Papua - New Guinea, arthropods are used as a food source.
Treatments
There are many ways to reduce the impact of arachnophobia symptoms. Thus, depending on the preferences of each therapist, the emphasis can be placed on cognitive, behavioral techniques, or those coming from other psychological currents such as acceptance and commitment therapy or psychoanalysis.
However, because it is a relatively simple problem to solve, most of the time the interventions are based on what is known as 'exposure therapy'. The procedure helps the person to cope with their fear gradually, until a time comes when it stops interfering with their daily life.
For exposure therapy with arachnophobes, the therapist can help the person to face their fear little by little through the use of imagination, with increasingly realistic images, or even using real spiders in controlled situations.
The idea of this form of therapy is that the individual only increases the difficulty of his exposure once he has managed to calm down in the previous step, in such a way that he is never overcome by his emotions of fear or anxiety.
Consequences
A person with arachnophobia may be afraid of encountering spiders in any situation, including at work.
Arachnophobia belongs to the group of disorders known as specific phobias. These have the peculiarity that they only affect the person when they are in the presence of the object of their fear, so in the beginning they do not have to affect their day to day or their mood in general.
However, in very extreme cases arachnophobia can become a very limiting disease. This can happen, for example, if the person fears meeting spiders in all kinds of situations, which could lead them to isolate themselves or not go near places where they think there might be some minimal possibility of facing one of these animals.
References
- "Fear of Spiders Phobia - Arachnophobia" in: Fear Of. Retrieved on: February 09, 2020 from Fear Of: fearof.net.
- "Arachnophobia: Fear of Spiders and How to Overcome It" in: Psycom. Retrieved on: February 09, 2020 from Psycom: psycom.net.
- "Understanding Arachnophobia or the Fear of Spiders" in: VeryWell Mind. Retrieved on: February 09, 2020 from VeryWell Mind: verywellmind.com.
- "Arachnophobia" in: Pests. Retrieved on: February 09, 2020 from Pests: pests.org.
- "Arachnophobia" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 09, 2020 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.