Specific Phobias
Maintaining Control in the Face of Chaotic Threats
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21559275 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zachary K Rothschild (0000-0002-2963-343X, Bowdoin College), Julianna Hauri (Bowdoin College), Lucas A Keefer (0000-0003-0700-6221, University of Southern Mississippi) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 383-418 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0736-7236 • E-ISSN: 1943-2771 |
| Publisher | Guilford Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1521/jscp.2020.39.5.383 |
| OpenAlex | W3046980762 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Introduction: Drawing on existential psychology we examine the possibility that specific phobias can serve a psychological function. Specifically, we propose that phobic objects allow individuals to focalize anxieties about haphazard existential threats into a more manageable form, reducing perceptions of risk and bolstering control. Method: We tested this by assessing perceived control among participants with varying levels of spider fear who were reminded of chaotic hazards (or not) and exposed to spiders images (or not). Results: Study 1 (N = 940) found that among those high in spider fear, salient uncontrollable threats (vs. controllable threats or uncontrollable non-threats) reduced feelings of control unless participants were exposed to their phobic object. Similarly, exposure to spider (vs. non-spider) images bolstered perceived control in the face of salient hazards, but only for those high in spider fear. A second preregistered study (N = 1349) found that the palliative effects of focusing on a phobic object were partially explained by a decreased concern with haphazard harms. Discussion: This supports the premise that phobic objects help to maintain control by narrowing the source of disordered risks, creating a more controllable conception of reality
Anxiety · Existentialism · Feeling · Perception · Phobias · Premise · Psychiatry · Salient · Spider · Computer Science · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · Ecology
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |