WHERE DO PHOBIAS COME FROM?
With aroung 10 per cent of the population suffering from irrational aversions, phobias are among the most common of all mental disorders. Several hundred phobias have been identified and their sheer diversity points to a variety of causes. Some may be triggered by a traumatic event, while others have been linked to physiological problems. Studies also suggest that simple phobias are partly genetic. Some phobias may even be due to cultural history. According to psychologist, Professor Graham Davey of City University, London, during the Middle Ages spiders become associated with people struck down by plague as their deserted homes became covered in cobwebs. Davey suggests this might have led to a cultural memory that still survives today.
With aroung 10 per cent of the population suffering from irrational aversions, phobias are among the most common of all mental disorders. Several hundred phobias have been identified and their sheer diversity points to a variety of causes. Some may be triggered by a traumatic event, while others have been linked to physiological problems. Studies also suggest that simple phobias are partly genetic. Some phobias may even be due to cultural history. According to psychologist, Professor Graham Davey of City University, London, during the Middle Ages spiders become associated with people struck down by plague as their deserted homes became covered in cobwebs. Davey suggests this might have led to a cultural memory that still survives today.
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