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Show IPAGES PAGE ONIVERSITY JOURNAL FOCUS O N: FEAR • THU RSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2001 91 Students express personal fears " Math Is scary," Travis Jackson, sophomore athletic training major, Cedar City. A wide range ofphobias_affect the everyday lives ofpeople everywhere-even at SUU ere are thousands of different types of phobias. Here is a list of a few of the most common or strange phobias: Alone, being: lsolophobia · Anything new: 'Neophobia Becoming bald: phaJacrophobia Blood: Hemophobia Body odors: Osophobia Bowel movements: Defecaloesiophobia Buried alive~ Taphephobia Changes, making: Tropophobia Chickens: Alektorophobia Choking: Pnigerophobia Clocks: Chronophobia Clowns: Coulrophobia GuIB:Partheoophobia Halloween: Samhainophobia Hands: Chuophobia Heights: Acrophobia Hell: Hadephhobia or Stygiophobia Hospitals: Nosocomephobia Imperfection: Atelophobia Inability to stand: Basiphobia lnsanity: Dementophobia Insects: Insectophobia Itching: Acaropbbia Jealousy: Zelophobia Joint immobility: Ankylophobia Needles: Aichmophobia Noises: Ligyrophobia Nosebleeds: Epistaxiophobia Odor, that one has a vile odor: Autodysomophobia Outers: Lutraphobia Pain: Ponophobia Parents-in-law: Soceraphobia Peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth: Arach ibutyrophobia Phobias: Phobophobia Poetry: Metrophobia Politicians: Politicophobia Puppets: Pupaphobia Rain: Ombrophobia Responsibility: Hypengyphobia Running water: Potamophobia "I have a fear of faJllng in public," Jaime Scribner, junior, engineering major, San Bernardino, Calif. " My biggest fear Is bugs, especially moths," Spencer Koelliker, senior, business finance, Sandy. Phobias don't have to be a l Computers: Cyberphobia Confined spaces: Claustrophobia Creepy.crawly things: Herpetophobia Crowded public places: Agoraphobia Dancing: Choropbobia Deformity, or unattractive body image: Dysmorpbobia Dining, or dinner conversations: Deipnophobia Duse: Koniphobia Eyes: Ommetaphobia Failure: Atychiphobia or Kakorrhaphiophobia Flogging or punishment: Mastigophobia Flowers: Anthrophobia flying: Aviophobia Friday the 13th: Paraskavedekatriaphobia Frost or ice: Pagophobia Garlic: Alliumphobia Germs: Vcrminopbobia Ghosts: Phasmophobia problem Justice: Dikephobia Knees: Gcnuphobia Knowledge: Gnosiophobia Lightning and thunder: Brontophobia Looking up: Anablcphobia Love: Pbilophobia Machines: Mechanophobia Marriage: Gamophobia Meat: Camophobia Mice: Musophobia Money: Chrometophobia Mother-in-law: Penthreaphobia Music: Mclophobia Satan:-Satanphobia School: Scolionphobia Staying single: Aouptaphobia Slime: Blennophobia Snakes: Soakephobia Speaking in public: Glossophobia Spiders: Arachnephobia String: Linonophobia Swallowing or eating: Phagophobia Trees: Dendrophobia · Ugliness: Cacophobia ' Vegetables: Lachanophobia Vomiting: Emetophobia W~ statues: Automatonophobia Weight: Obesophoibia Yellow:Xanthrophobia PHOTO lllUSTRATIONS BY ANNE MCCONNl:LL Phobias are exaggerated and illogical fears of objects or situations that can be overcome by confronting the fear. "My biggest fear ls not being able to Improve myself," Robert Lea, junior, business finance major, Las Vegas, Nev. " I am so scared of sharks," Vallerie Taylor, sophomore, · theatre major, Norfolk, Va. BY SARAH JACKMAN JOURNAL STAFF WRITER ome unmarried students at SUU may be licttd with anuptaphobia, the fear of staying single. While these students might feel that they' ll never get married, anuptaphobia is not the most common phobia among SUU students. · James Sollami, a junior computer science major from Claremont, Calif., says his biggest fear is spiders. "I cari handle the little ones, but it's the big ones I'm afraid of," he said. Arachnophobia is one of the most common phopias. Fear of spiders can grip anyone and is often so extreme that people become paralyzed by the sight of one. Besides arachnophobia, acrophobia (fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), hydrophobia (fear of water), agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and social phobia (fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations) arc all common phobias. Nearly everyone has some sort of phobia, aJthough some may know exactly what a phobia is. Merriam-Webster defines a phobia as "an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation." Steve T. Barney, assistant professor of psychology, says fear is different from a phobia. Fear is a sudden awareness of danger or uncertainty, but a phobia is constant. Phobias " I would have to quote FDR, and say the only thing we have to fear, is fear Itself," Bracken Longhurst, freshman , political science major, Logan. " My biggest fear is dying alone," Tyler Nielson, Junior, math major, Dove Creek, Colo. can keep a person from trying things he or she. Jeremy Dyson, a freshman accounting major would like to try and, after a bad experience, from Ogden, says he is overcoming his fear of keep people from doing things they love to do. swimming long distances with the help of his Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) has kept mother. Brittnec Anderson, a freshman interior design "My mom is an excellent swimmer and she major from Grantsville, Utah, from walking helps me with it," he said. through fields to get to a friend 's house for Phobias may be caused by a bad experience. Anderson's dog was killed by a rattlesnake, years. A rattlesnake once killed her dog in the back yard and Anderson has avoided snakes which resulted in her fear of snakes. ever since. If she sees a snake she will turn and Another common cause of phobias is run the other way. That is how Anderson says watching others exaggerate theu fears. she tries to overcome her phobia. Someone sees another person's fear of an Barney says object and also becomes running away might afraid of it. seem like the best Excessive fear can take option when faced over a peISOn's life and with something a .! when it does, it's a good person is deathly ~ idea to get help. All types afraid of, but it is of phobias are treated by not the best plan. ~ psychologists, but social "We work with ; phobia is the most people [who have 8 common. Barney ~ e ncourages anyone who phobias) by confronting the fear might be struggling with a and modulating the ~=.._______...J< phobia to get help emotion that comes Some students have an intense feer of overcoming it. with it," Barney spiders. "Phobias make a person's life miserable and there is said. "If someone runs away from their phobia, it will never help ' help available," he said. them become less afraid of it." Whether it is cacophobia (fear of ugliness), The best way to overcome a phobia is to pathophobia (fear of disease) o r confront it. Barney suggests that those with arachibutyrophobia (fear of peanut butter arachnophobia get rid of a spider themselves sticking to the roof of the mouth), phobias are instead of having another person do it for them. varied and can affect everyone. g J .... . |