Fear vs. Phobia
Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
Phobia is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
So, a discussion came up about fear being learned. Me, being a behaviorist, I do believe fear is learned. Michael stated that phobias can occur without being exposed to anything, to just have a fear of something without reinforcement or punishment.
Some research needs to be done on my part. Im not an expert in phobias, but I just really dont see how someone can be afraid of something they havent experienced and learned to be afraid of it.
