Fear of heights shouldn't be a phobia.

[revoltub]

Cant find the other thread on this but I dont see why certain fears especially heights is a phobia or even other ones like fear of sharks or sharp objects.


Of course you should be afraid of those things. Sharks attack and kill humans, a fall is dangerous, and sharp objects cut. If you arent afraid somewhat of these things theres something wrong.

Compared to something like the fear of potatoes, or fear of grass, which are obviously ridiculous, should these "phobias" be considered abnormal at all?

 

[Horus]

Islam?

 

[Andy Capp]

A phobia is not just being afraid of something. It's when that fear is irrational that it's a phobia. It's not irrational to be afraid if you are standing on an unsteady ledge at high point. But it is irrational to be afraid when you are inside an enclosure.

Another example: it's not irrational to be afraid if you see a black widow crawling across your lap but if you feel the same as if one is on your lap just because you see some other harmless spider on TV, that's a phobia.

 

[Tone C]

I'm not scared of heights , nor of falling. I am however scared of hitting the ground.

 

[The Good The Bad The HBK]

I'm terrified of heights. Call it whatever you want

 

[revoltub]

A phobia is not just being afraid of something. It's when that fear is irrational that it's a phobia. It's not irrational to be afraid if you are standing on an unsteady ledge at high point. But it is irrational to be afraid when you are inside an enclosure.

Another example: it's not irrational to be afraid if you see a black widow crawling across your lap but if you feel the same as if one is on your lap just because you see some other harmless spider on TV, that's a phobia.

I don't see at what point a fear of heights is irrational

 

[rj144]

What about a fear of widths?

 

[minute bull]

You know, they say fatphobia isn’t real.

 

[Otto!]

I'm terrified of heights. Call it whatever you want

Same.

 

[Andy Capp]

I don't see at what point a fear of heights is irrational

Really? There are people who can't get higher than the first rung on a ladder without a panic attack. That's irrational.

 

[Patrick Jane]

 

[I Am Legion]

Being nervous on a high bridge: Rational Fear
Being Terrified looking at the the High Bridge from a distance: Phobia

 

[Andy Capp]

I'm terrified of heights. Call it whatever you want

Exactly. The distinction is only relevant to people who want to dismiss people with mental illness as having nothing really wrong with them.

 

[Drain Bamage]

But it is irrational to be afraid when you are inside an enclosure.

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

I don't see at what point a fear of heights is irrational

I had it as a phobia when I was younger. It is irrational when you won’t go above a 5th floor in a building because the idea of being that high scares you. Didn’t ride a roller coaster or Ferris wheel until I was 14. I cried when I was about 11 taking one of those ski lift things at a theme park.

I’m still afraid of heights. More than a normal person, but it’s not close to a phobia.

 

[shunyata]

Cant find the other thread on this but I dont see why certain fears especially heights is a phobia or even other ones like fear of sharks or sharp objects.


Of course you should be afraid of those things. Sharks attack and kill humans, a fall is dangerous, and sharp objects cut. If you arent afraid somewhat of these things theres something wrong.

Compared to something like the fear of potatoes, or fear of grass, which are obviously ridiculous, should these "phobias" be considered abnormal at all?

I don't think you understand the difference between rational fear and a phobia.


Rational fear of heights would result in being cautious near the edge where there's a huge drop off.

Say you're driving around a bend on a narrow mountain road with a huge drop off and no shoulder, normal fear might manifest as being a bit more cautious, slowing down, being a bit tense until you're on a safer section of road.

Phobia would be someone who stops in the middle of the road and refuses to go around the turn, or pulls over afterwards to cry and have a panic attack, or someone who has seen the road conditions before and refuses to drive with you even as a passenger on that road.


Phobia is a crippling fear beyond rationality, it's not just normal rational fear.

Normal fear: a 6 year old kid just died on a drop based ride, and now you're thinking the entertainment offered by such rides even if they are more secure than the one that killed that child might not be worth the trade off and you don't want to take your family on a similar ride while you're at an amusement park.

Phobia: have a breakdown waiting in line for a drop based ride, not only do you not want to get on so badly you're shaking and crying, but you insist your friends and family need to get out of the line and promise not to get on the ride or you're going to be hyperventilating the whole time until they get off and come back to you.

 

[Dream Evil]

I've got a weird phobia where underwater man-made objects kind of freak me out. Such as a shipwreck. I would never want to go scuba diving into a shipwreck. Or clean the underside of a boat. I don't even really like being up close to a large boat while I'm also in the water (or in a small boat, myself). Something about getting trapped under it, sucked down, etc.

No idea where this fear comes from.....I can't think of an experience in my life that would have caused it. I've never almost drowned, and I've always been a pretty good swimmer.

 

[revoltub]

I don't think you understand the difference between rational fear and a phobia.


Rational fear of heights would result in being cautious near the edge where there's a huge drop off.

Say you're driving around a bend on a narrow mountain road with a huge drop off and no shoulder, normal fear might manifest as being a bit more cautious, slowing down, being a bit tense until you're on a safer section of road.

Phobia would be someone who stops in the middle of the road and refuses to go around the turn, or pulls over afterwards to cry and have a panic attack, or someone who has seen the road conditions before and refuses to drive with you even as a passenger on that road.


Phobia is a crippling fear beyond rationality, it's not just normal rational fear.

Normal fear: a 6 year old kid just died on a drop based ride, and now you're thinking the entertainment offered by such rides even if they are more secure than the one that killed that child might not be worth the trade off and you don't want to take your family on a similar ride while you're at an amusement park.

Phobia: have a breakdown waiting in line for a drop based ride, not only do you not want to get on so badly you're shaking and crying, but you insist your friends and family need to get out of the line and promise not to get on the ride or you're going to be hyperventilating the whole time until they get off and come back to you.

So at what point is a fear of heights irrational

 

[revoltub]

I had it as a phobia when I was younger. It is irrational when you won’t go above a 5th floor in a building because the idea of being that high scares you. Didn’t ride a roller coaster or Ferris wheel until I was 14. I cried when I was about 11 taking one of those ski lift things at a theme park.

I’m still afraid of heights. More than a normal person, but it’s not close to a phobia.

Ferris wheels are dangerous

 

[revoltub]

Really? There are people who can't get higher than the first rung on a ladder without a panic attack. That's irrational.

People fall on ladders all the time. You don't have to fall high to hurt yourself