What Is A Phobia? How To Write Characters With Phobias

Learn what phobias are and how to write believable characters whose fears create conflict, shape their choices, and drive your story forward.

What Is A Phobia? 

It is a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. The word phobia comes from the Greek, Phóbos, meaning ‘fear’ or ‘morbid fear’.

Common symptoms associated with phobias include:

1. Dizziness
2. Breathlessness
3. Nausea
4. A sense of unreality
5. Fear of dying

Most phobias are classified into three categories. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), these phobias are considered to be sub-types of anxiety disorder.

The Three Types of Phobias

1. Social phobias—fear of social situations.
2. Agoraphobia—fear of being trapped in an inescapable place or situation.
3. Specific phobias—fear of a specific object. There are four major types of specific phobias: the natural environment, animals, medical, situational.

Phobias vary in severity. Some people can simply avoid the subject of their fear and suffer relatively mild anxiety over that fear. Others suffer full-fledged panic attacks with all the associated disabling symptoms. Most individuals understand that they are suffering from an irrational fear, but are powerless to override their panic reaction.

How To Write Characters With Phobias

All of this could provide you with a source of conflict as a writer. Nevertheless, it is important to do adequate research before you write about it with authority. You can find out more about them in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

You will find a complete list of phobias here: Wikipedia Phobias

I thought I would add this list of phobias associated with literature for fun.

Three Fun Phobias for Authors of Speculative Fiction

1. Kinemortophobia – Fear of Zombies
2. Sanguivoriphobia – Fear of Vampires
3. Lycanthrophobia – Fear of Werewolves

by Amanda Patterson
© Amanda Patterson

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