Page 24 - PowerE-L03-F

Lesson 6

Preparation

Phobia

Phobia is an excessive and unreasonable
fear of a specific object or a situation. There are at
least hundreds of phobias known. Some have been
experienced by the majority such as Acrophobia or
the fear of heights. While other types rarely happen
to people. When exposed to the event or thing
they’re afraid of, the immediate response elicit is
anxiety. They show it by crying, freezing, clinging
and fainting. But sometimes the effects of phobia
hinder one’s normal functioning like losing a job and restricting their social
activities. In such cases, therapy is needed. The most famous therapy is
called systematic desensitization, in which the therapist gradually exposes
the client to the object of his phobia first in imagination and later in reality.

Grammar

Parallelism is a balance in the structure of the sentence.
Example:
► Incorrect: But sometimes the effects of phobia hinder one’s normal
functioning like losing a job and to restrict their social activities.
► Correct: But sometimes the effects of phobia hinder one’s normal
functioning like losing a job and restricting their social activities.

Questions Keywords

Therapy / excessive /
1. Do you know the root word of phobia? unreasonable
2. Do you have anything that you’re really scared of?
3. What do you do when you’re scared?
4. What are the possible causes of a phobia? Vocabulary & Expressions

5. When do you think phobia becomes a mental Elicit - to draw or bring out
illness? Anxiety - it is state of mind character-
ize by uneasiness and distress
Hinder - to interrupt
Sample Answers Scared to death - very scared

1. Yes. It came from the Greek word phobos which means fear.
2. I am scared to death of rats.
3. I try to calm myself by diverting my attention to other things.
4. Phobias were conditioned by a painful experience. .
5. When phobia causes one to have an anxiety attack which affects one’s
lifestyle.

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