While many people refer to the two interchangeably, fears and phobias are starkly different from one another. Merriam-Webster defines a fear as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger, but a phobia is defined as an exaggerated or is a type of anxiety disorder, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects or situation.
The main difference between the two is their rationality. Fear can be spontaneous and occur in moments or situations of great distress, such as a natural disaster or a scary animal. However, phobias are considered the irrational brothers of fear. Phobias, on the other hand, are more deep-seated and long-lasting compared to fears, such as people being afraid of dogs or planes.
The most common mistake made when differentiating between the two is not knowing that fear is an emotion and takes place in the moment. Ironically, phobias are usually what people mean when they say ‘I have a fear of…’. Phobias worry about the idea of a potential threat, while fears face immediate perceived threats.
FHS junior Ryan Wong suffers from acrophobia, meaning he is afraid of heights; he has struggled with this since childhood.
“I think [acrophobia has] always been a fear of mine,” Wong said. “When I was a little kid, I always thought of those movies where people stand on the roof and I felt like ‘what if a gust of wind blows me off or I slip.’”
Wong’s experience refers to a phobia. Although he has never experienced any reasonable threat from heights in real life, he is afraid of the potential threat. While acrophobia is very common, it is still considered an “irrational” fear of situations that most acrophobes have not been exposed to: falling from a large height. However, experiencing an event that makes this situation a possibility, such as standing on the roof of a tall building, is enough to leave many with a lasting phobia.
Contrary to Wong’s lifelong phobia, FHS junior Parker Nelson described a moment in which he experienced fear. This took place while biking home from school and nearly getting injured.
“I was riding my bike home from school and a car didn’t see me, and they stopped a foot and a half in front of me,” Nelson said. “They looked shocked and I was kind of mad to be honest, because they didn’t seem like they really cared that much. I was afraid because the car was going at a pretty decent speed and barely stopped in front of me, and I would have gotten an injury. My fear was definitely in the moment. I don’t usually think about getting hit when I bike.”
As opposed to Wong’s phobia of heights, Nelson certainly experienced fear. The primary distinguishing factor between the two was their prior exposure to each incident. Nelson was not particularly afraid of this before this happened, while Wong had no specific incident that made him scared of heights.
Assuming that fears and phobias are the same thing is often a major misconception. Knowing the difference is vital in understanding whether a personal anxiety is the former or the latter.
