re. Myers states that "Systematic desensitization makes no attempt to help you achieve insight into your fear’s underlying cause. If you are afraid of heights, the therapist will not spend much time probing when you first experienced this fear or what may have caused it. Nor do behavior therapist worry that eliminating your fear of heights will leave an underlying problem that may now be expressed as, say, a fear of elevators. On the contrary, they find that overcoming maladaptive behaviors helps people feel better about themselves" (468-469). This paper explored the history, causes, effects, and treatment of Phobias. People have suffered from phobias for centuries, but only in the last few centuries have psychologist studied them and understood more about treating phobias. As we have seen, phobias are the most common form of mental health problems. It is not important how the person developed the phobia, but rather how the person lives with the phobia. Phobias can have a devastating effect on a person life. And for some people with phobias, treatment is necessary for them to lead normal lives. Although, for treatment to be successful, a person with a phobia must want to be helped. I have no desire to seek treatment or overcome my phobia of dogs. I am not afraid of all dogs, I have a dog of my own. I am not afraid of my neighbors dog, Dakota, he does not bark at me. I am afraid of dogs that bark at me, ones that run at me and bark. So, I go through life avoiding situations where there may be a dog. I don’t walk through the neighborhood. I wont go to a strange house. And above all, I wont go to the pound a get a full grown dog to take home. Works CitedLevinson. Harold N.. "Phobia Free." New York: M. Evans and Company, Inc.. 1986. Monroe, Judy.. "Phobias Everything You Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask." Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc. 1996.Myers, David G.. "Exploring Psychology." 4th ed....
