What phobias are we born with?

Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
This is a very interesting subject, what phobias are we born with?

While there has been much research on this subject, enough to fill a thousand posts, it seems to boil down to 2 phobias:-

• A fear of falling
• A fear of loud noises


If these are the only two phobias we are born with, where do the rest come from?

Common sources of phobias:-

• Parents
• Family
• Friends
• Media

If we can develop phobias from the above sources, and others, then surely we can “undevelop” in a similar manner? Surely this gives support to the idea that we can “reprogram our brains” and unwind phobias which may have been affecting our lives for many years.

It is also worth noting that we are born with a fight or flight system which is effectively an internal defence mechanism. If you are faced with a danger, your body will immediately decide whether to fight that danger (physical or mental) or move away from the area, avoid the danger. The fight or flight system is very different to a phobia.
 
F

Fightingback

Member
I was going to ask where we get the fear/phobia of fire, for example, but I think you have answered the question. This is a developed phobia as we are not born aware or fearsome of fires. I hope that makes sense!
 
L

LynnyB

Member
Are we really born with ANY phobias? I thought they were all "acquired".
 
Top