彭蒙惠英语：Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives

Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives

 

By Candace Murphy/

©2004 San Jose mercury News,

Knight¹ Ridder Newspaper.

Distributed by Tribune Media Service

 

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Garden-variety fears are one thing; phobias are another. Phobias, the most extreme manifestations² of fear, come in three varieties: agoraphobia (irrational³ anxiety about leaving a safe area or being in a place where escape is difficult or embarrassing), social phobia (irrational anxiety about performing or being in social situations), and specific phobias (spiders, germs, clowns—in other words, irrational anxiety provoked by a specific object).

 

Note the repetition of the word ‘irrational.’ “Phobias are irrational ... and not natural,” said clinical psychologist Hildy Agustin. “Many people have fears, but not necessarily phobias. So the question is, is it a phobia or is it just a personal distaste?”

 

For a fear to be a phobia, it must interfere⁴ with daily routine, occupation or social life. And if it does, that phobia should be identified and treated. According to psychologist Barbara Kirsch, “Phobias aren’t like a common cold. They get worse. You don’t eventually get rid of them on your own.”

 

Before treatment, though, the phobia needs to be identified. Here are 10 common phobias:

 

1 Aviophobia: Fear of flying

 

This phobia increased after September 11, 2001. According to behavioral therapist Paula Zimmerman, “No one is saying you shouldn’t have fears, but maybe the fears are misplaced.” By increasing your knowledge of flying, airlines and safety features, “… you should be able to start to feel differently because you are thinking differently.”

 

2 Mysophobia: Fear of germs or dirt

 

“Fear of germs was very, very heightened during the SARS period of time,” says Karen Elpers, a certified⁵ hypnotherapist. “With education and understanding, it’s lessened⁶.”

 

3 Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders

 

Many sufferers misdiagnose this fear as a phobia simply because they’d rather have someone else kill the offending stimulus⁷. Still, it’s helpful to identify and work with this fear.

 

4 Claustrophobia: Fear of being unable to escape from a confined space

 

In treatment, therapists often point to magician Harry⁸ Houdini, who made a living out of escaping from nightmarish claustrophobic situations. Houdini himself was a claustrophobe. It seems magic was his cathartic⁹ outlet¹⁰.

 

Vocabulary Focus

garden-variety (adj) [5^B:dEnvE7raiEti] very ordinary; typical

irrational (adj) [i5rAFEnEl] not based on reason or clear thinking; not reasonable

offending (adj) [E5fendiN] unwanted, often because something is unpleasant and is causing problems or inconvenience

cathartic (adj) [kE5WB:tik] relating to the process of releasing strong emotions through a particular activity or experience

 

Specialized¹¹ Terms

behavioral therapist (n phr) 行为治疗师 someone trained to treat and help patients modify undesirable¹² actions through the use of basic learning techniques and other methods

hypnotherapist (n) 催眠师 a person who uses hypnosis, a mental state like sleep in which a person’s thoughts and actions can be easily influenced by someone else, as a form of treatment or sometimes entertainment

stimulus (n) 刺激；刺激物 something that causes a response or reaction

 

10种干扰生活的恐惧症

许美鸾  译

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寻常的害怕是一回事；恐惧症则是另外一回事。恐惧症表现出最极端的害怕，有3种类型：广场恐惧症（对离开一个安全的区域或身处一个逃跑不易或难堪的地方所导致的非理性焦虑）、社交恐惧症（对表演或身处社交场合所导致的非理性焦虑）和特定对象恐惧症（蜘蛛、细菌、小丑——换句话说，因特定事物所导致的非理性焦虑）。   

注意“非理性”这几个字的重复出现。“恐惧症是非理性的……且不自然的，”临床心理学家希尔蒂·奥古斯汀说：“许多人都会害怕，但不一定是恐惧症。所    以问题在于，这究竟是恐惧症或只是个人的嫌恶感而已？”   

从害怕变成恐惧症，必须是当这种害怕干扰了日常工作或社交生活﹝如果真是这样，这种恐惧症应该要查明并接受治疗。依照心理学家芭芭拉·克屈的说法：“恐惧症不像普通的感冒。它们会恶化。你不可能靠自己甩掉它们。”   

但是，在治疗前，要先辨识是何种恐惧症。下面是10种常见的恐惧症：

 

1. 飞行恐惧症：害怕飞行   

这种恐惧症在2001年9月11日以后增多。根据行为治疗师宝拉·齐默门的说法：“没有人说你不能害怕，只是也许怕错了地方。”通过增加飞行安全的知识， “……你应该可以开始感觉不一样，因为你的想法不一样了。”

 

2. 脏污恐惧症：害怕细菌或灰尘   

“在‘严重急性呼吸道症候群（SARS）’期间，对于细菌的害怕猛增，”合格的催眠治疗师凯伦·艾尔帕斯说：“经过教育和了解后，情况就减轻了。”

 

3. 蜘蛛恐惧症：害怕蜘蛛   

许多患者将此种害怕误判为恐惧症，只因为他们宁可要别人来除掉这令人不悦的刺眼东西。认清这种害怕的性质并予以治疗，仍是有帮助的。

 

4. 幽闭恐惧症：害怕无法逃离一个封闭的空间   

治疗师在治疗此症时常提及魔术师哈利·胡汀尼，他以从梦魇般封闭的环境中脱逃为生。胡汀尼自己是一个幽闭恐惧症患者。魔术似乎是他宣泄这种恐惧的出路。

 

1 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

2 manifestations   

n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

6 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

7 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 cathartic   

adj.宣泄情绪的；n.泻剂

参考例句：

• His laughter was cathartic,an animal yelp that brought tears to his eyes.他哈哈大笑以宣泄情绪，声音如野兽般尖厉，眼泪都笑出来了。
• The drug had a cathartic effect.这药有导泻的作用。

10 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

11 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

12 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。