What Was Sigmund Freud's Who Discovered Phobias?

For as long as I can remember, I have had the fear of heights, otherwise known as acrophobia. Everything that was high up, like an airplane when I first flew to another state for a vacation, I could not look at the ground from any distance high up. I would get sick to my stomach every time I did so. When the choir went to Six Flags every year, I would never go on a roller coaster because they were too high. I hypothesized about trying to fix my phobia, and I could only think of one clear statement when I did. The understanding of the origins of phobias can lead to effective treatments.

We need to start at the beginning with the history of phobias. The first example of a phobia came from a man named Hippocrates. Hippocrates lived from four hundred

The first major person to have an idea on phobias was Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was a Vietnamese neurologist who founded the science of psychoanalysis. In the article “Who Discovered Phobias?”, it states “In 20th century, the celebrated Sigmund Freud suggested that phobias were a result of the extensive exploitation of oppression and displacement defense mechanisms” ("Who Discovered Phobias? 1). Freud noticed in his studies that little things (such as snakes, death, and getting sick), gross out people ("The History of Phobias" 2012). He also found that other things only bothered people, like the fear of leaving one's house ("The History of Phobias" 2012). Freud wrote about a boy named Hans. In the article “The History of Phobias”, it states “Freud wrote about a little boy named Hans who, after being terrified by a horse in the street, developed a strong fear of horses” (The History of Phobias 2012). Other researchers had ideas as well. The article “Who Discovered Phobias?”, it states “Another group of researchers feel that early humans possessed what we call a strong intuition as to what can cause them harm” (“Who Discovered Phobias” 2012). Around Freud’s time of research, (1895), other researchers were speculating that phobias were mental disorders (“The History of Phobias”

Number 3 is acrophobia (fear of heights). It affects 5% of the general population (Olesen “Acrophobia” 1). It also affects one in twenty adults. Symptoms include three key responses; panic, anxiety, and fear (Oleson 1). Major effects of acrophobia include the following, “Depending on the situation, stimulus, and individual reaction, one might experience muscle tension, headaches, panic attacks, palpitations, or dizziness. A full blown panic attack resulting from the fear of heights can cause breathlessness, loss of control, and even thoughts of dying. (Oleson “Acrophobia” 1). The number two phobia is ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). Nearly ⅓ adults have this phobia (Oleson “Ophidiophobia” 1). Even mentioning snakes around people with it can lead to heart attacks or even death (Oleson “Ophidiophobia” 1). The main cause of this phobia is deaths due to snakes (Oleson “Ophidiophobia” 1). Other causes include “Ignorance and lack of education is one of the most common reasons why humans fear snakes, traumatic episode in the past such as accidently stepping on a snake or being bitten, hissed at or otherwise threatened by snakes might have lead to one’s Ophidiophobia, seeing or witnessing an incident wherein another person, a close friend or family member was hissed at, or bitten by a snake can also lead to the fear of snakes, media reports, and TV shows can also lead one to believe that snakes are always dangerous leading to