Phobias and Fears
When a person has one or more irrational fears and an avoidance of certain objects and situations, we call it a phobia. The difference between phobia and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is that the phobia is a fear response to something specific (spiders, flying, heights, groups of people, etc.). Even if you know your fear is irrational and unreasonable, it is almost impossible to control the anxiety that is triggered.
Phobias take place through the action of deep brain structures such as the amygdala, which have been provided by nature to ensure a flight response when we encounter a life-threatening challenge. Due to life experiences and perhaps a genetic sensitivity, we become conditioned (programmed) to react this way to stimuli that are not at all dangerous.
Agoraphobics, for instance, will always sit near the door or carry out other behaviors that will make it easy to escape without embarrassment.
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