The cause of<unk> s can vary based on the phobia itself, but can include genetics, environmental influences, conditioning, and other indirect pathways. Causes can be both experiential (i.e., the<unk>  develops after experiencing the situation/specific object) and non-experiential (the person has never experienced the situation or been exposed to the object). For example, there appears to be a stronger genetic component to blood-injection-injury phobias compared to animal phobias, which are more likely to stem from an experience. The most common classical conditioning model suggests that a phobia will develop when an event that causes a fear or anxiety reaction is paired with a neutral event. An example of this model is when being near a dog (neutral event) is paired with the emotional experience of being bitten by a dog, resulting in a chronic fear which is described as a<unk>  to dogs. An alternative proposed mechanism of association is through observational learning. A person may internalize another person’s fears about a<unk>  object or situation through observation of their reactions. In non-experiential phobia, the typical activation of the amygdala in response to stimuli may be exaggerated due to pathological changes. A deficiency in amygdala habituation may also contribute to the persistence of non-experiential phobia. Certain phobias that are less lethal (e.g. dogs) seem to be more frequently observed and easily acquired in comparison to potentially lethal fears which are more relevant to our current society (e.g. cars and guns). This may be due to biological adaptation being passed through evolution which makes recent threats less prone to easy acquisition.
Specific phobia
Blood phobia
Driving phobia
Separation anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Agoraphobia
Body dysmorphic disorder