Personality Quizzes

You see what power is—holding someone else's fear in your hand and showing it to them! -- Amy Tan

Specific (Simple) Phobia is triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situations (i.e., spider, snake, elevator, caterpillar or mummy). A phobia is characterized by a response disproportionate to the actual danger. The individual realizes that his fear is excessive. Nonetheless, he believes he is unable to control his emotional response. One can be frightened of just about anything. A simple phobia may or may not be a problem. For example, if you work in a 40 story building in New York City and your office is on the 39th floor, elevator phobia is a dilemma. You will either learn to overcome the fear or you will have the best legs and strongest heart in the building. However, if you live in rural America and never go higher than the third floor of any building, elevator phobia is no more than a mild nuisance.

Do you have phobias or know someone with a phobia. The following questions (from the DSM IV, 1996) help you make that determination.