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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2001)
IE BATTAlld S from page 1 \ Iso solicit •out how t ;nt on the pr- te funding sbl expected todej I burn nexifc professional teem for redii for student m THE BATTALION Wednesday, January 16, 2002 Who's big afraid bad of the \From flying to feet, students face Vommon and uncommon phobias Bonfire withcc ik imitation r ad it ion. this Bonfirr to be great e to come Cardon, a tajor. • and extensive By Beth Muldoon THE BATTALION In an interview with www.women.com, actor Billy Bob Thornton admitted to an intense phobia of antique furniture. “I just try to stay away from really old furniture," Thornton said. Pieces from 1700 and 1800 France and England really freak me out, especially harpsichords.” Thornton said he also has fears of hair and germs in general. Dr. Ada Kahn, author of Facing Fears, said the term phobia is derived from the Greek word “phobos," which means fear, panic, ter- orand fright. The word phobos comes from the name of the ancient ipport this re, but for > to be grea: 'ut will h(t\[ ne back. — Aaron Can: psychology macj ling the the chief cipants. the team•*on hat's built tfr rther?" said of 1976. lowen's pari r otiable anddiv Greek god. Phobos, who provoked fear and panic in his enemies, return forthc: One of the most common phobias is a fear of flying. Some peo- e because of p| e who are afraid to fly react with violent anxiety before and dur- ite associated® n g an airplane trip and some will avoid a trip at all costs. The fear of flying is included in the same category as fear of tion likeAiJI i e ights, crowds and traveling. These fears compose the most com- y U? tafceqiei 0 f ph 0 bj a ca lled Agoraphobia. Agoraphobics find it diffi- gnen what i :u | t to rema j n ca | m j n any situation they cannot control such as large t '-annotcre# ;rowc j s 0 f people, traveling in aiq^lanes or trains and heights. Dr. Aaron Beck, author ol' AnMcncs. I cars ami Phobias, said JBhe most common fear involved with airplane phobias is a fear !i 1, mam sti; ^ ^^f crashing. For Gabe Shutt, a junior English major, overcoming her fear of ieights simply means backing away from the situation and thinking ibout something else. ‘Tm fine as long as I don't think about being up high or what :ould happen if I fall," Shutt said. "It’s not the height so much as the nstability of the thing I am in or on,” Shutt said. “I also try to avoid situations that might have an adverse effect on me.” Beck said symptoms of Agoraphobia usually appear after the age t down thou*:: >f 20 and are caused by sudden panic attacks from a loss of control ain studentsic* n a certain situation. ore they tad: For Shutt, the symptoms of her phobia began at a young age. task ofstacta “I don't remember anything ever happening to me that caused ;aid. me to be afraid of heights,” Shutt said. ‘T've just always been this way.” Beck said phobias do not stem from a fear of an object, but rather from a fear of con tact with the object. For exam ple, a person with a fear of nee dles is not necessarily afraid of the needle itself, but they do fear the pain that could be inflicted by the needle. Jenny Day, a senior interdis ciplinary studies major, has an intense fear of feet. "I find them disgusting,” Day said. "I don't want anybody to touch my feet and I don’t want to have to touch anyone else’s feet.” Day said she gets a lot of criticism from her friends for her phobia. "My friends like to torture me and touch me with their feet a lot,” Day said. "They think my fear of feet is a pretty ridiculous fear.” Historically, phobias are clas sified by the name of the object of fear and Beck said there are at least 107 different names for phobias. Some of the most com mon include Claustrophobia, a fear of tight spaces, Ailurophobia, a fear of cats, and Arachniphobia, a fear of spiders. Kahn and Beck said a simple three-step program can help any one conquer a phobia, anxiety or fear. "The first step is to identify your fears through a process of self GUY ROGERS • THE BATTALION diagnosis ” Kahn said. “Next, pinpoint what triggers your fears and lastly, develop an exposure program to help you face your fears." Phobias can restrict one’s life and can keep people from doing what they love, but with three simple steps and some courage, pho bics can experience normal lives. luture Bonfk p: n $500,000 - d that ,i Si J paid by all shi. ttjj 'k lent to fultfr B Body Prea I iscr. n senior9 I me major, sail I god b\ thel I; lorums. Bowi ■1 not allow B3 I ■> substantial# I the project,i'I b >u on will tit I use mto tonsil K akmg his decs I >< k i students its I -uit body elect ud she vsiwpiiti I main student' I s\\ or the survet I gh all the piece S out ire 2002 al I Bonfire pli I •lutclv safe aS B estimate for It I ouser said the? asons Bowen ' decide to m f | Tech Editor orts Editor sports Assistant py Chief :rg, Design Direct;: \rt Director Photo Editor tadio Producer .adio Assistant ay through Friday c. ay during the sunttrf fexas A&M UniveS IASTER: Send addteS J, College Station,' 11 idents at Texas ^ vrtment of Journalise hone: 845-3313; Fa> ww.thebatt.com hip or endofsement: ig, call 845-2696 T 015 Reed McDonal ax: 845-2678. Texas A&M student? copies 25f. Mail# tiester, $ 17.50 fotb Discover, or Amenci' appearing live at... Pre-sale tickets available at Cavender’s (979) 696-8800. Doors open at 8:00 p.m.