IE BATTALI S from page 1 Iso solicit stu •out how ;nt on the pri. ; le funding sM expected to de l I burn next fal] professional!;; icem for rec^ for student im | ipport this re, but for ? to begrea: at willhm ne back. — Aaron Caro:;!: osychotogy THE BATTALION Wednesday, January 16, 2002 Who's afraid of Che big bad From flying to feet, students face common and uncommon phobias By Beth Muldoon THE BATTALION afraid of heights,” just always 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 17(X) and 18(X) 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- lowen’s parar::; ror and fright. The word phobos comes from the name of the ancient atiable anddM Greek gcxl. Phobos, who provoked fear and panic in his enemies. I return forthc ! One of the most common phobias is a fear of flying. Some peo- e because i jie who are afraid to fly react with violent anxiety before and dur- iing the the chief coo.^ ct pants, the teamwoti hat’s built tfr ;ther?" said of 1976. ite associate tion like AA.V ng 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 leights, crowds and traveling. These fears compose the most com- :y to take care J -pon type G f phobia called Agoraphobia. Agoraphobics find it diffi- given what t cannot creat: which so mar )f crashing. For Gabe Shutt. a junior English major, overcoming her fear of leights simply means backing away from the situation and thinking about 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 ituations that might have an adverse effect on me.” Beck said symptoms of Agoraphobia usually appear after the age )f 20 and are caused by sudden panic attacks from a loss of control n a certain situation. For Shutt, the symptoms of her phobia began at a young age. “I don’t remember anything ever happening to me that caused :ult to remain calm in any situation they cannot control such as large .rowds of people, traveling in airplanes or trains and heights. | ■Dr. Aaron Beck, author of Anxieties, Fears and Phobias, said I severely inp most common fear involved with airplane phobias is a fear 11. many stui Tonfire withoc ik imitation d ad it ion. this Bonfire to be greai if e to come Cardon, a lajor. ■ and extensive t down th ain students K ore they tackle, task of stackr. .aid. I ut ure Bonfire n $500,000 id that a S4-: paid by allstS fie lent to fultre Body Prest iser, a senior I mg major, saiii ged by the 1 forums. Bowa not allow Ba •. substantial® the project,! Bowen will tab nse into cotBl aking his decis MX) students us .-nt body elec) iid she is hop'iQ many student!! swer the suns gh all the piece on tire 2002 at Bonfire pW dutely safe* estimate for ft ouser said ther ■asons Bowen' decide to i me to be Shutt said. “I’ve 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- OUV 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. f |Tech Editor orts Editor Sports Assistant py Chief :rg, Design DirecW \rt Director Photo Editor ladio Producer -adio Assistant ay through Friday d; ay during the sunw*' fexas A&M Univeitf I ASTER: Send ad