Fear of Flying (Essay Sample)

Fear of Flying Name Institution Date Abstract The fear of flying, also referred to as aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia, is the fear of being in a helicopter, an aeroplane, an air balloon or any other flying vehicle while in flight (Bor, 2003). This fear could either be a result of other fears experienced during flight or a fear of flight itself. For instance people who suffer from claustrophobia, which is the fear of closed spaces or a fear of heights, may suffer from the fear of flying because by extension flying places them in a situation where their related fears are realized. Others however may not necessarily fear heights or enclosed spaces but may fear the flight itself. The levels of the fear of flying differ among different phobics, some being manageable while other are more distressing to those who are flight phobic. The effects of the fear of flying manifest in different manners including but not limited to stress, vomiting, panic attacks and general tension or restlessness. The fear of flying may stem from a misconception, misunderstanding of the science of flying or a traumatic experience that involved flying. Usually it is much easier to overcome this fear in cases of misconceptions or misunderstanding of the science of flying because proper knowledge can correct this and lay the fear to rest. This essay covers my fear of flying, what caused it and the possible remedies to it. Development of the Fear of Flying Growing up, I loved being in control especially of situations that directly affected me. This meant that I would rather ride a horse myself than ride with someone else holding the reins. This was especially true in cases where I deemed the person in control as not careful enough. I am still wary of being driven by careless drivers or drivers who do not observe all the driving rules. Therefore, I always to drive myself because most of the people I know do not observe 100 percent of road rules and I suffer anxiety whenever they drive me around. However, when it comes to airplanes, I am forced to trust the judgement of complete strangers. I know that airplane flying is regulated, but I always find myself worrying that any number of reasons could cause the pilot or plane engineers to be negligent which could have fatal results. I also dislike the fact that there would be no way out in the event that the plane crashed. Unlike in a vehicle where the airbags or seat belt could save one’s life, or on a boat where one can swim to shore, there would be no escaping the fatality of a plane that lost control mid-air and began plummeting towards the earth. The fact that there is no escape route or safety life saving measures that can be taken to save one’s life in the event of a plane crash only adds to my fear for flying. This fear would be less for me if somehow I could save myself in the event that something went wrong mid-air and a plane crash was inevitable. Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning usually involves the formation of behaviour as learned reactions to certain stimuli (Mills, 1998). This means that if a person experiences the same thing as a reaction to a certain stimuli for long enough, they are gradually conditioned to react in the same way whenever they see the stimuli. This is such that, even when the stimulus does not necessarily represent what they think it does, the fact that they have been conditioned to expect it to causes them to react as if it does. I am a perfectionist and I have always believed in safety. As a result I have never caused any accident, but have been involved in numerous accidents caused by others. In most of the cases, the accidents were preventable and only occurred as a result of someone else’s negligence and/or carelessness. I have been in three car accidents, one of them pretty serious, and in all three, the drivers were negligent and careless and their negligence caused them to cause accidents. I was once hit by a drunk driver but I was wearing my seat belt which held me in place when the vehicle rolled over. My fear therefore may be a result of classical conditioning when it comes to being in control. I am less fearful when I’m in control because I am not likely to be negligent for any reason. Therefore, when someone else takes control, past experiences have conditioned me to feel unsafe and to entertain the very real possibility of getting hurt under the care of someone else. My temperament which has perfectionism as one of its aspects may also have something to do with my fear. This is such that, whenever I deem someone else in control as not perfectly carrying out their duty, I am conditioned to expect the worst. I am not in a position to examine an airplane myself before I board it, and I am forced to rely on the judgement of other people. Systematic Desensitization A great remedy for my f...