Irrational

beliefs/phobias
Presented by:
Ayesha Mushtaq
Aliza Ali

Equal contribution by both members

 Rational vs. Irrational

Rationality Irrationality

Any emotion, thought, or Any emotion, thought or

behavior that contributes to behavior that significantly
or promotes the survival and interferes with the survival and
happiness of the organism. happiness of the organism.
Healthy Cognitions/Beliefs Unhealthy Cognitions/Beliefs
• Illogical
• Logical
• Empirically non-consistent
• Empirically consistent
• Unrealistic
• Realistic
• Non-functional
• Functional
• Blame of Self, Other and
• Critical of behavior not the
towards World at Large.
self, others but World at large
 Irrational beliefs/phobias

Froggatt (2005) suggests that:

● Irrational beliefs block the individual from achieving
their goals and can create extreme emotions that persist
over time, leading to distress and behaviors that harm
themselves, others and their life in general.
● Irrational beliefs distort reality
● Irrational beliefs contain illogical ways
 Irrational beliefs/phobias

Irrational belief
● An illogical, inaccurate, or distorted idea, firmly held despite
objective contradictory evidence (Albert Ellis, 1913).

● A phobia is defined as “an irrational fear or an obsessive dread.”

● Phobia sufferers often struggle with irrational beliefs. Having a

faulty belief system may escalating their experience with anxiety,
panic attack, and other related symptoms.
 Signs and symptoms of phobias

• Active avoidance
• Great anxiety
• Realization that the fear is irrational
• Disruption in normal life while handling with the phobia
• Nightmares in which the individual is unable to escape from the feared
situation or object
• The nagging conviction about world
• A chronic sense of morbid dread
 Causes

Psychoanalytic point of view

Behavioristic point of view

Innate temperament
Ways to Overcome Irrational
Fear/Phobias

• Personal Level

• Professional Level
Learn to Cope

• Identify fear/phobia

• Stress-inoculation training

• Dis-identifying

• Examine your conscious thoughts

• Innate temperament
Worksheets
 Professional Help
• Desensitization therapy

• Counterconditioning

• Implosive Therapy

• Psychoanalytic Approach

• Cognitive Approach

• Antianxiety drugs
Worksheets
 References
Frank J. Bruno. (1994). Psychological Symptoms. New York : John Wiley & Sons.
N., Sam M.S., "IRRATIONAL BELIEF," in PsychologyDictionary.org, May 11, 2013,
https://psychologydictionary.org/irrational-belief/ (accessed December 14, 2021).
Mattick, R.P, Peters, L., & Clarke, J.C. (1989). Exposure and cognitive restructuring for
social phobia: A controlled study. Behavior Therapy, 20(1), 3-23. https://
doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(89)80115-7
Kendler KS, Myers J, Prescott CA, Neale MC. The Genetic Epidemiology of Irrational
Fears and Phobias in Men. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58(3):257–265.
doi:10.1001/archpsyc.58.3.257
Kunwar, R. (2020). Mathematics Phobia: Causes, Symptoms And Ways To Overcome.
JCRT, 8(8).
Javed, M. (2011). A survey of Examination Phobia amongst Students at Secondary School
Level. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 1(1), 4-12.