Phobias and Mate Selection, Essay Example

Phobia refers to intense and irrational fear of a situation or an object. Mate selection is the choosing of a mate such as choosing of a marriage partner in human beings. When one encounters unusual situation or object, phobia accrues. Symptoms associated with fear include breathlessness, nausea, and dizziness. The phobic symptoms can sometimes lead to an attack of full-scale anxiety. Consequently, individuals affected by these symptoms may start isolating themselves leading to difficulties in day-to-day living. Three types of phobias exist including agoraphobia. In this case, a person fears inescapable situation or place. Other types of phobia include specific and social phobias.

It is fundamental to note that specific phobias encompass the phobias of animals, the natural environment, situational, and medical. It pertinent to note that, exposure treatments and counter-conditioning method treats phobias. The selection of mates in human beings lays attributes to various aspects. Both males and females tend to choose mates who are emotionally stable, intelligent, attractive, honest, and with scrupulous personalities. Men differ from women in that they put much emphasis on appearance while women emphasize on the social status. The obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which causes difficulties in decision making, planning, and prioritizing, tend to influence mate selection in human beings. OCD can be treated using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) medications such as Luvox and Prozac. These ensure enough serotonin for the basal ganglia.

Personally, I grew up fearing the dark so much, but these days I no longer do so. This reminds me of the exposure treatments-flooding approach that aims to confront an individual with the feared object. Thus, getting used to the condition, that it was not harmful my phobia went down slowly but sure. The study on mate selection has pointed me to what matters in dating and marriage. I have always been looking at the appearance but this study has made me consider personality of my mate.