What is a phobia?

What is a phobia?

Phobias are anxiety disorders that cause people to be afraid of a situation or object that is usually harmless. They involve excessive fear of an event or situation that won’t necessarily cause harm in reality. And they tend to have unexpected reactions to things other people don’t find scary or worrisome.

Cynophobia is a specific phobia disorder. People with specific phobia disorders have extreme reactions to a certain object or situation. They do whatever they can to avoid the thing that causes discomfort, concern or fear — in this case, dogs.