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IHT *8 Page ***Print No. 01
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JoongAng Daily
Page 8
Saturday, August 4, 2007
http://joongangdaily.joins.com
Illustration by Bae Min-ho
By Lee Eun-joo
Contributing Writer
Three years ago, Park Sang-hwi, 26, was in a dreadful situation. Waiting for her departure from Gimpo Airport, she was trembling and sweating. She took a sleeping tablet right before boarding, but her fear of flying was
so intense that she felt even dizzier. When the plane was
about to take off, she was unable to breathe.
In the end, she ran off the flight and took a five-hour
ferry boat ride from Mokpo to Jeju Island instead of the
one-hour flight.
Jung Doo-a, 23, also shares that fear. She refuses to
ride escalators. Mountain climbing and carnival rides are
the last things she would do in her life.
Park and Jung suffer from acrophobia, the fear of
heights, and they are not alone.
According to a recent survey conducted by a public
opinion institution, Real Meter, six of ten adults suffer
from a phobia.
“A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder and a strong
fear or aversion to a specific thing or situation,” said Yook
Sung-pil, a psychology professor at Korea University and
public relations director of the Korean Society of Clinical
Psychology. “It is an unseen force that terrifies people and
paralyzes their mind and body,” he said.
The word phobia originates from the Greek word phobos, meaning fear. In Greek mythology, Phobos is the son
of Ares, the war god. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote in
“Shield of Herakles:” “His [Phobos’s] mouth was full of
teeth in a white row, fearsome and daunting.”
Like the fearful image of Phobos, phobias are associated with a feeling of panic, dread and horror.
Fear is important for human beings to experience
because it acts as a safeguard. In healthy doses, fear makes
people cautious. “But there are irrational fears, which keep
you from exploring the world,” Yook said. “People with
phobias irrationally interpret a fact or a situation.”
As Korea developed economically, residents started to
recognize phobias as disorders after learning more about
mental health issues.
Causes of phobias differ. One person with musophobia, a fear of mice and rats, might be more horrified by a
small furry animal than the
goes on domestic business
threat of a nuclear bomb.
trips by taking the KTX bulThough the causes of
let train. An earlier event
(Unit: Percent)
fear are subjective, fear and
triggered fear so he always
Acrophobia
16.4
anxiety are due to both
rides the train.
Anthrophobia
11.4
genetic and environmental
“I lost my mother-in-law
3.8
Agoraphobia
reasons.
in a plane crash,” he said.
2.9
Aerophobia
“Social phobia, or social
“Since then, I’ve had aero2.6
Zoophobia
anxiety disorder, is caused
phobia.”
2.4
Misophobia
by the malfunction of neuroLee Sang-min, the head
2.0
Claustrophobia
transmitters [sense organs]
of
the
Institute for Fear of
Others
18.1
in the brain,” Yook said.
Flying in Korea, said the fear
39.8
No phobias
Traumatic events also trigof flying can be cured.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
ger the malfunction.
According to the InterSource: Real Meter
Humiliating social expenational Civil Aviation
riences, such as being rejectOrganization, in 2006 there
Acrophobia: Fear of heights
ed by friends or getting
were 25 million flights
Anthrophobia: Fear of people
embarrassed in public, may
around the world, with 2.1
Agoraphobia: Fear of open or public spaces
lead to low self-esteem or a
billion travelers. Accidents
Aerophobia: Fear of airplanes
feeling of inferiority.
occurred 13 times, causing
Zoophobia: Fear of animals
In addition to social
755 deaths.
Misophobia: Fear of being contaminated with dirt
phobias, the other two types
The statistical data
Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed or confined spaces
are specific phobias and
shows that five accidents
agoraphobia, the fear of
occur in 10 million flights.
public places.
“Compared to cars, airSpecific phobia is most common and entails people’s
planes are ten to a hundred times safer,” Lee said.
fear of certain animals, beings or situations. This variant
Despite the fact that there is a low possibility of a crash,
is mainly genetic.
the number of people with aerophobia is increasing.
Chae Dong Yoon, 23, has acrophobia, a specific pho“It is due to the unpleasant emotional feeling,” said
bia probably learned from his father.
Lee. “People imagine what could happen, combined with
“As a young child, I saw my father reluctant to ride the
fear of turbulence and being locked up in a small space
elevator,” said Chae. “It made me think that elevators [or
[claustrophobia].”
heights] are harmful.”
The international organization reports that there is an
Specific phobias can be also acquired by a traumatic
annual loss of $1.6 billion from people with aerophobia.
event.
Losses from fearful flyers amounts to nine percent of total
Though she braved a ferry ride, Park Sang-hwi also
sales.
suffers from a fear of water, aquaphobia. It started when
“A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the situshe almost drowned in a public bath. Reluctant to recall
ation that triggers fear or endures it with great anxiety and
that trauma, she said, “water makes me sick.”
distress,” said Yook. He cited the example of Blaise Pascal,
Even though she realizes that water may pose no
a mathematician and chemist who suffered from agoraimminent threat, she avoids activity in the ocean or rivers.
phobia and avoided the situation by refusing to join scholA businessman, who asked to remain anonymous,
arly meetings in public areas. Instead, he invited other
Common phobias in Korea
mathematicians into his own room for discussions.
“Most patients know that their excessive fear is unreasonable,” said Yook. “People are often ashamed or embarrassed about their symptoms and that is why more people
try to avoid the fear rather than endure it.”
Jung’s friends find her fear unreasonable.
Said Park: “My friends keep persuading me that it is
O.K. to take airplanes and that nothing will happen.”
Even so, she still struggles.
Park even took a ferry to Papua New Guinea from
Korea. It took a week. She tried to overcome the fear by
visiting a psychiatrist and receivomh counseling, but the
treatment didn’t get rid of the fear.
“Phobias interfere with social life,” Yook said. “But
they can be cured.”
Of various treatments, behavior therapy and cognitive
therapy are known to be most effective.
Behavior therapy allows patients to gain control over
unwanted fears. They learn to cope with terrifying situations through gradual exposure. They are taught to master
the fear through relaxation, breathing control or other anxiety-reducing strategies.
Cognitive therapy allows patients to combat unproductive and harmful thoughts as they learn to differentiate realistic and unrealistic danger.
“A combination of both behavior and cognitive therapy is best,” said Yook. This combination is called cognitive behavior therapy.
Other treatments include anti-anxiety medication such
as anxiolytics, antidepressants or beta-blockers.
Chae has gradually overcome acrophobia through selfbehavior therapy. He joined a rock climbing club and
started slowly, first climbing sideways and gradually
moving upwards. To overcome aerophobia, the Institute
for Fear of Flying in Korea offers programs. Clients are
educated about airplane operation, for example.
So far, of 99 clients who participated in the program,
76 percent subsequently traveled by air more than once
within a three-month period. “I’ve seen a patient who
traveled 30 times in three months,” said Lee. “Phobias can
be cured, if you put in some effort.”
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