ENGLISH PROJECT

AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL,SAKET

FEAR
AND
PHOBIAS

ARNAV SINGHAL
XII-C
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that ARNAV SINGHAL of Class XII-C of

AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SAKET has completed
his project file under my guidance. He has taken proper care
and shown his utmost sincerity in completing the project.

I certify that this project is upto my expectations as per CBSE

guidelines

(Signature)
Ms Sushmita Roy
 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of this project was to make people aware about

the horrific fear that grabbed their heart is temporary in
anybody’s life. Through the means of this project I want
people to know how renowned personalities in the world have
also overcome their fear and therefore are at the pinnacle of
success
 CASE 1
As a life lesson, we all have some sort of fear, but we may be afraid to show it as
those who want our harm can exploit it. The same was the case with the man
responsible for one of the biggest genocide of the 20th century is seen by most
people as a devil that had no fears or that they were at least hiding behind his
psychotic mind. In his memories, he stated that his fears crumbled within the three
years of prison he underwent. Despite his evilness, a man who has been through the
mud and blood brought by the Great War could argue that he had seen it all. That is
why he openly said many times that he had no fears.
Hugo Johannes Blaschke was Hitler’s dentist for the last 20 years of his life as he
would not trust any dentist due to his fear of dentists. Everyone is a little scared of
dentists, especially during childhood, but Hitler was scared for his life when he
entered the dentist's room. Sometimes it would take the dentist up to eight days just
to take care of a dental abscess. The Nazi leader would even cry before any dental
surgery would take place as mentioned in his dentist’s records. The days when he
would have a dental procedure going on he would not show his face in public as this
would have ruined his image as well as the ideology he tried to create within
Germany by having the Aryan race look “perfect”.
His medical records, at least the ones that have been found, specifically about any
dental procedure, speculate that his dental filling was made from the gold teeth
taken from the jews that had been gassed in concentration camps.
However, at this point, Hitler would have probably made people write things on his
medical records just to hide this fear that he had. The idea of not having any fear was
a major factor when it came to supporting his own racist ideology. In this case,
referring to the Aryan race as not having any fears, nor feeling that much pain.
These points and more are supported in Menevse Deprem-Hennen's book Dentist
Des Teufels in which the author described the relationship between Hitler and
Blaschke.
Another interesting point about Hitler’s dental medical records is the fact that these
came in very handy at identifying Hitler’s body by his dentures, thus confirming
that he had died in Berlin and didn’t escape to other parts of the world as some
historians assume.
This fear stayed only between Hitler and Blaschke as far as the medical records state,
that is why Hitler was in need to have a good relationship with such people as they
had the ability to ruin him and his empire to some extent.
 CASE 2
Howard Hughes--the billionaire aviator, motion-picture producer and business
tycoon--spent most of his life trying to avoid germs. Toward the end of his life, he
lay naked in bed in darkened hotel rooms in what he considered a germ-free zone.
He wore tissue boxes on his feet to protect them. And he burned his clothing if
someone near him became ill.
The phobia grew so severe that it might have contributed to Hughes's increasing
addiction to codeine and his reclusiveness in the two decades before his death from
heart failure in 1976. Nearly two years after his death, Hughes's estate attorney
called on former APA CEO Raymond D. Fowler, PhD, to conduct a psychological
autopsy to determine Hughes's mental and emotional condition in his last years and
to help understand the origins of his mental disorder. Fowler's findings were used in
civil lawsuits filed by people who made claims to the billionaire's estate. Hughes had
died without a will.
Fowler, who at the time was a professor and chair of the University of Alabama's
psychology department, was recommended to conduct the psychological autopsy by
an attorney he had worked with previously on mental health right-to-treatment
cases. Fowler worked full time for one year conducting the autopsy and then on and
off for five years following that.
"A picture gradually emerged of a young child who pretty much was isolated and
had no friends, and a man who increasingly became concerned about his own
health," Fowler says.
That research led Fowler to believe that Hughes's fear for his health most likely
emerged from his childhood. Hughes's mother was constantly worried about her
son's exposure to germs, terrified that he would catch polio, a major health threat at
the time. His mother checked him every day for diseases and was cautious about
what he ate.
In adolescence, Hughes was paralyzed for several months and unable to walk. After
a few months, the symptoms disappeared. Fowler believes Hughes's paralysis--for
which no physical basis was found--was psychologically based and an early
manifestation of his lifelong pattern of withdrawing in times of stress.
Hughes's fear of germs grew throughout his life, and he concurrently develop
obsessive compulsive symptoms around efforts to protect himself from germs,
Fowler notes. For example, he wrote a staff manual on how to open a can of peaches-
-including directions for removing the label, scrubbing the can down until it was
bare metal, washing it again and pouring the contents into a bowl without touching
the can to the bowl.
Ironically, Hughes ended up neglecting his own hygiene later in his life, rarely
bathing or brushing his teeth. He even forced his compulsions on those around him,
ordering staff to wash their hands multiple times and layer their hands with paper
towels when serving his food.
 CASE 3
Shortly after Charles Darwin returned to England from his famous Beagle voyage to
the Galapagos and other islands in the southern oceans, he holed up as a virtual
recluse for the rest of his life
Panic disorder and agoraphobia, or fear of open spaces, suggests a report in
today's Journal of the American Medical Association. The disorder may have had
profound implications for science: "Had it not been for this illness," says
the JAMA article, "his theory of evolution might not have become the all-consuming
passion that produced On the Origin of Species."
When he was in his early 20s, Darwin led an active life of travel and exploration that
culminated in the 5-year voyage on the Beagle. But by the age of 28, he began to
experience attacks of fear and soon moved with his wife to a country house in Kent.
Until his death in 1882 at 73, Darwin suffered attacks of severe anxiety, often
accompanied by heart palpitations, shortness of breath, feelings of impending doom,
hysterical crying, and severe nausea and vomiting. He also had frequent feelings of
depersonalization, which he described as "treading on air and vision." Moreover, he
dreaded leaving his house. In 1837, Darwin refused the secretaryship of the
Geological Society, writing, "Of late, anything which flurries me completely knocks
me up afterwards and brings on violent palpitation of the heart."
Doctors puzzled over Darwin's case during his life and have continued to do so long
after his death. Now psychiatrist Russell Noyes and radiologist Thomas J. Barloon of
the University of Iowa College of Medicine think they have the right diagnosis. The
panoply of symptoms, which the authors abstracted from letters, books, and diaries,
clearly adds up to panic disorder, say Noyes and Barloon. "This diagnosis brings
coherence to Darwin's activities and explains his secluded lifestyle, including
difficulty in speaking before groups and meeting with colleagues," they write.
Other experts concur. The panic diagnosis "really is very convincing," says Jack
Gorman, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. As for poor Darwin, he
may have received some solace. His ill health, he wrote in his autobiography, "has
annihilated several years of my life but has saved me from the distraction of society."
 QUIZ
Q1) If you were afraid of the number 13 (as in Friday the 13th), you are suffering
from:
a) thalassophobia
b) triskaidekaphobia
c) ailurophobia
Ans) b) triskaidekaphobia

Q2)The word phobia means "a persistent, irrational fear of a particular thing" in
what language?
a) Ancient Greek
b) Latin
c) Old English
Ans) a) Ancient Greek

Q3) A tour guide might have a hard time doing his job if he suffered from
agoraphobia, which means a fear of what?
a) Public speaking
b) Heights
c) Crowds public places or open areas
Ans) c) Crowds public places or open areas

Q4) " Rolling Down the Strip" might not be the favourite song of someone with
thalassophobia, or a fear of what?

a) Rollercoasters
b) Thunderstorms
c) The sea
Ans) c) The sea

Q5) Ali Baba, the woodcutter from the Arabian Nights, would not likely suffer from
xylophobia, or a fear of what?

a) Strange words
b) Wooden objects or forests
c) Percussion music
Ans) b) Wooden objects or forests
Q6)Working at a veterinary clinic would likely be difficult for anyone with
ailurophobia, or a fear of what?
a) Cats
b) Suffering illness or ailments
c) Allergies
Ans) a) Cats

Q7) It would be hard to be a schoolteacher if you had anglophobia, or a fear of what?

a) Objects or spaces containing sharp angles

b) England or anything English
c) Fishing rods rulers pointers or other long objects
Ans) b) England or anything English

Q8) A military leader might not be very effective with ballistophobia, or a fear of
what?

a) Missiles or bullets
b) People who lose their tempers
c) Grenades
Ans) a) Missiles or bullets

Q9) You might find it difficult to take a vacation with someone who had aviophobia,
or a fear of what?

a) Birds
b) Airplanes
c) People
Ans) b) Airplanes

Q10) A man might not make a very interesting date if he suffered from philophobia,
or a fear of what?

a) Being or falling in love

b) Orchestral music
c) Giving gifts or making donations
Ans) a) Being or falling in love
 REPORT
Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by extreme fear and
avoidance of a specific object or situation. Some phobias are caused by genetics,
while others are triggered by certain events. Some can be caused by certain
medications, while others can be caused by traumatic experiences. Phobias vary in
severity and the intensity at which they affect an individual. With a phobia, you may
know your anxiety and fear are not warranted, but you can't help the feelings. And
they can be so intense they virtually paralyze you.
Once a certain thing or situation triggers a strong fear reaction, the brain warns the
person by triggering a fear reaction every time he or she encounters (or even thinks
about) that thing or situation.
Having a phobia isn't a sign of weakness or immaturity. It's a response the brain has
learned in an attempt to protect the person. It's as if the brain's alert system triggers a
false alarm, generating intense fear that is out of proportion to the situation. Because
the fear signal is so intense, the person is convinced the danger is greater than it
actually is.

The project conveyed a very important message that it’s not death but the fear of
death that in stills terror in our minds. One must not be intimidated by this fear.
Death is a phenomena of human existence. So, one should not be in terror when
encountering difficult situation and. Rather a cool minded approach should be
adopted while facing strenuous challenges
Sometimes childhood experiences, misadventures go a long way in moulding
individual’s personality. All phobias can limit your daily activities and may cause
severe anxiety and depression. Complexes and fear ingrained in the mind as a child
continue to stay even when one grows up . However it is up to the individual to
allow his experiences to make or break him. Fear is a normal and an important
human reaction to something dangerous, it keeps one out of danger, because fear is
disliked and one tries ones best to avoid the object or situation of fear.
However, phobia can even cause people to risk their health. For example, the fear of
dentists like the man responsible for the biggest genocide had can leave people
suffering from it willing to risk the health of their teeth in order to avoid having to
go through an exam or procedure. When one knows about an upcoming
confrontation, it can be the reason why one cannot sleep or finds it hard to focus on
important tasks. Due the change in daily routine, this unrealistic fear can interfere
with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by and
object, event or situation. But even animals have anxieties and phobias just as every
human being. A phobia is an irrational fear, one knows that the object or situation,
one is scared off, cannot hurt one, but one is still afraid. A reason for this is that the
human mind cannot distinguish what is real and imaginary. When one has
uncontrollable anxiety attacks, he loses rational judgement, leading to complicated
problems. However, anyone can develop a phobia, men and women, teens and
young adults, and elderly lady or a one-year-old boy

The personality of the individual is moulded by their misadventures. It keeps alive

the icy horror that grabbed their heart even on growing up. But the manner in
which the people conquered his fear, unveil the positive consequence of his
experience. These incidents stir a sense of fearlessness and ignited in him a spark of
dauntless courage and determination. They become stronger and draw a larger
meaning from the misadventure that there is peace in death and it should not be
feared. He felt released and free from fear not only to take up challenges but also to
defeat nefarious designs