Question

350 words, no less but no more than 360. Typed, times new Roman, font size 12.

Topic: Many people have an irrational fear of insects (they feel they are disgusting or harmful, when most of them are not). What would you say to convince them to think differently?

Rubric:

General statement of problem

Title, starts strong, engages the reader       ______________I_______I_______I______I______

Introduction of the topic                             ______________I_______I_______I______I______  

Organization

Introduction, body, conclusion                      _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Orderly procession of ideas – linkages         _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Answering the problem

Argument supported                                      _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Topic covered adequately                              _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Logical                                                           _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Creative                                                          _____________I_______I_______I______I______

Mechanics of essay

Spelling, punctuation, grammar

Answer 1

Title :--- People have an irrational fear of insects. What would you say to convince them to think differently.

Introduction of the topic :---- If a person has an irrational fear from any thing, it may be any insect, aminal, also from crowd, from situations etc. are termed as Phobia.
Entomophobia, sometimes known as insectophobia, is the fear of insects.   
Phobia :---- It is defined as an irrational, intense fear of an object or situation that posses little or no actual danger. A first glance, a phobia may seen similar to a normal fear, but it is degree to which a person is affected that determines whether the fear has become a phobia.
Types of phobia ------

1. Social Phobia : It is also known as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia is an excessive fear of embrasment in social situation. Ex. It include fear of public speaking, meating new people etc.

2. Specific Phobia : It is formaly called as simple phobia. It is a lasting and unreasonable fear caused by the presence or thought of a specific object or situation that usually pases little or no actual danger. It includes situatiional phobia, fear of natural environments, fear of animal and insects, blood injection- injury phobia etc.
3. Agora Phobia : It is a fear of situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.
In Entomophobia or insectophobia many people who have never been exposed to this life can struggle because of the prevalence and pervasiveness of insects in living areas or they become overly aware of them in public spaces. Although they are not technically insects, the fear of spiders is the most prevalent form of entomophobia. Other commonly feared bugs include bees, ants, cockroaches and flies such as butterflies and moths. Many people fear "bugs" in general, reacting in panic to any insect or related creature that crosses their path.

Causes of fear of insects phobia :------

Several different factors are linked with Entomophobia or Acarophobia such as -------

• Environmental :– Static electricity, presence of mold, pollen, household allergens.These lead the sufferer to believe that an insect or bug is crawling on the skin.
• Medical condition:– Mental retardation, hyperthyroidism, thiamine or folate deficiencies, syphilis, meningitis, etc are stressors that are linked to Entomophobia.
• Depression :– This is a major factor that may trigger Acarophobia. Depressed individuals often tend to have lack of interest in life; they also suffer from a low self esteem, have feelings of guilt or worthlessness. Schizophrenia is another proven cause of Entomophobia.
• Age :– Sufferers of Acarophobia can belong to any age group though it is more common in females in the older age groups.Conversely, more men suffer from it in younger age groups than women.

Answering the problem :----- There may be many solution, as such systematic desensitization and CBT (Congnitive behaviour therapy ), but CBT is most widely used therapy for enxiety disorders. This therapy address negative behaviour and distortion in the way we look at the world and ourselves.

It involves two main component.
1. Congnitive therapy :-- Here we generaly change negative behaviour into positive behavour.
2. Behaviour therapy :-- Here we shift the overt behaviour of an individual.
Insectophobia treatments generally involve counseling & therapy combined with medications. These treatment options help the patient deal positively with the related phobia and also bring relief from its symptoms. Discussing openly with your therapist regarding your fears about insects is an important part of insectophobia treatment that can encourage you to overcome your fear.
We can do conversations from the standpoint of “What is the worst thing that could happen if we touched a bug? Draw or Paint the Bug Let the patient express his fears in drawing. Help him to draw the bug as realistically as possible in color and size. Then he can touch and control the object of his fear. He can even wad up the picture and throw it in the trash. This gives the patient a feeling of power over the insect.
Read him about bugs. Some insects are beneficial, or at least harmless. Find articles or books that discuss the realities of some bugs that are not beneficial, but also read about things like fireflies and butterflies. Touch the illustrations in the books and ask him if he would like to touch the picture too. It may also help to re-frame what bugs mean to him if you watch movies like “It’s a Bug’s Life” together. Study Some Real Bugs Together Get an ant farm, or go to an insect exhibit at a museum of natural history. Find a beetle or other “safe” insect and use a magnifying glass to get a better look. Allow the patient to take his time in approaching the bug, be patient.

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