Editing Specific phobia (section)

== Causes ==
The exact cause of specific phobias is not known.<ref name=":5" /> The mechanisms for development of specific phobias can be distinguished between innate (genetic and neurobiological) factors, and learned factors. 

In neurobiology, one explanation proposed for specific phobia is that the typical activation of the [[amygdala]] in response to stimuli may be exaggerated due to pathological changes. According to this theory, a deficiency in amygdala [[habituation]] may also contribute to the persistence of non-experiential phobia.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Garcia R | title = Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias | journal = Learning & Memory | volume = 24 | issue = 9 | pages = 462–471 | date = September 2017 | pmid = 28814472 | pmc = 5580526 | doi = 10.1101/lm.044115.116 }}</ref> Certain phobias that are less lethal (e.g. dogs) seem to be more frequently observed and easily acquired in comparison to potentially lethal fears which are more relevant to developed human society (e.g. cars and guns). This was theorised to be due to biological adaptation being passed through evolution which makes recent threats less prone to easy acquisition.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Davis TE, Ollendick TH, Öst LG | title = One-Session Treatment of Specific Phobias in Children: Recent Developments and a Systematic Review | journal = Annual Review of Clinical Psychology | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 233–256 | date = May 2019 | pmid = 30550722 | doi = 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095608 | s2cid = 54632384 }}</ref> However, a 2014 study found evidence against this evolutionary theory, which stated: "Our findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that fears/phobias of individual stimuli result from genetic and environmental factors unique to that stimulus. Instead, we observed substantial sharing of risk factors across individual fears."<ref name=":10">{{cite journal | vauthors = Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS | title = The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias | journal = Psychological Medicine | volume = 44 | issue = 11 | pages = 2375–2384 | date = August 2014 | pmid = 24384457 | pmc = 4079768 | doi = 10.1017/S0033291713003012 }}</ref> There is also evidence for the validity of a genetic component contributing to [[Blood-injection-injury type phobia|blood-injection-injury phobias]] and [[Zoophobia|animal phobias]], although this evidence did not support the idea that other specific phobias had genetic influence.<ref name=":10" /> Blood-injection-injury phobias are also believed to be the most heritable among specific phobias.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Van Houtem CM, Laine ML, Boomsma DI, Ligthart L, van Wijk AJ, De Jongh A | title = A review and meta-analysis of the heritability of specific phobia subtypes and corresponding fears | journal = Journal of Anxiety Disorders | volume = 27 | issue = 4 | pages = 379–388 | date = May 2013 | pmid = 23774007 | doi = 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.04.007 | hdl = 11245/1.398074 | s2cid = 34359477 | url = https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1759351/134359_A_review_and_meta.pdf }}</ref>

The [[classical conditioning]] model of learning has also been used to suggest that a phobia will be learned when an event that causes a fear or anxiety reaction is paired with a neutral event.<ref name=":5">{{cite book | vauthors = Samra CK, Abdijadid S | chapter = Specific Phobia |date=2021| chapter-url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499923/| title =StatPearls|place=Treasure Island (FL)|publisher=StatPearls Publishing|pmid=29763098|access-date=2021-11-29}}</ref> An example of this model is when being near a dog (neutral event) is paired with the emotional experience of being bitten by a dog, resulting in a chronic fear which is described as a specific phobia to dogs.<ref name=":5" /> An alternative proposed mechanism of association is through [[observational learning]].<ref name=":5" /> According to this theory, a person may internalize another person's fears about a specific object or situation through observation of their reactions.<ref name=":5" />