What causes Phobias?

i dont know where they come from but i hate big spiders and snakes ugh

Unconscious or emotional learning takes place to keep us safe. In primitive conditions when coming into contact with something dangerous, the mind/body would create the optimum state for survival - a panic attack.
No one knows the precise cause, but they seem to run in families and are slightly more prevalent in women.

Specific phobias usually arise in childhood or early adult life and can persist for decades if they remain untreated. Some children grow out of phobias, while others do not, although there is no medical explanation for this.

People generally develop phobias for objects they cannot predict or control. Danger is more stressful when it takes us by surprise.

My phob

They're mostly a combination of genetics and environmental factors.

For instance, in my case, I am afraid of spiders and have a slight phobia (one is considered having a phobia when one's fear of something starts to interfere with one's life or becomes a problem). I classify my phobia as slight because it has on certain occasions interfered with my life (I call being trapped in the bathroom for 20 minutes because there's a big mutha of a spider between me and the door an interference) but mostly I'm just revulsed by them. However, I've learned to live with the skinny little cellar spiders that are determined to live in my house no matter what I do to get rid of them.

However, since spiders are the only thing in this existence that I'm afraid of, I don't believe I have a genetic tendency towards being overly cautious or apprehensive. I believe my phobia stemmed from first being revulsed by them and then making the mistake of learning more about them (in an attempt to be less afraid). The more I learned, the more I grew to fear them.

It's interesting to note that children can become phobic through learned behavior (i.e., mimicing the phobias of those around them). Children are just tiny walking recorders and take in all they see and experience. So, if one is phobic about something, it's best not to let one's child know about it, or you could raise a litter of phobic offspring.:P

I have a casual friend who is so terrified of fowl that he can't even eat poultry! And he thinks it stems from watching 'The Birds' (I think he just made that up b/c he really has no idea how he got stuck with this phobia). And the more prototypical the bird is 'think pigeon vs. penguin', the more he suffers. I find it fascinating (well, and a little funny...of all the things to fear, he chose turkeys). I know it wouldn't be a 'phobia' if it made sense to all of us.