Psychotherapist Evgeny Kulgavchuk has warned that routinely avoiding scary situations can transform a natural fear response into a persistent, irrational phobia, according to RT.
Speaking to the broadcaster, Kulgavchuk explained that while fear is a fundamental emotion triggered by a real threat, a phobia represents an obsessive and irrational dread. The specialist noted that a key sign of an emerging phobia is a reaction that is completely disproportionate to the actual danger.
In these cases, intense fear arises in response to a stimulus that poses no objective hazard to a person's life or physical health. Another critical warning sign is avoidance, where people actively restructure their daily lives to ensure they never encounter the scary object or scenario. Kulgavchuk pointed out that this pattern often leads individuals to turn down travel, decline social meetings, and forgo life opportunities.
Recognizing the Risk Factors
Left unchecked, this fear persists for months and does not vanish on its own. According to Kulgavchuk, individuals who exhibit anxiety sensitivity or have a general tendency to experience negative emotions face a heightened risk of having simple fears develop into full-fledged phobias.
In psychological literature, anxiety sensitivity refers to a dispositional trait where a person fears anxiety-related sensations due to beliefs about their harmful physical or psychological consequences. Phobias are classified among anxiety disorders, characterized by persistent and excessive fear that leads to active avoidance of specific objects, places, or activities, often interfering significantly with daily functioning.
Preventing Phobia Development
To prevent fear from evolving into a phobia, Kulgavchuk advised that people must not avoid the situations that cause them fear. Facing frightening situations directly is considered essential to preventing avoidance patterns from consolidating the irrational anxiety response.
Psychological reference works frequently note that avoidance behavior acts as a primary reinforcing mechanism in anxiety disorders. While retreating from a feared stimulus provides immediate short-term relief, it prevents the brain from learning that the threat is non-existent, thereby entrenching the phobia over time.
His advice follows earlier comments by educational psychologist Darya Dugentsova, who detailed the differences between normal fear and phobias in children. Developmental experts note that while childhood fears such as fear of the dark or strangers are common developmental stages, persistent avoidance in young people can lay the foundation for adult anxiety disorders if left unaddressed.
Kulgavchuk delivered his analysis in comments reported by RT, the Moscow-headquartered Russian news network.
