Plenty of people get the heebie-jeebies when they stand near the edge of a high cliff, and many would prefer not to pet a tarantula or cradle a boa constrictor. But for some people, their fears surrounding a particular situation grow to be out of proportion with the actual danger it poses.
In that case, these individuals may be diagnosed with a specific phobia. Specific phobia refers to an extreme fear or anxiety about a certain object or situation. Colloquially, people sometimes say they have a phobia of something they're fearful or wary of — but what really counts as a specific phobia, as it's understood in psychology?
