Kavita has an irrational fear of going to the unfamiliar places. She avoids going to enjoyable picnics and excursions due to this fear. She wants to pursue psychology for which she has to move to a metropolitan city. She is worried about her fear of new places. Finally after thinking over the present situation and her goal of pursuing psychology, she decides to take help of a psychologist who uses behavioristic approach to treat her.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Agoraphobia
Option (1) Anxiety Disorder — Incorrect. Anxiety disorders are the broad group that includes generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias and separation anxiety disorder. The term names the family, not the particular disorder that Kavita’s fear points to.
Option (2) Panic Disorder — Incorrect. Panic disorder consists of recurrent anxiety attacks: an abrupt surge of intense terror with shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations or a fear of dying. Kavita has no sudden attacks; she has a lasting fear of one kind of situation.
Option (3) Separation Anxiety Disorder — Incorrect. Here a person is fearful and anxious about separation from attachment figures, to an extent not appropriate for the age. Kavita fears new places, not being away from someone.
Option (4) Agoraphobia — Correct. Phobias are irrational fears of specific objects, people or situations, and agoraphobia is one of their three types. It is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situations; many are afraid of leaving their home, so their normal life is severely limited. Kavita has an irrational fear of unfamiliar places and avoids even enjoyable picnics and excursions.
Note: The case study is taken from the chapter ‘Therapeutic Approaches’, but this question is based on the chapter ‘Psychological Disorders’. However, since it is a case-study based question, all the questions on this case study are tagged to the chapter the case study is taken from.
NCERT (2025-26): “Anxiety Disorders … Another type of anxiety disorder is panic disorder, which consists of recurrent anxiety attacks in which the person experiences intense terror. A panic attack denotes an abrupt surge of intense anxiety rising to a peak when thoughts of a particular stimuli are present. Such thoughts occur in an unpredictable manner. The clinical features include shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, palpitations, choking, nausea, chest pain or discomfort, fear of going crazy, losing control or dying.…” “Anxiety Disorders … Phobias can be grouped into three main types, i.e. specific phobias, social phobias, and agoraphobia. Specific phobias are the most commonly occurring type of phobia. This group includes irrational fears such as intense fear of a certain type of animal, or of being in an enclosed space. Intense and incapacitating fear and embarrassment when dealing with others characterises social anxiety disorder (social phobia). Agoraphobia is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situations. Many people with agoraphobia are afraid of leaving their home. So their ability to carry out normal life activities is severely limited.…” “Anxiety Disorders … Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is another type of anxiety disorder. Individuals with separation anxiety disorder are fearful and anxious about separation from attachment figures to an extent that is developmentally not appropriate.…” |