ACQUISITION OF BLOOD, INJURY, AND NEEDLE FEARS AND PHOBIAS

The origins of fear and phobia of blood, injury, and injections were i nvestigated in a sample of 128 fearful university students. Based on M utilation Questionnaire scores, subjects were designated as common fea r, high fear, or phobic. Ss reports of their onset experiences obtaine d from structured interviews were categorized into one or more acquisi tion pathways of conditioning, vicarious observation, and information. Of the 73% of Ss who recalled one or more onset experiences, 76% repo rted conditioning-like events as the primary pathway with the majority reporting fear-related UCSs. Vicarious experiences were reported as p rimary by 20% and 3% reported information as being primary in their fe ar onset. Severity of fear was unrelated to the pathway by which it wa s acquired, to whether the onset was recalled, and if recalled, whethe r it was due to a single or to multiple traumatic events. Results are discussed in terms of methodological problems of memory issues and mea ns by which data are collected.