Agoraphobia and Family Upbringing

In addition to genetics, what one learns during one’s upbringing is likely to play a role in the development of agoraphobia.

An article appeared in the January, 2006 issue of the “American Psychologist,” written by Susan Mineka and Richard Zinbarg at Northwestern University explaining that the combination of genetic factors and prior learning make someone particularly vulnerable to panic disorder and agoraphobia.

The article questions the assumption that panic disorder and agoraphobia develop by conditioning alone. The authors pose this question:
"If simple conditioning explains the cause of panic disorder and agoraphobia then why do some people who experience panic attacks go on to develop panic disorder and agoraphobia and some don't?"

The article presents a number of studies to suggest that the following learning experiences in a child’s home environment contribute to the later development of agoraphobia in addition to their genes:

1) Childhood learning experiences in which one learns to perceive oneself as being helpless or lacking control.

2) Being rewarded as a child for engaging in sick role behavior when experiencing anxiety or panic.

3) Witnessing chronic illness of another family member and learning to perceive any unusual bodily sensations as dangerous.

To summarize the point of the article, initial panic attacks set the stage for the conditioning that leads to panic disorder and agoraphobia, but children who experience these three risk factors are predisposed to this conditioning process.

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia featuring a free newsletter can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

# of Ratings = 2 | Rating = 5/5