People with specific phobias experience fear or anxiety associated with a specific thing – a situation or an object (e.g., animals, heights, injections).2 The reaction is more severe than a normal transient fearful reaction that the stimulus might provoke, and is provoked on almost every exposure.2
References:
1.Penninx BW, Pine DS, Holmes EA, Reif A. Anxiety disorders. Lancet 2021; 397 (10277): 914–927.