Can anxiety and phobias be passed from parents to children?

[Admin]

While nobody is suggesting that anxiety and phobias can be “caught” from other individuals there is no doubt that anxiety/phobia behaviour can be mimicked by children from watching their parents. Think about it with this way, if you are scared of snakes then you will likely protect your children from such situations and your body language and even actual language could instil a phobia into your children.

There is a fine line between teaching your children to have no fear while also appreciating their environment.

 

[Craig]

It can indeed.

Associated learning plays a big part in everyone's life, especially a child's. The responses can be observed, picked up and indeed end with the child being anxious, nervous, and even phobic of certain things. I won't delve into the conditioning side as it can get a little deep yet in a nutshell. Yes indeed it can through associated learning and conditioning.

Craig.

 

[Mark]

I suppose associated learning and conditioning is a part of everyday life? For example, we all pay an array of taxes on our income and our assets but how many of us question the legitimacy of this and how they are spent? I know this is a little off subject but is this the same kind of thing?

 

[Craig]

You are learning all of the time, social environment, family, work, tv, radio, talking to random people. Conditioning is everywhere. We are stimulus response machines. Everything we do is a learning process.

Craig.