Maisie has an extreme fear of heights. When she registers for classes at college, she makes a point of signing up for classes that are held on the first floor of the buildings. This becomes a problem when one class that she is required to take is only offered on the fifth floor of the main classroom building. Maisie might be diagnosed as having

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Maisie's extreme fear of heights is a specific and irrational fear, which is characteristic of specific phobia. This fear is focused only on a specific situation or object (in this case, being on the higher floors of a building), rather than being generalized to a variety of situations (which would imply a different diagnosis, such as agoraphobia). Maisie's fear is not related to social situations or obsessive-compulsive behaviors, so these options can be ruled out.

Maisie Has an Extreme Fear of Heights