In childhood, I had a fear of drinking from water fountains. I understand that this admission may seem absurd to some people. Therefore, regarding my emotional response, it’s worth assessing whether or not such an outcome was rational—in accordance with both logic and reason.
Suppose that I used the premises of a modus ponens syllogism (i.e., if x, then y) to reach a conclusion that supported my belief about fountains. If drinking from public water fountains could result in mononucleosis (“mono”), then I shouldn’t drink from fountains.
Concerning the ABC model, addressed in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), when an undesirable Action occurs and one Believes an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s one’s unfavorable assumption and not the occurrence itself that causes an unpleasant Consequence.
In my childhood case, the mere thought of drinking from a public water fountain (Action) was met with the Belief, “I shouldn’t drink from fountains,” which served as a form of demandingness that used an absolutistic should narrative as an inflexible prescription.
With this rigid prescriptive Belief, I experienced fear (emotion), nausea with abdominal discomfort (sensation), and avoidance of public fountains (behavior) which were Consequences of my absolutistic demand. Given this illustration, the fountain didn’t cause the outcome.
Regarding whether or not my belief-consequence (B-C) reaction was rational, I turn toward the American Psychological Association (APA) definition of a phobia:
[A] persistent and irrational fear of a specific situation, object, or activity (e.g., heights, dogs, water, blood, driving, flying), which is consequently either strenuously avoided or endured with marked distress.
It may also be of use to understand how the APA defines fear: a basic, intense emotion aroused by the detection of imminent threat, involving an immediate alarm reaction that mobilizes the organism by triggering a set of physiological changes. Now, was my B-C outcome rational?
To answer this question, even more context is warranted. (Not all answers are as simple as “yes” or “no.”) According to one source:
Mononucleosis (mono) is a contagious infection caused by a herpes virus called Epstein-Barr. [EBV] Other viruses can also cause mono. The infection is common among teenagers and young adults. People with mono experience extreme fatigue, fever and body aches.
Per one source, “EBV is the most common cause of infectious [mono], but other viruses can cause this disease. Typically, these viruses spread most commonly through bodily fluids, especially saliva.” Now, was my fear of contracting EBV irrational, thus qualifying as a phobia?
I maintain that it’s rational not to want EBV. Fear (alarm of imminent threat) regarding a virus could serve the logical and reasonable interests and goals for one’s health. Thus, fear of mono isn’t objectively irrational and doesn’t constitute a phobic outcome.
Yet, the severity of my B-C reaction wasn’t rational. It would’ve been if all I experienced was an emotional reaction which was accompanied by avoidance of drinking from water fountain bubblers (nozzles) upon which I observed many children place their saliva-coated lips.
However, I avoided water fountains – not merely drinking from them. As well, I became nauseated by merely thinking about drinking from fountains. Thus, given the severity of my self-disturbed reaction, I argue that my experience with fountains related to a phobia.
Nevertheless, the fountain about which I imagined would transmit mono didn’t cause my unpleasant consequence. Rather, the B-C reaction involved the irrational belief that I absolutely shouldn’t have drunk from fountains and was accompanied by other self-disturbing beliefs.
For instance, I used awfulizing and low frustration tolerance self-narratives. As an example, “I shouldn’t drink from fountains, because it would be awful to get mono and I couldn’t stand getting sick!” Thus, the fountain didn’t cause it, because my outcome was of my own design.
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Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Fear. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/fear
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Phobia. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/phobia
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Mononucleosis. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/13974-mononucleosis
Hollings, D. (2024, July 9). Absolutistic should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/absolutistic-should-beliefs
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Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mononucleosis. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mononucleosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350328#:~:text=Infectious%20mononucleosis%20(mono)%20is%20often,fluids%20are%20keys%20to%20recovery.
Wellness. (n.d.). Communicable diseases. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://wellness.upenn.edu/public-health/communicable-diseases
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