Distortion of the Perception of Existential Space: as Illustrated by Phobias

Abstract

The current study uses the phenomenological method and is concerned with phobic experiences and the distortion of fields and borders in the existential space, as a result of the distortion of the perceptual space, among individuals who suffer from phobic disorders. The school of psychology tends to define the phobic phenomenon as a sort of irrational anxiety. Therefore, it does not attribute any importance to the causes of the anxiety, as experienced by individuals suffering from phobia disorders. Furthermore, the field of psychology also tends to ignore the dominant role of the spatial factor. When anxieties are perceived in the existential space, they are transferred to the outer world; at the same time, in the existential space, a distortion occurs, which then becomes a real and tangible threat to the individuals who are experiencing the phobia. This experience imposes a meaningful and significant limitation on the "I" in the individual's daily reality, and also harms the functioning ability of the individual suffering from phobic disorders (harm to the consciousness and its associated elements).