On Buddhist Monasteries: An Introduction to some Famous Temples in Asia

A monastery is a building or complex of buildings that comprise the living quarters and workplaces of either monks or nuns; whether living in a community or alone. Therefore, a Buddhist monastery is the combined home and “base of operations” for Buddhist monastics. Currently, there are notable Buddhist monasteries in approximately 30 countries all over the world; spanning African, Asian and Western cultures.

The development of Buddhist monastery architecture harks back to the olden days after Buddha’s ascension. As Buddhism developed in India, the earliest temples followed a Brahmanist Vedic model; which consisted of a square inner space, a sacrificial arena, a conical or rectangular sloping roof and a porch or entrance area framed by freestanding columns or a colonnade. Later additions expanded on the monastery’s religious functions to include study areas and basic caterings for the disciples’ bodily needs. Although the integration of local cultures and separate religious practices following Buddhism’s spread eventually led to diverging architectural styles, much of this basic plan still survives today. For example, temples in China and Malaysia would not only include localised paintings of demons and monkey guardians on the walls to shelter visitors and residents from evil spirits; but also the pagoda, which originates from the Indian stupa, a sculpted marker used to demarcate holy sites and the dwellings of holy men. Another event that affected monastery architecture was the birth of Buddhist art and production of Buddha’s likeness in sculptures circa 1 CE, which brought about an architectural approach in which the temple serves as a backdrop for Buddhist statues.

There are countless Buddhist monasteries that are either famous for unique architecture or great influence. For practical purposes, we shall restrict this review to only a few notable ones in Asia.

China

Hanging Monastery

Perched precariously halfway up a cliff some 75 meters (246 feet) above the ground, the Hanging Monastery is one of the most remarkable sights in China. Consisting of a complex of 40 rooms linked together by mid-air corridors and walkways, this remarkable monastery appears to be glued to the side of a sheer precipice. The name ‘hanging’ may be misleading though as it’s actually supported by stilts rather than built into a cliff. The monastery was built in the 5th century and has been hanging here for 1500 years. Over its long history many repairs and extension led to its present day scale.

Lama Temple

When placed in light of China’s and Tibet’s tussle, the existence of this temple becomes all the more curious. The Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple/Palace of Peace and Harmony), located in the northeastern part of Beijing, is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The temple was built by Chinese emperors who harbored a deep fascination for the Tibetan version of Buddhism. Over the years, many Tibetan and Mongolian monks lived and taught here, and there are still monks in residence today. The temple contains a 26 meter (85 foot) tall statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of white sandalwood.

Tibet

Yumbulugang

According to a legend Yumbulagang was the first building in Tibet and the palace of the first Tibetan king, Nyatri Tsenpo. Its name means “Palace of Mother and Son” in Tibetan. Under the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama the palace became a monastery of the Gelugpa school. Sadly, it was heavily damaged and reduced to a single storey during the Cultural revolution but was reconstructed in 1983.

Ganden Monastery

Ganden Monastery is one of the ‘great three’ university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain at an altitude of 4,300 meters (14,107 feet). The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. Being the farthest from Lhasa of the three university monasteries, Ganden traditionally had a smaller population with some 6,000 monks in the early 20th century. In 1959 the monastery was completely destroyed by the Red Guards and the mummified body of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Monastery, was burned. Reconstruction of the Monastery has been continuing since the 1980s.

Mongolia

Erdene Zuu Monastery

The Erdene Zuu Monastery is probably the most ancient surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built in 1585 by Abtai Sain Khan, at the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism into Mongolia. Stones from the ruins of Karakorum were used in the construction. It is surrounded by a wall featuring 100 stupas. The number 108, being a sacred number in Buddhism, was probably envisioned, but never achieved. Under communist rule Erdene Zuu was allowed to exist as a museum only. However, after the fall of communism in Mongolia in 1990, the monastery was turned over to the lamas and Erdene Zuu again became a place of worship.

Bhutan

Punakha Dzong

Unlike other Buddhist monasteries, the Bhutan dzong is highly unique in that it has certain secular functions. A dzong is actually a combination of both a fortress and monastery; and one can found in every district in Bhutan.  Of these, the Punakha Dzong is one of the most photogenic. Built on an island between the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, it serves as protection for the region, an administrative seat for the government and the winter home of the monastic body. It is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reigned the kingdom from this valley.

Burma

Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda (or Golden Pagoda) in Yangon, is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Burma. The origins of Shwedagon are lost in antiquity but it is estimated that the Pagoda was first built by the Mon during the Bagan period, sometime between the 6th and 10th century AD. The temple complex is full of glittering, colorful stupas but the center of attention is the 99 meter high (326 feet) high main stupa that is completely covered in gold.

Taung Kalat

Built atop an extinct volcano plug, the Buddhist monastery of Taung Kalat is one of the most breathtaking sites in Burma. To reach the monastery, visitors must climb the 777 steps to the summit. Along the way are a multitude of Macaque monkeys expecting treats. From the top of Taung Kalat, one can enjoy a panoramic view. One can see the ancient city of Bagan and the massive solitary conical peak of Mount Popa, the volcano that actually caused the creation of the volcanic plug.

Japan

Todaiji Temple

Todaiji (“Great Eastern Temple”) in Nara is one of the most historically significant and famous Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple was built in the 8th century by Emperor Shomu as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan. Today little remains of the original buildings of Todaiji. The Daibutsuden (“Great Buddha Hall”), dates for the most part from 1709. It houses one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan and is the world’s largest wooden building, even though it is only two-thirds the size of the original structure.

Indonesia

Borobudur

Located on the Indonesian island of Java, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta, the Borobudur is the largest and most famous Buddhist temple in the world. The Borobudur was built over a period of some 75 years in the 8th and 9th centuries by the kingdom of Sailendra, out of an estimated 2 million blocks of stone. It was abandoned in the 14th century for reasons that still remain a mystery and for centuries lay hidden in the jungle under layers of volcanic ash.

Taiwan

Foguangshan (佛光山) (Mountain of the Light of Buddha)

The Tahsiungpao, Tapei, Tachih, and Dashu shrines are the main structures of Foguangshan, a huge temple complex located to the northeast of Tashu village in Kaohsiung County. On the southeastern side of Foguangshan stands a 120-meter tall Buddha Amitaabha statue. Its main square is surrounded by 480 standing Buddhas. Foguangshan has more than 10,000 Guanyin statues, and more than a thousand large and small Buddha statues and lanterns of light rest in the 14,800 niches on the walls of the four shrines.


Written by Lee Shing Yee, Sara Chen and Jeremy Chiu

Social Phobia - The fear of being scrunitised and judged by others

Among all the phobias found, one of them that one can relate to in Malaysian communities is the social phobia. Social phobia is the fear of being scrunitised and judged by the people around us, mostly involving parties or bigger crowds.

It may be triggered by overprotective parents, or a traumatic event when the person is still a child, possibly bullying cases. If left unnoticed, the condition will turn into a full scale social phobia that would cause one to run away from crowds just to avoid having being judged or scrutinised by them.

• Blushing

• Difficulty talking

• Nausea

• Profuse sweating

• Trembling

• Elevated blood pressure

• Rapid heart rate

Physical symptoms that often occur with social phobia include:

I've seen people who has this phobia take off and run from a room of choir members thinking that they didn't want them there as a result from observing their frowns and scrutnity when they go in the room. 

Social phobia can be limited to one situation (such as talking to people, eating or drinking, or writing on a blackboard in front of others). Or, it may be so broad (such as in generalized social phobia) that the person experiences anxiety around almost everyone other than family members.

One can take a test to see if one has social phobia.

The health care provider will look at your history of phobia, and will get a description of the behavior from you, your family, and friends.

Signs include:

When seeking treatment, one should know of the possible outcomes.

The goal of treatment is to help you function effectively. The success of the treatment usually depends on the severity of the phobia.

Anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications are sometimes used to help relieve the symptoms of phobias.

-Aly-

Fasting: compulsion or improvement?

Surat Al-Baqarah [verse 256] :  There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.

'If only I had a will power I'd have achieved it...It's all my laziness...If only I could be better...', are the magic words that make our lifes easier, without any intention to change it. This article will explain you one dimension of fasting on me.

God has given Muslims a present, the reward of which even angels are not able to count. Rewards that would assist you even after your death and raise your rank among the whole humanity.

Not only that, but it also a chance  to improve ourselves for this worldly life and have what the most unsuccessful people do not have: discipline, determination, will power.

This is the month of Ramadan- ''Sultan of 11 month'.

 Each Muslim has his own story of fasting and the reasons for it, but allow me to explain on component which are compulsory to exist.

1.The magic of intention

Deed be it as huge as mountain of Jomolungma but without of intention of pleasing God it has no purpose.And I personally know that when a deed is done with an intention to please a human or with an expectation to get praise or anything in that line,it would always result in dissapointment, illusionary expectation  and accusations. Main reason is due to the fact that you are dealing with HUMANS.This word encompasses so much power and so much weaknesses.

So here you are  to fast 1 whole month from dawn until sunset, where you abstain from drinking, eating and intercourse-all of it should be only for Him-the Creator, not to loose weight, not because everyone around you does so-but because it is a command from your Creator.The magic that I feel of intention is that the more sincere is your intention the easier is to do the task. It does not matter how long is it to fast,or how hot is it outside, as long as God is pleased with me.With a clear and sincere goal, achieving it becomes a piece of cake.

We are always happy that Dato' XXX is pleased with our actions or when the faculty thinks high of us.But how about the creator of this Dato XXX and the creator of these faculty members,the creator of  the earth planet, the whole universe including stars, comets- is He pleased with you?

A paint has a painter, a machine has its constructor-and if I would be interested in details of painting the painter would have his answer ready or a constructor who has each detail of the wires, materials needed for improvement of this machine would know better what to do once machine is broken.A painter would not know what to do with machine, and constructor with painting. So is our body.

 It is a fact that the construction that our body has is not a mere coincidence.It is also a fact that there is body that is hurt and soul that aches or feels happy.So who is the constructor of this human body?Who is the god of the body?'Human himself',some answer'.How come there is still no cure for AIDS?How come you can not function without sleeping enough?Are you not all so powerful? How come you get hungry or thirsty after specific amount of time?How come you die when there is no supply of oxygen for only 3 minutes?Are you not the lord of your body?

Due to the fact that I can not answer following questions there is a higher power.Hence, there is a Creator for our body.

Absolutely Creator knows what is best for the body, like the constructor about machine and like the painter about painting.

There are virtues of fasting that change peoples' life, but now we will talk about Discipline.

A man without discipline is no one.So am I. Fasting thought me  to take control of my laziness,carnal desires.And I think that man can achieve nothing without ability to control mind and  heart.You are not born with the strength but you develop them.

30 days of perfect discipline- for your entire life,highly encouraged Monday and Thursday voluntarily fasting with mind, heart, eyes, ears- would definitely have the effect on your personality.

An interesting experiment was done in the 1960s at a preschool on the Stanford University campus when the ability of 4 year old to resist temptation was tested. A marshmallow was placed in a room and the children were told they could have the marshmallow immediately, or if they waited until tester had run an errand nd returned, then they could have two marshmallows. Some children waited for two marshmallows, while others ate one immediately.These same children were followed immediately.

Those who resisted temptation at 4 were now, as adolescents, more socially competent, personally effective, self-assertive, and better able to cope with the frustrations of life.The third or so who grabbed the marshmallow, however, tended to have fewer of these qualities and shared instead a relatively troubled psychological portrait. Even more surprising, those who have waited patiently at four were far superior as students to those who acted on whim. Most astonishingly, they has dramatically higher scores on their SAT tests. 

There is perhaps no physiological skill more fundamental than resisting impulse. it is the root of all emotional self-control, since all emotions, by their very nature, lead to one or another impulse to act.

And in conclusion, as it was said 'We will come to realization that sacrifices that we have done today are the greatest investments for tomorrow'....

Done by: Aimira Paiibek kyzy , Nurul and Zahra

Tan Mei Kuan: Meditation

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "meditation" is defined as "the action or practice of meditating" which is to "focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation".

First of all, according to "goodlifezen.com", meditation is said to be able to reduce stress, promote physical health, help us sleep better, increase our happiness and achieve inner peace. One of the many tips offered by the website on meditating is about posture. Ensure our "spine is upright with head up". This is because if "we are slumped our mind will drift". On the other hand, "if our body is well-balanced, our mind will also be in balance".

Secondly, according to "learning meditation.com", when we put time, faith and commitment into meditating, we may experience a feeling of separation during meditation time. A feeling of separation is where our mind becomes "clear, clean and blank". We are still aware of sounds around us but there sounds will not be able to interfere with our meditation. During meditation, we may smile, we may weep and we may also fell asleep. When we awaken, we will feel refreshed.

Thirdly, according to "artofliving.org", meditation helps to form a happy society in this modern world. The world out there is full of "anger, hate, fear, and other negative emotions".These emotions will multiple and infect others. For instance, when a person gets robbed, that person will start to be suspicious of everything and everyone. This will affect the people surrounding him and thus producing an unstable society. Meditation will help that person to replace these negative emotions with a "calm peaceful mind". When the number of calm, peaceful and healthy people increases, the society as a whole will become "trusting, happy and content".

In conclusion, meditation is a useful method of relaxation.

How to Recover from Internet Addiction

Can you live without internet for a week?

If you can’t, you could be an internet addict. I used to be an internet addict for several years since I was in my junior high. I had to play online game over 3 to 4 hours almost every day otherwise I can’t sleep well. It brought me a great influence. My grades dropped n I wasted a lot of time on it. For my experience, the best way to recover from internet addiction is distracting yourself. Do other things to keep yourself busy and keep yourself far away from computer. If you don’t have other things to do, then try to do new things. Be careful don’t end up with another addiction such as smoking or drinking. Remember, an addiction is that you feel you must have. It is a compulsive behavior.
Chen, Yu-Fen(Sara)

Testophobia

What is testophobia? Testophobia, is a fear of taking texts or the fear of taking exams. It is common to many middle school students. The symptoms are shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and feeling of dread. The severity of symptoms depends on everyone, some are serious, and some are not. This kind of phobia is a strong, persistent fear of situations. Testophobia is uncontrolled. Almost phobias are believed to be developed by heredity, genetics and brain-chemistry combine with life-experiences. The therapies take months or years and you might have to be exposed repeatedly your fear before you get over it. If you avoid the issue without overcome your fear, you might live in the fear forever.
Chen, Yu-Fen(Sara)

Nephophobia

    Below are what I have found regarding Nephophobia which actually means an exaggerated or irrational fear of clouds. Most of the sufferers of this phobia have had experienced violent events that include clouds and some even regard the white floating images as an omen of danger. The symptoms that can be identified for this phobia is feeling of panic,terror, dread, having rapid heartbeat and having taken extreme avoidance measures. There are also a few known treatments for this phobia. The sufferers can undergo behavior therapy and also take anti-anxiety medication. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and psychotherapy are also know to help to cure this phobia. However, it is important for the people who have this phobia to learn more on the makeup of clouds and to realise that clouds are more than not a harmless buffer between the earth and sunlight.

Coulrophobia: An Analysis

Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns, which makes it a specific phobia (DSM-IV Code 300.29). The term is believed to have been a layman coinage from around the 1980s, eventually seeping into the medical lexicon.  Like most phobias, the name stems from Ancient Greek, possibly “stilt-walker” for “coulro-”; as the Greeks had no closer concept for clowns.

There are several factors behind this medical condition.  The first and most obvious is a traumatic childhood experience associated with clowns; as seen in the accounts below:

          i.            Lisa Weihlmuller, 45, of Arlington, began fearing clowns around 6 or 7 while at the circus: “A clown got right up in front of my face, and I could see his beard stubble underneath the clown makeup.  He smelled bad and his eyes were weird… He had this smile painted on his face, but he was not smiling.  He was yucky. Scary. Freaky. Weird.”

         ii.            “My hatred of clowns began when I was 5 years old.  I was at a circus, and a clown came up to me and said, “Would you like to see the monkey I have in my box?  Well, of course I did, so I said yes. When I looked into the box, there was no monkey…only a mirror.”

Others also suggest the huge influx of negative portrayals of clowns in the media through clown-based horror such as Stephen King’s IT, the Twisted Metal franchise, ‘evil clown’ movies and the infamous Joker in the Batman comics. There is also a tendency in news reporting to overemphasise their profession when featuring criminals and killers worked as clowns. It was also observed in an intriguing study (Durwin, 2004) that clowns were frequently tied with the supernatural for the previous case; the significance of which will be explained later on.

While it becomes tempting to blame the media for the present pervasiveness of coulrophobia, research has shown that the current hatred for clowns has already permeated society before this media trend ever arose. In fact, Durwin argues that the reverse may be true; that popular media actually mirrors upon the public fear of clowns. The situation is further complicated when one considers the mechanism by which phobias develop.  Since fear is a natural protective mechanism, phobia is basically a repetitive circuit of reactions based on a survival instinct blown to grotesque proportions. Therefore, clowns, which are not dangerous by nature, have become a threat merely through human perception.

So if the media is not responsible, how do we explain the large contingent of coulrophobes who do not possess the obligatory traumatic memories, yet have somehow made an unconscious, hysterical connection between these jolly entertainers and the sinister?

Psychologically, it may be the natural guardian instincts of a community for its young at work. Parents may have registered at some subconscious level that clowns are adults who wear masks and have access to children; a set of connotations that would’ve been frightening in any other context –and may still have set them on edge regardless. Children, on the other hand, may reject clowns due to their higher sensitivity to a familiarly human body coupled with a rather inhuman face.  This phenomenon is explained by the “uncanny valley” hypothesis, in which repulsion is said to occur when one is faced with a humanoid subject past a certain limit in human likeness.  Clowns may also instigate fear for their historic and unconsciously perceived role of breaking social norms and boundaries without repercussions, a power no average person would want another fellow human to own in real life.  The phobia may also be aggravated by the strong, persistent link between clowns and the supernatural, which can be traced to the extensive, culturally universal practice of ritual clowning i.e. clown-based shamanism. Added to guises that clowns traditionally assume, and it becomes very clear that they have simply become a target for the intrinsic human fear of the unknown; especially in today’s anti-mysticism, rationale-propped society.

So how does one go about addressing such a phobia? As with most specific phobias, pharmacological treatment has not been as effective as behaviour therapy. Thus, systemic desensitisation, such as graded exposure and flooding, is suggested. Nevertheless, a short course of benzodiazepines or beta blockers can be administered during the process to help control the autonomic symptoms.

Reference: 
1. Durwin, Joseph (2004). "Coulrophobia and the Trickster," Trickster's Way: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 4. Obtained from: http://www.trinity.edu/org/tricksters/trixway/current/vol%203/vol3_1/Durwin.htm.

2. Stead, L.G., Kaufman, M.S. & Yanofski, J. First Aid For The® Psychiatry Clerkship (2011), pg 52. 3^rd ed.  Singapore: McGraw-Hill Medical. 

List of Phobias as found on the internet :P

Interested in knowing more about the available phobias?? Wanna know if you have any of them??
visit this website

http://phobialist.com/

Kleptophobia

Kleptophobia


Kleptophobia, or fear of theft, can actually be used to describe two distinct fears. The first is a fear of being stolen from or robbed. The second is a fear of stealing from someone else. The two fears are often related and may exist simultaneously.

Causes of Kleptophobia

Both forms of kleptophobia are often, but not always, triggered by a negative event. For example, if you have been robbed at gunpoint, you are at higher risk of developing a fear of being robbed. Likewise, if you have ever been a thief, you may worry that you will fall back into old patterns.

Either form of kleptophobia may also be rooted in internal struggles or conflicts. Society does not cleanly divide into abstracts of “good” and “evil,” and defining our own morals can be challenging. For example, most of us were taught as children not to steal, but how many of us actually return extra change that we were given by mistake? It is common to justify small “cheats,” but simultaneously worry that this behavior may constitute stealing, or might even lead to larger and more definitive thefts.

Likewise, most of us accept that business dealings are not always “fair,” and that we might at times be ripped off. We tend to let small things go in an effort to be cooperative or avoid confrontation. Over time, however, even small amounts of overcharging can cause us to feel victimized, eventually worrying that next time we will be more seriously taken advantage of.

Symptoms of Kleptophobia

The symptoms of kleptophobia vary depending on the type that you suffer. If you are afraid of being robbed, you are likely to develop a defensive posture. You might lock up valuables before anyone visits, maintain a guarded attitude with strangers and avoid walking anywhere alone, particularly at night. You may obsessively check contracts, avoid loaning money even to close friends or be afraid of large crowds.

If you are afraid of stealing from others, you might become scrupulously honest and giving. You might double check received change, refuse to accept loans and even consciously avoid eating the last serving of any food. You are likely to go out of your way to avoid situations that might tempt you to steal, such as money handling jobs or social gatherings. Some people with this type of kleptophobia find that their fears extend to cheating, and are extremely careful to follow every rule when playing games.

Over time, both forms of kleptophobia can lead to isolation, low self esteem, depression and other types of anxiety disorders. You might develop social phobia or even agoraphobia due to the fear of exposing yourself to what you perceive as high risk situations. It is common to develop feelings of worthlessness and shame.

Treating Kleptophobia

Like most phobias, kleptophobia can be successfully treated using a range of techniques. One of the most common is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This type of treatment helps you learn to stop your negative self talk and think more logically about theft. You will also learn new behaviors and coping strategies that you can use in stressful situations.

Kleptophobia can also be treated using medications, hypnosis and different types of talk therapy. These treatments may also help other disorders that may be related, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and general anxiety disorder.

It is important to choose a therapist that you trust to help you work through your phobia. For tips and suggestions, see “Finding a Therapist.”

Nyctophobia: Fear of the Darkness

Nyctophobia is a term used to mean a severe fear of the darkness. The word ‘nycto’ is derived from the Greek word νυξ, which means “night”, making the word literally mean fear of the night. Other terms that can also be used to indicate this phobia are achluophobia, scotophobia, and lygophobia. All these terms can be used to describe the fear of the dark at a degree that is severe enough that could be considered extreme. The fear of darkness has varies degrees, to could range from minimum to extreme fear, and although it’s mostly common among children, there are also adults that have this fear. The people who have this type of phobia, fear of the dark, are often not scared of the darkness itself; instead the fear is more towards the dangers that might be hidden in the darkness, which is usually imagined by their consciousness. In some cases, the degree of fear in people is natural, but it could easily become extreme. In recent studies, researchers have found that more the 90% of children with some type of fear, and the most common fear that they face, usually from the age of 2 years old, is the fear of the dark.

Some researchers believe that the fear of the dark could be considered as a display of separation anxiety disorder. People with nyctophobia are likely to become very nervous when they are confronted with being in dark environments. They tend to have to always sleep with the nightlight, and sometimes be unwilling to go out at night due to this phobia. When they have to endure being in places where it’s dark, they tend to experience increased heart rate, shake, sweat and even feel sick. For the people who experience severe nyctophobia, they might even try to run away or avoid being in dark places. They could even get enraged or annoyed at people who  tries to convince them to go to places with darken environments.

One of the most common phobia treatment techniques that is used to “cure” or overcome nyctophobia is a treatment known as flooding. In this treatment, the patients are being forced to go through or confront the situations that they try to avoid. However, in this treatment, the patients have a choice of participating or not depending on whether they feel they can or not get through it. This treatment is always controlled and monitored by a specialist, so the patient is not put in any danger.

-Nurul I. R.-

Tan Mei Kuan: Arachnophobia: fear of spiders

Hello everyone. I am Tan Mei Kuan and my blog post this time is about arachnophobia. I have organized my research in three parts:

1. Definition and statistics
The Oxford Dictionaries defined "arachnophobia" as an "extreme or irrational fear of spiders". The term "arachnophobia" is a combination of the Greek word "arakhne" (spider) and "phobia". According to www.earthlife.net, almost half of the women and 10% of the men in the UK think they have arachnophobia. On the other hand, www.mentalhealthy.co.uk reports that about half of the women and 18% of the men in the Western society experience a fear of spiders to some extent. This website also points out that although the aggressive Australian funnel web spider must be avoided, there are only two recorded bites (not deaths) per year.

2. Examples from research and personal experience.
Arachnophobics will always check their surroundings for real spiders and any representations of spiders in the form of drawings, pictures, soft toys and others might scare them too. According to www.disabled-world.com, arachnophobics will experience "excessive sweating, rapid breathing, a quickened heartbeat, nausea and dizziness".
The reasons for arachnophobia to occur can be found from the historical point of view. Some evolutionary psychologists think that arachnophobia is a survival skill and a misplaced fear passed down from our ancestors.
As for personal experience, I do not have arachnophobia. If I were to find a spider in my bedroom, I would probably alert my parents and monitor every movement of the spider. When it displays any sign of movement towards me, I would probably run away screaming.

3. Treatment options
According to www.disabled-world.com, there is a treatment named "systematic desensitisation" where arachnophobics learn to face their fears and thus conquer their phobia. For example, sufferers will be initially exposed to the mild photos of spiders and then gradually to the live spiders. There is also a virtual reality treatment where arachnophobics will learn to face a computer-generated spider by wearing a VR helmet. I think that it is also important for arachnophobics to educate themselves on spiders to dispel any unfounded fears and misunderstandings.

Thank you.

Phobia , Acrophobia

         Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. There are many people who really scare from height.Most people may generally feel a bit apprehensive when looking down from a very steep cliff and it is natural. Acrophobia can cause a person to fear a variety of things related to being far from the ground.

There are many examples of acrophobia. They may scare of flying so they always prefer to use other transportations. There are some people who scare to climb the ladder. They feel stressed when they go to their roof and they try to not looking down. 

There are different degrees of acrophobia.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, specially when they are not protected.

Sometimes, they just feel stressed and it is not very serious. It can be dangerous in some situations.People who suffer from acrophobia have feelings such as increased heart rate, palpitations, rapid breathing and shortness of breath, as well as dry mouth and nausea.

It is interesting that most of the people who have phobias are informed that their phobias are not logical. The negative suggestion may also increase their phobia. Usually, those suffering from true acrophobia have undergone a frightening experience or experiences in their past that have produced a learned or 'conditioned response' to the stimulus of height. They may have a bad experience from childhood which they can not never forget it. Such experiences may often be beyond the conscious recall of the individual.

Acrophobia is most commonly treated with a range of therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy which includes desensitization and flooding. These therapies exposes the person to staged situations involving high places and slowly helps him or her to develop coping skills, increases confidence and change thought patterns to manage fear and anxiety. It is important for people to solve this problem because it may cause a bad happening. 

We can conclude that phobia is getting serious when it hurts someone so it is important for people to understand the reality of phobia and they should know how to solve it. 

Zahra :)

internet addiction

Internet addiction means spending time on internet.If you spend your time for yourself,you can solve this problem.for example: nowadays facebook is the most popular social network.so people communicate via facebook.My suggestion is that you can communicate to your friend by face to face.In stead of chatting or surfing internet you can go to the gym or take a walk with your friends.The other methods can be used for recovery from internet addictions is the travelling which is very interesting and exciting for many people.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA

Claustrophobia is an abnormal fear of narrow and closed spaces. This fear frequently results in panic attacks and can be triggered by certain stimuli such as crowded elevator, getting your head stuck while wearing a shirt and etc. The word claustrophobia originates from Latin claustrum which means "a shut in place" and Greek phobos, which means "fear". Research has shown that approximately 6% of people suffer the disorder worldwide, but the majority are not receiving treatment for it. 

People with claustrophobia can find the disorder hard to live with, as they will go to great lengths to avoid small spaces and situations that trigger their panic and anxiety. They will avoid certain places like the subway/underground and will prefer to take the stairs over using a lift/elevator no matter how many floors they need to ascend/descend. A claustrophobic may experience symptoms similar to having an anxiety attack like sweating, accelerated heart rate, hyperventilation, shaking, nausea and fainting.

Claustrophobia is generally the result of an experience in the person's past (usually in their childhood) that has led them to associate small spaces with the feeling of panic or being in imminent danger. Examples of these kinds of past experiences are falling into a deep pool and not being able to swim, being in a crowded area and getting separated from parents or group, crawling into a hole and getting lost or stuck.As the experience will have dealt some kind of trauma to the person, it will affect their ability to deal with a similar situation rationally. The mind links the small space or confined area to the feeling of being in danger and the body then reacts accordingly (or how it thinks it should). This type of cause is known as classic conditioning and can also be a behavior inherited from parents or peers. If for example, a claustrophobic has a child, the child may observe their parent's behavior and develop the same fears.

Week 2: Dangers of the internet

As we all know, in the 21st century, the advancement of technology is rapidly increasing, which results in the further advancement of the internet and its usage. To this day, the internet is believe by many to have opened up unprecedented resources for research, but like all technology, it comes with dangers.

The unprecedented resources for research is inclusive of the numerous search engines that can be found on the internet. These search engines are tools that can be used to help people find detailed information or for them to further understand the subject or topic that is being inquired by the user. These tools are mainly used to search for websites, images, videos and other information pertaining to their subject of investigation. Since the filter policy is not used for famous engines such as Google and Yahoo, users can, to some extent, used it freely to search about any subject that they want to know more about. 

The open resources of the internet have both positive and negative aspects about it. If people use the open resources in a negative way it will be very dangerous for them. The maximum risks influence the youth and the Web is a dangerous place for some of them. It can be dangerous for their maturity because the internet resources allow them to search for any word that they want. For example they can watch any videos in YouTube and the irrelevant videos may influence their behavior. 

The open resources can be positive for researchers because they can find much information about their research on the internet. For example some countries have filtering policy for all websites and it is very hard for researchers to find their information online. It can be clearly seen that the unprecedented resources are more dangerous for the younger generation. The best way to prevent these dangers is to teach the proper use of internet to youths.