irrational fears

[mollykins]

An irrational fear is when you are frightened of something for no reason ie. it can't hurt you.

Is a fear of bees wasps and hornets rational or irational?
My dad says it is irational because they give you a little sting and buzz off (unless they are bee thne they die.)

But when i was about three i was playing in the garden and i put my hand on a bee/wasp (i was too little to know the difference i just remember it being yellow/orange and black.)

It then stung me.

I am now scared of bee/wasps and hornets (they're like big bees/wasps)

So is this rational or irrational? (I'm not allergic to them so they wont kill me unless I have a huge swarm come after me)

[wildwood]

Your behavious is perfectly natural and rational.
The warning colours on toxic/poisonous animals are there for a reason.
As much as we'd like to think that we are civilised, we still harbour primitive survival instincts.
We are fairly nonchalantly about bee stings but the fact that almost everyone gets a swelling from a bee sting means that we are all allergic to the venom in some degree and infact, some people do die from one single bee sting.

[Ice.Maiden]

I agree with wildwood, and am allergic to the stings myself. Having said that, I've learnt to spot one a mile off, so try to get out of the way!! : )
It's not an irrational fear that you have, since you received a sting which's made you wary ever since, but fears can then turn into phobias, whereby everything about these insects is taken way out of context.
Bees, in general, won't harm you unless they're threatened in some way - such as trapped in clothing. Wasps, because of their ability to sting more than once, will do. I think they're of a more aggressive nature because not only do they help to pollinate, but they're nature's scavengers and probably have to fight for food, so their stings are used to kill other insects. Hornets, on the other hand, can sting painfully, but the amount of venom is quite small, and only someone who's allergic to this would need immediate medication.

[mollykins]

Aahhhh. . .

i thought that because i knew that it is only a little sting and not life threatening it was irrational . . .

whats the difference between a fear and a phobia?

i thought a phobia was and irrational fear . . .

[steveb]

As far as im aware a phobia is an irrational fear. A friend and I were talking the other day and we were wondering. Is being afraid of spiders in the UK a phobia as there are none that can hurt you except for unusual circumstances, whereas in australia for example it wouldnt be a phobia as there are spiders there which can kill you?

[north star]

This was discussed on QI. There is no '(latin)phobia' for the fear of lions for example, as it would be considered quite 'normal' to be afeared of lions.

(now waiting for someone to tell me that 'felinophobia' applies to someone who is afraid of cats......?)

[rojash]

The word phobia comes from Greek, not Latin