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Cat Forum / General Topics / January 2007psychotic human - terrified of cats
I watched an episode of "Armed and Famous" tonite. That's the show with celebrities who become police officers. So, La Toya Jackson is apparently terrified of cats - or more likely it's all pure BS designed to add some drama to a fairly lame TV show. She was on a call with a real cop and there was a cat inside the house, so she ran away and cowered in the cop car, terrified when her partner opened the car door for fear that the cat would attack her. Later, she visited someone (they didn't say it was a therapist of any sort that I noticed, but it was clear she was supposed to be one) and she showed her pictures of cats and La Toya could barely bring herself to look at the pictures. She explained that when she was a child, a "family member" was attacked by a cat who leaped off a roof and attacked the neck of this person and she was so traumatized by the event that she has been terrified of cats ever since. Eventually, this "therapist" brought out a real live kitten and got La Toya to pet it. Later still, La Toya was out on another police call serving a warrant and there was a cat in the yard and she said how proud she was of herself that she overcame her fear and was able to look the cat in the eye and not run away. Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't believe that anyone could be that terrified of cats - okay, I could believe someone could be that scared of 200 pound mountain lions, but the cats we all know and love and keep as pets? How screwed up is this show? Well, they may or may not have exagerrated La Toya's psychotic phobia of felines, but they did give this woman a gun and a badge. I'm sure they never let her use either when the camera was not on though. > Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't believe > that anyone could be that terrified of cats - okay, I could believe > someone could be that scared of 200 pound mountain lions, but the cats we > all know and love and keep as pets? You obviously don't know anything about phobias, do you? - They aren't rational fears....Fear of Tigers isn't a phobia. they are fears of things that normal people aren't afraid of. Fear of cats is ailurophobia. >>Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't believe >>that anyone could be that terrified of cats - okay, I could believe >>someone could be that scared of 200 pound mountain lions, but the cats we >>all know and love and keep as pets? > > You obviously don't know anything about phobias, do you? Hmmm - I guess not since I don't have any on the level that Jackson demonstrated on that show, although I have to admit I'm wondering if it was just acting. Granted, I have a few phobias myself, but not anywhere near that level. It's a f.cking cat for f.ck's sake. I can understand being a bit scared of something, but frankly a cat is too inconsequential to trigger such fear as demonstrated in that episode. > - They aren't > rational fears....Fear of Tigers isn't a phobia. they are fears of things > that normal people aren't afraid of. Fear of cats is ailurophobia. Call it ailurophobia if you like, I call it insanity. >I watched an episode of "Armed and Famous" tonite. That's the show with >celebrities who become police officers. So, La Toya Jackson is apparently [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > she ran away and cowered in the cop car, terrified when her partner opened > the car door for fear that the cat would attack her. <snip> > Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't believe > that anyone could be that terrified of cats - okay, I could believe > someone could be that scared of 200 pound mountain lions, but the cats we > all know and love and keep as pets? <snip> I did not see the program, and I don't know anything about LaToya Jackson's fear of cats. However, I can tell you that there are a *great many* people who are truly terrified of cats -- it's not just a dislike of cats; it is a very real fear. This fear may seem irrational to most of us, but it is very real. Look at how many people are frightened of snakes even if they know the snake is not poisonous, or frightened of certain insects. These same people may be completely "normal" in every other sense (if we can even adequately define "normal"). In some cases, it is fear of the unknown. In some cases, it is fear caused by some type of early scare or trauma. In some cases, we not know the cause -- but it definitely does exist. MaryL >>I watched an episode of "Armed and Famous" tonite. That's the show with >>celebrities who become police officers. So, La Toya Jackson is apparently [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't believe >> that anyone could be that terrified of cats - It's too bad her brother doesn't have Pedophobia..... >>I watched an episode of "Armed and Famous" tonite. That's the show with >>celebrities who become police officers. So, La Toya Jackson is apparently [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > real. Look at how many people are frightened of snakes even if they know > the snake is not poisonous, or frightened of certain insects. I can somewhat understand the fear of snakes as many of them are extremely poisonous (not most, but many). I have a healthy fear of them myself, although when confronted with a rattlesnake (as I have been in the past), I don't come anywhere near the freaking-out that Jackson did on that show. > These same > people may be completely "normal" in every other sense Are you suggesting La Toya Jackson is 'completely "normal"'? LOL. I'm sure you're not. > (if we can even > adequately define "normal"). I would say being "normal" is highly overrated anyway. > In some cases, it is fear of the unknown. In > some cases, it is fear caused by some type of early scare or trauma. Such was the explanation for her phobia, although it's still a cat. Unless one is a small child, severely handicapped, elderly and infirm or otherwise severely physically impaired, a cat is no match for a human - sure, it can claw, bite and cause flesh wounds, but it is rare that a cat would even act so aggressively. They are generally timid and shy when it comes to confronting humans. > In > some cases, we not know the cause -- but it definitely does exist. We may not know the cause, but then again, do we always know the cause of psychoses? > MaryL "Fred G. Mackey" <nospam@dont.spam> wrote in message news:ha-> We may not know the cause, but then again, do we always know the cause > of psychoses? Phobias aren't a psychoses.....That's way too severe a condition for a phobia....they are more like a neurosis......Lots of people have them....I am afraid of heights, for example.....And not all heights....Only man-made structures. I can look over the edge of the Grand Canyon, and I am OK with that, but if I am on the roof of an office building, I am terrified.....As I say, it's not a rational fear...... > "Fred G. Mackey" <nospam@dont.spam> wrote in message news:ha-> > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > that, but if I am on the roof of an office building, I am terrified.....As I > say, it's not a rational fear...... Interesting - what are the differences between psychoses, neuroses, phobias and simple healthy fears? I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights, but I remember venturing out onto a narrow rock ledge at the Grand Canyon and being filled with a bit of anxiety to say the least. I saw other people doing it and I figured I could snap a few pictures and just do it for the sake of doing it. I'm not afraid of heights per se, but if being out on a ledge doesn't spark a natural fear within you (whether that ledge is man-made or natural), there's probably an unhealthy lack of such fear within you. Do you remember that scene from Devil's Advocate when Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino are standing on top of a skyscraper? It's just healthy to have a fear of height in such a situation, but give me a railing and I would happily walk up to the edge and look over and even dance next to the edge as long as I had confidence that the railing would stop any fall. I could probably have danced on that ledge overlooking the Grand Canyon too without any incident, but I wasn't about to. I stayed low to the ground and proceeded cautiously. Being as afraid of cats as demonstrated in that show cannot simply be called a healthy fear - It could be called a phobia, but was also psychotic in how she felt the cat was out to get her and would leap into the car that she cowered in. Heights are one thing. If you fell 100 stories, you would die, but if a 10-20 pound cat attacked you and you were a healthy human being you would be able to survive with nothing but some scratches and a few bites. >> "Fred G. Mackey" <nospam@dont.spam> wrote in message news:ha-> >> [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > a healthy human being you would be able to survive with nothing but some > scratches and a few bites. Yes. I didn't see the picture in question. A fear of house cats is a phobia, because it isn't rational, and it's just a fear. but if you think they are out to get you, then it might be a psychosis after all....I am not a psychiatrist....I suggest you Google psychoses, neuroses, & phobias....To get a better definition than I can give you.....In general, that is the order of severity, from worst to mildest...And a "healthy fear" is perfectly normal....Would that we all had healthy fears of things that are really dangerous........I wouldn't remember the scene from "Devil's Advocate", because I wouldn't have watched it, even if I had seen the picture....I can't even watch things like that. It is an inherited condition, because my father, and one of my sister's had it. My father had an office on the 14th floor of the Standard Oil building in Rockefeller Center, NYC, and when the window washer came in to wash his windows, he had to leave his office....He couldn't even stay there while the guy did his thing. In those days, the windows slid open like house windows, and the guy would open the window, go outside and stand on the ledge, (which was about 2 feet deep) and then turn around and close the window. Then he would hang the two straps of his safety belt on the "nails" that are on either side of the window, and lean back out over the street that was 140 feet below, and wash the window.....I doubt if I would have been able to stay in the office while that was going on either. I can't even watch those old Buster Keaton movies where he was dangling from the flagpole on the office buildings of New York........ Psychosis is qhite different to phobia or neurosis. Psychosis is a severe, acute mental condition in which the sufferer's thinking is quite detached from reality. The dufferer is likely to experience delusions, helucinations and other thought disorders. One of the characterisitcs is a lack of insight so the person is unaware that their thoughts are disordered A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something. The fear is disproportional to the actual risk and the sufferer will probably have insight into the problem. For example a person may be terrified of spiders and a picture of a spider may produce the symptoms even thought the person knows the picture cannot harm them. A neurosis is an anxiety disorder but the person's grip on reality is intact and their behavour is not generally outside societal norms. I would say fear of cats is probably a phobia unless the person believes the cat is trying to control their thoughts etc in which case it is part of a psychosis. As most phobias are, by definition, irrational fears it is quite possible to have a cat phobia especially if the person had a bad experience such as being scratched as a child etc. Kate > "Fred G. Mackey" <nospam@dont.spam> wrote in message news:ha-> > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > that, but if I am on the roof of an office building, I am terrified.....As I > say, it's not a rational fear...... > Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't > believe that anyone could be that terrified of cats Geez, are you paying any attention at all to the world around you? Ever known anyone terrified of crossing a bridge, or snakes, spiders, mice, lightning? The list goes on. >> Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't >> believe that anyone could be that terrified of cats > > Geez, are you paying any attention at all to the world around > you? Ever known anyone terrified of crossing a bridge, or > snakes, spiders, mice, lightning? The list goes on. For a complete list of phobias, go here: http://www.phobialist.com/ >>Now, I know all the Jackson's are really messed up, but I don't >>believe that anyone could be that terrified of cats > > Geez, are you paying any attention at all to the world around > you? Ever known anyone terrified of crossing a bridge, or > snakes, spiders, mice, lightning? The list goes on. Very few and none towards cats or to the extent exhibited on Armed and Famous. And just think, they made this celeb a cop. |
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