Guests with irrational phobias are featured on Maury (1991-1998). Whilst help is offered, is making fun of their distress appropriate and useful?
On the American TV talk show Maury (1991-1998), various episodes welcome members of the public on stage to discuss their unique phobias (e.g., of cotton balls, aluminium foil, and olives). In these segments, following several questions from the host, Maury, the guests are often suddenly exposed to, and even chased by, someone holding their phobic items.
‘Phobia expert and success coach’ Gary Coxe then spends the rest of the programme helping each person, although the audience is not shown exactly how. Later in these episodes, guests are re-exposed to their phobic items and celebrated as they are now able to interact with the object without fear.
This show features individuals with distressing irrational phobias. Whilst in-house specialists help these individuals overcome their debilitating fears, it can be seen that this help is provided at the expense of public humiliation. For example, the audience and host laugh each time individuals disclose their phobia and are subsequently exposed to/chased by it, much to their distress.
Sudden exposure to their respective phobic items is reminiscent of a controversial phobia treatment called flooding which involves immediate, real exposure to phobic items in order to challenge habitual avoidance. This can be greatly distressing and even counter-productive1. Instead, treatment for phobias is often more effective2 through gradual exposure, such as a method called systematic desensitisation3. Beyond showcasing a controversial approach to treating phobias, this show arguably involves exploiting mental health problems for entertainment4 purposes.
I believe phobias are often presented in ways that fail to respect them. I would like to complement your idea by sharing two more examples from popular films that illustrate this. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ron Weasley’s arachnophobia is played mainly for comic relief, since the focus is on his exaggerated expressions. At the same time, Harry appears more composed, making Ron fall into the ‘cowardly sidekick’ trope. Honestly, I don’t think Ron’s expressions make him a coward; they are completely believable, especially since Rupert Grint (who played Ron) has arachnophobia himself. The problem is how the film’s direction and screenplay shape the audience’s perception of him: ‘he’s scared and dramatic, therefore he’s a bumbling coward, unlike Harry, the fearless hero’. In the book, on the other hand, his phobia is used as a characterisation device to highlight his courage in facing his biggest fear, so it is presented more seriously.
Another example is Indiana Jones’ ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). While it humanises him as a flawed adventure hero, it is also used as a running joke throughout the series. By employing phobias as comic relief, these narratives reinforce the idea that phobias are something to laugh at in our society.
These are great examples, thank you for sharing. It is interesting how the media often makes use of rational (i.e. spiders, snakes) but not irrational phobias like the ones experienced by guests on Maury (i.e. cotton balls). Because the audience might relate less to the latter I think the humour value is exacerbated when seeing their reactions in real life. I can’t imagine this reaction is helpful for guests or for others watching at home who may already feel self-conscious about their debilitating phobia. On the other hand, guests are indeed helped to overcome their fears and celebrated when they do so. One could also argue it raises awareness for a wider variety of phobias beyond what we see in films?