1897 tr. T. A. Ribot Psychol. Emotions ii. ii. 215 For ‘phobic’ subjects [Fr. pour les phobiques] it is (at least potentially) a permanent state, ready to arise when suggested by some association.

1930 Brit. Jrnl. Med. Psychol. 10 66 Recall and reunion may simply give the phobic mechanism a chance to dominate the normal system.

1964 J. Gould & W. L. Kolb Dict. Social Sci. 466/2 Hysteria, obsession-compulsion, and phobic reactions..tend to restrict the scope of the neurotic's behaviour.

1970 Daily Tel. 4 Sept. (Colour Suppl.) 12/2 ‘Desensitisation’ thus involves a simple-sounding cure: the phobic patient is taught right habits again.

1992 Sci. Amer. July 15/1 ‘What are people phobic about, even in big cities?’ Rapoport asks. ‘Not guns or cars, but snakes and spiders.’

1911 Philos. Rev. 20 338 The ‘phobic’ is not necessarily a coward, and in circumstances unconnected with his doubts and fears he may display single firmness of mind and even heroism.

1968 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 29 Feb. 32/4 She has small regard for the population of South Vietnam which she sees as an unpleasant amalgam of cynical self-seekers, stooges, and phobics (i.e., people who fear Communism).

1976 J. Payne All in Mind 47/1 A bird phobic would initially be talked to by a therapist about phobia, then about birds, then..pictures of birds would be introduced.

1987 J. Franklin Molecules of Mind (1988) i. 20 The phobic does not need to be faced with the object of his fear..for it to rule his mind.

2001 Independent 5 Apr. i. 9/1 The study, which will come as a breath of fresh air to dental-phobics, says there are too many dentists who..recall patients too often.