This volume in the seminal Encyclopaedia of Psychoanalysis Series is a daring reassessment of the psychoanalytic theory of phobia from numerous schools of thought. This book should illuminate why psychoanalysis has been under-used in the treatment of phobia - is it simply that other treatments are more successful or is it a symptom of today's "quick fix" culture? By considering the origins and meanings of phobia from such a wide range of viewpoints, it may be possible to formulate new approaches to the therapeutic treatment of phobia and re-engage the interests of the psychoanalytic community in this fascinating subject. 'In recent years research, theorization, and the treatment of phobias have been dominated by biological and psychopharmacological approaches, and by cognitive-behavioural therapies. Writings on phobia have diminished in the field of psychoanalysis. This book is an attempt to redress the balance and focuses not on treatment but on the origin and meaning of phobia. This collection, then, concentrates on the personal, mythological and cultural meanings of phobia and its origins' - The author from her Introduction.