Such explanations, however, are more likely to underlie the
non-clinical end of the phobic spectrum than they are to underlie
phobias satisfying the criteria set out above.In particular, I am wondering what the following means and what is meant by criteria.
- end of the phobic spectrum
- phobias satisfying
- criteria
UPDATED:
So, is the conclusion correct?
At the end of this spectrum is clinical treatment and at the other end is non-clinical
Answer
Earlier in the article, the author defines the criteria for what he calls “true insect phobia”:
A true insect phobia, on the other hand, is defined by the following criteria:
Definition
A persistent irrational fear of and compelling desire to avoid insects, mites, spiders, or similar phobic objects.
Significant distress from the disturbance despite recognition by the individual that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.
Not due to another mental disorder such as schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorder (modified from DSM III).
So “criteria” here means what it would in any dicrtionary one should use to understand what it means: (emphasis mine)
a standard of judgment or criticism; a rule or principle for evaluating or testing something.
In our specific example, the criteria for having true insect phobia is satisfying conditions 1, 2, 3.
You can say that if clauses 1, 2, and 3 hold true for a person, then his condition satisfies the creteria for “true insect phobia” (more casually: He has true insect phobia).
So phobias satisfying the criteria set out above means phobias which the criteria of 1, 2, and 3 hold true about, which is “true insect phobias”.
As to the word end here, we have to examine what it’s preceded by to understand its specific meaning in the article:
more likely to underlie the non-clinical end of the phobic spectrum
In general , end can mean
the last part or extremity, lengthwise, of anything that is longer than it is wide or broad.
But it can also mean:
a part or place at or adjacent to an extremity:
In our example, the author is saying that the explanations are more likely to underlie the non-clinical part/side/end of the phobic spectrum, rather than the cretria/conditions he’s mentioned earlier.
I hope you now understand what specturm means in this example:
The entire range over which some measurable property of a physical
system or phenomenon can vary, such as the frequency of sound, the
wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, or the mass of specific kinds
of particles.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : nima , Answer Author : zerohedge