Androphobia . It is defined as a persistent, abnormal and unjustified fear of men .
Summary
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- 1 Etymology
- 2 Agraphobia
- 3 Causes
- 4 Symptoms
- 5 Treatment
- 6 Related phobias
- 7 Sources
Etymology
The word comes from the Greek Andras which means “Man” and from Phobos which means “Fear or Terror”.
Agraphobia
Androphobia is a phobia that produces an abnormal and persistent fear of men. It should not be confused with misanthropy (hatred of humans) or misandry (hatred of males). The possible causes of this pathology can originate in a traumatic event at an early age with a man or a child.
Androphobia is characterized by the presence of fears that stand out for being irrational and exaggerated towards men, and despite the fact that people who suffer from androphobia may realize that the reasons are not valid for fear, it persists and is the cause of a deep anxiety that is generated in the presence of a man which generally ends up affecting people’s daily lives.
Causes
The causes of this phobia, in a similar way to other types of phobias , may be related to traumatic experiences of the past where the man had an active participation, as is the case of people who were victims of sexual abuse or rape , or witnessed verbal and / or physical abuse. It should be mentioned that it does not matter the gender of the person for the phobia to take place, both men and women can suffer from androphobia. It can also be one of the cases of social phobias or it can be a social anxiety disorder. It should be mentioned that some cultural factors can also be the cause of the phobia, as well as some mental disorders.
Symptoms
- Mental or cognitive symptoms: thoughts , dialogues negative internal, conversations with oneself who come in loose sentences. “Surely you think I’m not interesting at all” , “it’s a lot for me” , “he just wants sex” , “I do everything wrong” , “nobody will like me” , “I’m going to be single” , are some of the that can appear in the minds of these women.
In addition to ideas, the woman will be able to experience images, scenes that automatically come to consciousness. Image sequences of failure, abandonment, deception, rejection. All this creates a defensive attitude towards the man, believing that they want to take advantage of the situation. - Physical symptoms: facial flushing , muscle tension , tremors , dizziness , palpitations, sweating and loss of appetite .
- Emotional symptoms: insecurity , shame , anguish , anxiety, sadness , depression , aggressiveness , fear of ridicule.
- Behavioral symptoms: wanting to escape or flee and avoid situations that generate fear in advance, difficulties in maintaining a conversation, postponing or canceling meetings.
Treatment
It is highly recommended to opt for a group therapy for personal growth and development. These are heterogeneous groups of men and women of different ages where they learn to relate to others, developing all the potentialities related to Emotional Intelligence (central aspect of this problem).
This type of pathology tends to worsen over time, which is why it is necessary to do some type of psychotherapy
