Fear of people and its characteristic manifestations in humans. The article will provide practical advice on how to eliminate the fear of communication. Anthropophobia is a person's condition when he is terrified of people. Such a pathology should not be confused with social phobia, which has a much narrower meaning for the fear of visiting crowded places. In this case, the person with the voiced problem tries to avoid literally every contact. Such a disorder of consciousness is a serious mental pathology, therefore it is necessary to understand the origins of its formation.
The causes of fear of people
Experts say that a similar disease appears in adolescence. However, in psychiatric practice there are examples when a person becomes an anthropophobe in an already quite mature stage of his development.
Psychotherapists consider the following life circumstances as the main reasons for the formation of the sounded pathologists in the form of bitter experience in the past:
- Postponed violence … If his victim is seriously injured by the act of aggression physically, then the fear of people will not be long in coming. In the case of a rapist in the person of a friend or relative, there is a desire to stop communicating with all close people. When an unknown person is attacked, in most cases, a reluctance to leave their native walls comes.
- Psychological trauma … The word can sometimes hurt so painfully that it replaces a strong slap in the face. After such an insult (especially if it was inflicted in public), distrust of people arises. In addition, rough treatment of a loved one can also develop anthropophobia.
- Active intimidation by the media … Such sources of information about what is happening in the world do not skimp on the bloody details of some tragedies. A person who is characterized by increased anxiety may believe that he is surrounded exclusively by terrorists, maniacs and rapists.
- Low self-esteem … Some people dislike themselves so much that this dislike carries over to other people. They do not consider themselves a worthy object for love and respect in society. That is why they are quite satisfied with hermitage and seclusion.
- Fear of ridicule … Overly suspicious individuals believe that only all the people around make fun of them behind their backs. Everywhere they see collective conspiracies, so they try to avoid going out without extreme circumstances.
- Fear of infections … The fear of people can also arise for the sounded reason, which is definitely pathological in nature. Anthropophobes do not visit public places, because they consider such trips to be a health hazard.
- Non-standard methods of education … In a family where one of its members suffers from the described pathology, the child will constantly have an extremely negative example before his eyes. Hermit children themselves are not eager to communicate with people in the future, because they are suspicious of them.
They are not born fully formed anthropophobes, but become under the pressure of any alarming events. However, there is a certain risk group of becoming a person with the described behavior model, because no one is immune from the sad consequences of stress.
Manifestations of anthropophobia in humans
Individuals who shy away from even the closest environment, even not a specialist in the field of psychiatry can calculate.
Distinctive features of such people are the following demeanor:
- Compulsive behavior … Involuntary and similar movements when meeting with someone become the hallmark of anthropophobes. Some of them, having been forced to leave their homes, begin to actively count passers-by, which looks rather strange.
- Fear of any contact … "My home is my fortress" becomes the motto of all anthropophobes in life. They themselves do not go to visit and do not let anyone on the threshold of their home. To break into the abode of a person with a fear of people will be equated with the desire to take the Bastille by storm.
- Hermitage … Some especially pronounced anthropophobes try to retire as far as possible from civilization. They are ready to live in the mountains of Tibet and the Sahara desert, but only at the maximum distance from people.
- Lack of friends … The natural ending of the development of the sounded pathology is loneliness. However, the anthropophobic person does not grieve about this. Loneliness for him becomes a protective barrier from the dangerous, in his opinion, the outside world.
- Lack of work … Social status is an empty phrase for a person who is afraid of people. No boss will tolerate a subordinate who is not creative. Consequently, the anthropophobe very often changes the place of activity or even becomes a drone if financially possible.
- Fear of certain people … Some people are not wary of every person. They can calmly react to brunettes and blondes, while avoiding communication with red-haired persons. Someone shuns overweight people, and someone selectively moves away from thin men and women.
- General aggravation on meeting … In anthropophobes, the face changes in color, hand tremors begin, breathing quickens and the body sweats while communicating with another person. All this is accompanied by numbness, which is simply impossible not to notice.
The symptoms of anthropophobia paint a portrait of a rather unattractive personality. The question is whether the victim of pathology is comfortable with such a way of her life. Not every person with such fear is delighted with what is happening, therefore, he turns to specialists for help.
Star Olympus of people with anthropophobia
Famous personalities, for all their fame and fortune, can suffer from various phobias. They often develop from increased attention to their persons, which can sometimes be quite stressful for an ordinary person.
Notable people with anthropophobia:
- Johnny Depp … The star of films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Sleepy Hollow and Crybaby, however, is not enthusiastic about its popularity. He generally tries not to leave his home, unless extreme circumstances force him to do so. A similar change in behavior occurred in the legendary personality after he started a family. Johnny is sincerely afraid of people who can write to his children all sorts of obscenities about him on the same Internet.
- Stefan Ditko … This name may not say anything to the general public, because few people know about the co-author of the image of Spider-Man. The voiced creative person refuses the slightest contact with the outside world. No journalist can boast of the fact that they interviewed Stefan Ditko. On this occasion, even a documentary was filmed, which tells the story of a strange creator of characters for comics.
- Daniel Day-Lewis … The famous British actor and winner of three Oscars rarely indulges his numerous fans with his talent. The domestic audience especially liked his participation in the film "Gangs of New York", where he appeared in the form of the cruel Butcher Bill. However, Daniel rarely acts, taking periodic breaks in his career, sometimes even for five years. The rest of the time he lives in seclusion in the mountains of Ireland, feeling great at the same time.
- John Hughes … The master of teenage comedies unexpectedly in the 90s decided to leave the cinema and turned into an anthropophobe. Recently, it seemed to him that people were secretly making fun of him and trying to deliberately offend him. All these fears ended with the fact that he left Hollywood and flatly refused to give any interviews.
- Bill Watterson … The creator of one of the best comics, Calvin and Hobbs, is actually a rather strange person. In the 95th year of the last century, he disappeared from the public eye, because he was tired of human communication and began to be openly afraid of him.
- Jerome David Salinger … The author of the legendary work "The Catcher in the Rye" should be given the palm among anthropophobic geniuses. There are a lot of rumors around his name, most of which seem monstrous things for an adequate person.
- Britney Spears … The pop diva is afraid of her own fans and hides behind the backs of bodyguards when someone tries to approach her. This mental pathology is so developed that she does not accept gifts from fans of her work.
Ways to Deal with People's Fear
In some situations, you need to mentally bang your fist on the table and make a promise to yourself to fight the existing complexes. Treatment of anthropophobia is a complex measure, therefore it is necessary to approach it in this vein.
Self-Steps to Get Rid of Anthropophobia
A person with a voiced pathology should solve it step by step as follows:
- Recognizing the problem … Even an alcoholic has a great chance of recovery if he understands what is happening to him. You can only deal with your fears if you acknowledge their existence.
- Problem formulation … The next step is to find out for yourself the cause of anthropophobia. Some people need to figure out exactly what they are afraid of. This is necessary in order to distinguish your symptoms from social phobia, which is treated in a slightly different way.
- Finding a solution … Further, it is worth looking through friends or Internet resources of a competent psychotherapist. First of all, it is recommended to read the reviews about the doctor from his former patients. You can visit several specialists for a test at once to find out about the effectiveness of their treatment.
- Securing Success … After starting work with a psychotherapist, you need to take all your will into a fist and start getting to know people. All fears that they will make fun of a potential friend should be immediately discarded. There are still more kind people in the world than aggressive monsters or cynics.
Help of psychologists in the fight against anthropophobia
After choosing a specialist, it is necessary to discuss with him the course of the upcoming therapy. It can be produced in any way, but there are some of the most popular and effective techniques:
- Ericksonian hypnosis technique … This way of working with a patient is based on an indirect impact on his subconscious. This takes into account an individual approach to the person who asked for help.
- Work on the reactions of the anthropophobe … This method is also called cognitive behavioral therapy. Recently, it has become an increasingly used way to deal with the fear of people. During such sessions, one follows the chain "creating a critical situation - analyzing the fear that has arisen - getting out of the labyrinth of horrors and phobias."
- Taking sedatives … By themselves, they will not eliminate the voiced pathology, but they will help to soften its manifestations a little. In most cases, such medicines are purchased without a doctor's prescription, but risking your health in this way is contraindicated. Usually drugs such as "Dormiplant", "Glycine" and "Passionflower" are not addictive, but the human body should not become an object of independent experiments.
- Training exercises … Psychologists advise starting to exercise them in front of a mirror. In the future, you will need to go to the store and thank the seller for the service provided. Experts do not advise stopping at the achieved result, and then suggesting that the patient meet someone on the street, in public transport or at public catering points.
How to get rid of the fear of people - watch the video:
A self-respecting person will definitely think about the question of how to deal with anthropophobia. It would be a big mistake to act according to the method of the ostrich, which, at the slightest danger, buries its head in the sand. With a voiced life situation, people risk their careers, self-realization and personal happiness. Therefore, they need to clearly set goals for themselves and confidently move towards them.
