Every person has their own fears. A phobia is a negative emotional outburst that occurs in relation to a specific source of an imaginary threat. Currently, scientists have identified more than 500 types of phobias. Today we will talk about one of them - fear of people or anthropophobia. Let's find out how to treat this mental disorder and consider the types of fears.

How does anthropophobia manifest itself?

Some people are capable of being overly suspicious of a person or avoiding frankness when communicating. All this is just an ordinary psychological barrier, not caused by a phobia. But real fear of new situations or people manifests itself quite problematically for the individual. For example, a person tries to lead a hermit lifestyle and minimize contact with the surrounding society. Such people are not able to ask for help even from a close relative or show sympathy to the person they like. It is difficult for anthropophobes to be in noisy company and, even more so, to be the center of attention.

What are the reasons for people being afraid?

Until today, psychologists have not come to a single consensus regarding the cause of fear of people. Most psychotherapists believe that anthropophobia was provoked by negative circumstances from childhood. Basically, this is the cruel treatment of others towards a person or “unusual” methods of raising negligent parents. Physical violence, moral humiliation, deception - all these factors give rise to fears of social adaptation and fear of strangers of a certain type.

How to get rid of the fear of people?

As such, there are no specific ways to get rid of the fear of people. You can only alleviate the stressful state of a person with a phobia.

Exercise

Active training can alleviate attacks of antisocial phobia. This happens due to the active production of adrenaline during physical exercise, which helps relieve emotional tension and stress. A person feels more confident and does not delve deeper into his psychological fears of strangers.

Psychological assistance

The most effective method to get rid of the fear of people is to contact a specialist. Only a competent and qualified psychologist can eliminate attacks of fear in a short time and reduce the risk of reoccurrence. As a rule, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive treatment consisting of meditation and relaxation procedures, detailed psychoanalysis and a course of individually selected antidepressants.

Types of anthropophobia

Currently, there are more than 100 types of anthropophobia, occurring at any age and from various situations. Even a socially adapted person may have a fear of a certain person or certain types of tactile contact. Let's consider the most common types of social fears of people.

Fear of large crowds of people

Fear of large crowds or demophobia is one of the most common psychological disorders. A person experiences an uncontrollable panic attack when in a crowded place. This could be a subway, a shopping center, or public transport during rush hour. The frantic rhythm of society oppresses the demophobe and instills a stronger fear of crowds of people.

Fear of being touched by others

Fear of being touched by others is a fairly rare type of phobia. As a rule, this fear is often observed among residents of megacities who try to minimize tactile contacts with any people. Haptophobia is a sign of a serious disorder of mental adaptation to society. It is difficult for such individuals to start families and maintain communication with anyone.

Fear of public speaking

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. Moreover, this disorder is not associated with the slight trembling and excitement that almost any person experiences in front of a mass audience. When speaking in public, a glossophobe experiences an attack of increased anxiety and a panicky fear of his own pronunciation.

Fear of people's gazes

Xenophobia is the fear of looking people in the eyes. This phobia does not cause significant discomfort for a person’s social life. But, nevertheless, psychologists advise working on this fear and not allowing it to give rise to new types of anthropophobia. If you panic from making eye contact with other people, try to overcome yourself and do not look away from your interlocutor for as long as possible.

Fear of older people

Gerontophobia is the fear of a part of society that belongs to the elderly age category. Psychologists explain this fear by the associative thinking of some individuals. For example, fear of old people occurs in a person who has often thought about loneliness or been so. This person associates old age with the passing of time, a feeling of uselessness and uselessness.

Fear of red-haired people

Gingerphobia is the fear of people with red hair. Hair on the head, beard or eyebrows of a sunny shade cause panic in a sick individual. At the moment, it is not possible to determine the reason for the appearance of such fear, but many test patients claim that they experience panic attacks at the sight of red-haired people, thanks to myths about their behavioral characteristics.

Fear of fat people

Some people, without any good reason, develop a fear of fat people. This is mainly manifested by psychological disgust on a subconscious level towards an overweight person, reluctance to even casual tactile contact and communication with him. The reason may lie in stereotypes about ideal appearance imposed from childhood. For example, a thin and fit person is happy and successful, but being overweight is a “step down”.

The psychology of each person is individual and the most likely causes of phobias can only be determined by a specialist.

People regularly come into contact with their own kind - at work, at school, in shops, on public transport, etc. It is impossible to live without at least minimal communication, and such a need is usually taken for granted. But there is a not very well-known phobia - the fear of people, which imposes a “taboo” on any communication. What is special about this fear? How does a phobia manifest itself?

What is the name of the disease “fear of people”?

Fear of people is described by the term “anthropophobia” (from the ancient Greek ánthrōpos + phóbos – “man + fear”). This fear may be a form of social phobia or accompany psychasthenia.

A person suffering from anthropophobia feels that there is danger from others. And it doesn’t matter how harmless these people really are: even an elderly woman walking by can seem like a source of threat. As a rule, fear intensifies if a person finds himself in a crowd or meets several young men, that is, in situations where potential danger actually exists.

How does anthropophobia differ from social phobia?

If anthropophobia is the fear of a person as such, then social phobia implies fear of public opinion. It turns out that in both cases the object that inspires fear is people. But there are some subtleties:

1. An anthropophobe is afraid of people just like an arachnophobe is afraid of spiders. That is, fear manifests itself in front of an object of a biological species, which causes aversion to physical contacts, touches, conversations, and mutual glances. A person experiences stress simply by being around other people (especially strangers). Just as spiders frighten an arachnophobe with their mere appearance, so people inspire fear in an anthropophobe.
2. A social phobe fears not so much the people themselves as their opinions. He worries that others will think badly of him, find him funny or ridiculous. That’s why a social phobe tries to avoid public speaking, social gatherings, and new acquaintances: the fear of not being “good enough” blocks any desire for social activity.

Social phobia is a phobia of a social level. The leading factor here is the fear of being negatively assessed by others. However, a social phobe may have close friends (usually no more than two or three) with whom he is comfortable.

Fear of people is a physical level phobia. People are perceived as dangerous creatures capable of causing harm: hitting, insulting, killing, robbing, being rude, yelling, etc. Anthropophobes have a very difficult time getting along with anyone and often do not have close contacts at all.

Symptoms of anthropophobia

Fear of humanity manifests itself to one degree or another during contacts with others. Anthropophobe is afraid of:

• touches;
• conversations;
• being in a crowd.

Sometimes a phobia is “focused” on a specific type of person. For example, you can be afraid of black-haired men with low foreheads or red-haired women.

During an attack of anthropophobia, a person behaves compulsively, that is, he makes obsessive movements and actions designed to distract (“protect”) him from danger. For example, someone suffering from fear may:

1. Count (steps, people around, birds, just from zero to ten).
2. Snap your fingers.
3. Run your tongue over your teeth.
4. Shoulder jerk.
5. Nervously raise the tips of your mouth.

Sometimes anthropophobes try to forget themselves with alcohol, cigarettes, food, sex, and gambling. All activities that calm a person for a short time and take him out of the “fear mode” are considered compulsive behavior.

The first manifestations of anthropophobia are usually observed in adolescence (and fear occurs equally in both boys and girls). Fear of people is most often found among those with low self-esteem and those who pathologically cannot tolerate criticism.

Psychologists are looking for the roots of anthropophobia in childhood, when a person was just beginning to build relationships with the outside world and could not learn to trust it. This could happen under the influence of:

1. Physical violence, which includes both domestic “educational” beatings and rape.
2. Psychological trauma due to the death of parents, moving, etc.
3. Constant stress associated with communication (humiliation, conflicts).

Gradually, the little person comes to the conclusion that it is better and calmer to be alone than with people. Over time, the teenager, of his own free will, isolates himself, since only when he is alone does he feel protected, comfortable, and not expecting a blow.

Not all people with difficult childhoods develop anthropophobia. The characteristics of the psyche play a significant role: if it is strong, then a person does not lose trust in the world.

Since anthropophobia not only blocks normal life activities, but also tends to constantly progress, it is recommended not to let it go, but to begin treatment under the supervision of a specialist. The sooner therapy is started, the higher the chances of success (and the more years a person has for a “restored”, full life).

We live in a rather difficult world, where we constantly overcome many problems. This is reminiscent of obstacle racing at the most seemingly elementary distances. On the one hand, we harden ourselves, understanding that those who are stronger survive. On the other hand, in certain situations or places our body sometimes malfunctions and then anxiety, panic, depression or fear (phobia) may arise.

Sometimes a person copes with his phobias on his own; this does not affect his social activity. But often, logically understanding the groundlessness of his fear, a person, already sick, cannot control himself, and this limits him and also negatively affects all aspects of his life. A person suffering from a phobia often cannot build harmonious personal relationships, be socially active and realize himself professionally.

Social phobia

In everyday life, this disorder - social phobia - is often called fear of people and society.

Social phobia was identified as a separate disorder in the late 1960s, and it has only been studied in detail over the last decade. Therefore, the dynamics of statistical indicators of patients with social phobia may indicate not an increase in the number of diseases, but a more accurate diagnosis.

Social phobia is a fear of society, a fear of being in some public situations or being the center of attention of a certain number of people. A person with social phobia builds his life in such a way as to avoid getting into situations that frighten him - he uses avoidance tactics. A person is afraid of a negative assessment of others, afraid that he will not live up to expectations, will show others his inadequacy or weakness, and will experience humiliation.

Fears of a social phobe are often observed in certain circumstances: any performances in front of an audience (even if the person is well prepared), playing musical instruments, participating in theatrical performances, sharing meals with other people, the need to sign in the presence of witnesses, using public baths, etc. .

In the generalized form of social phobia, fear is observed in a variety of social situations. Social phobia is frightened, among other things, by the need to meet a new person and the very fact of communication... At the same time, the more significant the interlocutor is for the patient, the more intense the fear manifests itself. Unpleasant sensations intensify when communicating with people of the opposite sex.

In some cases, the patient cannot bring himself to talk to someone on the phone, communicate on social networks or conduct a dialogue by email. He experiences difficulties in performing his usual work if someone is watching his actions, cannot eat in company, and looks away when talking.

Such people are forced to choose a job where there is minimal contact with other people, and also avoid the possibility of being in public places.

Social phobias usually develop in childhood (after 10 years) and adolescence, but can also appear for the first time in adults.

On the one hand, it is in the school community that a child first finds himself in stressful situations, and peers often ridicule each other. Moreover, this does not happen “face to face,” but in the presence of a large team.

On the other hand, often the unprofessionalism and excessive criticality of teachers, the nature of the existing school system can cause even greater harm than that caused by peers.

The manifestation of phobias, as a rule, coincides with psychotraumatic influences. Quite everyday situations can provoke the development of social phobia: an unsuccessful answer in front of the whole class, serious exams, contact with some group of people (teachers, counselors, people of the opposite sex), the need to perform on stage, etc. And when communicating with people you know well, relatives and friends, fear usually does not arise.

Social phobias can be transient (occur occasionally) or worsen over time (chronic development). Due to the fact that social phobes choose “avoidance tactics,” they are, on average, more likely than healthy people to lead a lonely lifestyle.

Forms of social phobias

Social phobia can be isolated or generalized.

Isolated forms of social phobia

These are so-called monophobias - this is the fear that in the presence of other people an individual will not be able to perform even the actions he is accustomed to. This fear is caused by severe anxiety of failure (expectation neurosis). Therefore, a person with monophobia avoids certain life circumstances in order to avoid getting into a traumatic situation for him. Otherwise, he leads a normal life.

It should be noted that in the absence of other people, a patient with monophobia does not have any problems. An isolated form of social phobia is accompanied by minor restrictions in professional or social activities.

Isolated phobias can manifest themselves in different ways. For example, some individuals are afraid to travel on public transport because they believe that other passengers pay attention to them and ridicule them. Others cannot eat in a cafe or at a party, confident that they will certainly knock over drinks or drop dishes and cause laughter and ridicule from staff or visitors.

One of the varieties of social phobia is ereytophobia - the fear of blushing, mixing in society, or causing some kind of awkwardness.

Generalized social phobias

In addition to the fear of getting into a certain situation, a patient with generalized social phobia is overcome by ideas of low value and sensitive ideas of relationship. He is afraid of being ridiculed, afraid that he will seem defective to others. This phenomenon is called scoptophobia (from the Greek word “scopto” - joke, mock).

The affect of shame comes to the fore, which largely determines the patient’s behavior, although in the vast majority of cases it is not true.

The dangers of social phobia

Social phobia can only conditionally be called a fear of society. Taken more seriously, this disorder does not mean a fear of people as such, but a fear of certain life situations in which the individual will find himself in the public eye. In these circumstances, the social phobe experiences a pronounced fear that he will certainly find himself in a humiliating or shameful position.

And then social phobia manifests itself with many very unpleasant symptoms: anxiety, panic, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, impaired breathing, dizziness, stuttering, nausea, trembling hands, increased sweating. A person may experience redness of the skin of the face and neck, dry mouth, muscle tension, and may feel internal stiffness. The patient's condition may be aggravated by a feeling of unreality of what is happening.

If social phobia is not overcome, then against its background there is a high probability of developing other diseases. Firstly, there are various mental disorders: depressive, anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, panic attacks. The desire to stop attacks of fear with alcohol-containing drinks often leads to the development of alcoholism. The combination of social phobia with other diseases greatly increases the risk of suicidal episodes.

Secondly, increased levels of adrenaline and cortisol, secreted by the adrenal glands during an attack of fear, increase the activity of the autonomic system. Long-term increased activity of the autonomic nervous system can provoke the development of hormonal diseases, gastritis, peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, heart attack, stroke and other somatic diseases.

Treatment of social phobia

But if you try to fight a phobia, then it is quite possible to overcome it!

The treatment regimen for phobia is quite simple. First, the patient must be explained that the situation does not pose a real danger. Secondly, with the help of special tasks that are selected individually, a person is taught to face a frightening situation and stay in it. Over time, the patient reacts less effectively to the imagined threat.

So, if circumstances arise that cause you uncontrollable fear:

• Try to find strength within yourself (Remember that you can handle this!) and ask yourself: “What is the worst that can happen in this situation?”
• Having answered this question (Remember: “You will not die”), accept this option and try to come to terms with it.
• After this, you will calm down and feel relaxed and will be able to think soberly.
• Now try to find ways to avoid the worst that you previously assumed for yourself in your thoughts, and find other ways out of this situation in order to improve it.

Unfortunately, patients with social phobias rarely resort to qualified help from professionals. This is due to the fact that the fear of contact with a doctor itself is insurmountable, and social prejudice towards psychotherapeutic and psychiatric help today exists in modern society.

Don't be afraid! Your relatives, friends, loved ones and even complete strangers will help you take the first step towards recovery. Just look around, ask for help and...

Life exists without fear!

Anthropophobia is a form of social phobia, expressed in the panic fear of people. The name comes from the Greek words anthropos - “man” and phobos - “fear”. One of the most severe panic disorders, since human psychology is inseparable from society.

The peculiarity of this anxiety-phobic disorder is that there is a fear of any people, and not just large crowds of them. There is an obsessive desire to avoid any contact with them.

It is equally typical for both men and women. Usually develops in childhood or adolescence. Accompanied by low self-esteem, suspiciousness, intolerance to criticism, and a neurotic character. This phobia is not uncommon. Many people are uncomfortable when others are present, violating their personal space. They try to isolate themselves from society as much as possible and spend almost all their time alone. Anthropophobia is a disease of residents of large cities. Overcrowding, lack of personal territory, high dynamics of events have a destructive effect on the psyche of an impressionable person.

The greatest fear is provoked by communication with strangers, but sometimes loved ones and relatives can cause anxious tension. The patient is convinced that among people his health and life are at risk. One of the varieties of such a phobia is the fear of falling and being crushed by other people, contracting an incurable disease, or being attacked.

What causes a persistent phobia?

Fear of people, according to psychologists, is not the result of any one reason. Like most anxiety-phobic disorders, it begins in early childhood and is an exaggerated psychological defense reaction of the body to various stimuli:

• aggressive behavior of adults around the child;
• psychological suppression of the child as an individual;
• violence;
• presence in certain frightening situations (mass brawl, terrorist attack).

An anxious, suspicious child withdraws into himself and remains alone with his fear. The psychology of children is such that the frightening moment is subsequently forgotten, and withdrawn behavior becomes a habit. He stops trusting others. Lack of communication skills causes emotional stress and makes you hate all people. During puberty, such behavior patterns become noticeable to other adolescents, turning the child into an object of ridicule, and further strengthening his fear. Education and work, which in most cases require communication, become either unbearably painful for the patient or completely impossible.

Panic fear of people is not always preceded by psychological trauma. Heredity and individual character traits play a major role in the development of anthropophobia. If there have already been cases of anxiety-phobic disorders in the family, then the likelihood of panic attacks is 50%.

Psychology knows cases where anthropophobia develops in people who have undergone a radical change in appearance. Thus, a woman who has had breast enlargement will experience a feeling of obsessive anxiety next to those with a small bust. And a fat person who has lost several tens of kilograms will experience persistent horror at the sight of fat people.

There is a developmental pattern of fear in people with bipolar disorder. In practical psychology, there are cases where anthropophobia is hidden under the guise of autism and vice versa.

Signs of an anxiety disorder

Anthropophobia has a number of characteristic symptoms that make up the anxiety-phobic syndrome:

• Cognitive symptoms. Fear of people causes an irrational, persistent horror in a person at the mere thought of having to talk or meet with someone.
• Vegetative symptoms. Sweating, tremors of the hands, palpitations, numbness, attacks of suffocation, diarrhea, vomiting, redness of the skin of the face, red spots on the skin of the chest, hands. All these symptoms, in turn, only increase panic.
• Compulsive behavior. Often a panic attack is accompanied by obsessive movements. Such actions are called compulsive and are of a ritual, protective nature for the patient. He seems to protect himself by performing the same type of actions in certain situations (for example, he counts passers-by or pats his hand in some rhythm).
• Psychology of avoidance. A phobia forces you to be wary of any situations in which contact with other people is possible. It has been noticed that a person experiencing panic avoids looking into the eyes of the interlocutor.
  Anthropophobia can manifest itself in different ways. Some are afraid only of small children, others avoid communicating with older people. Some people can't be around people who have beards, are fat, have red hair, or are bald. But the majority still experience fear, even panic attacks, of all people, regardless of age, gender or other characteristics. Touching, loud speech, an attentive or condemning look addressed to an anthropophobe causes persistent horror.

If this phobia cannot be recognized in time and treatment cannot be started, then a favorable environment appears for the development of various neuroses and depression. The inability to build a personal life, career and friendships forces people to seek solace in addiction to alcohol or drugs. In severe cases, when the patient does not have the strength to fight his horror, suicide attempts may be made.

Anthropophobia is not as harmless as it seems. It can be dangerous to health and life. If a patient becomes ill on the street, he will try in every possible way to avoid the emergency care that is necessary and offered to him.

How to overcome panic?

The problem of treating fear is the vicious circle in which the patient finds himself. His fear of people does not allow him to seek help from doctors. The lack of social communication skills leaves the anthropophobe alone to struggle with his problems.

There is no need to be under the illusion that a person will outgrow fear, and anthropophobia will go away on its own after some time. Only adequate treatment, based on the correct use of psychological and psychotherapy techniques, can bring relief and relieve panic attacks.

Treatment usually begins with finding out the cause of the anxiety-phobic disorder. The doctor talks with the patient, analyzing almost every moment of life. By revealing the psychology of a person’s experiences, one can understand what interferes with his normal socialization.

Good results are obtained from a widely used complex form of psychotherapy - cognitive-behavioral. It includes two approaches:

• the principle of correcting illogical, inappropriate thoughts and stereotypes of an anthropophobe;
• the principle of changing human behavior by encouraging communication with people and not reinforcing unwanted reactions.

Additionally, they use indirect influence on a person’s subconscious using Ericksonian hypnosis.

One of the components of getting rid of anthropophobia as quickly as possible is auto-training and self-study to overcome obsessive anxiety. Gradual steps to help socialize will greatly improve your quality of life. Say hello to a neighbor, smile at a passerby, start using public transport - all this will bring you closer to recovery faster.

If the anthropophobe categorically refuses psychotherapy, drug treatment is used. Drug therapy is aimed at eliminating anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Disadvantages of drug treatment:

• lack of impact on the causes of phobia;
• withdrawal syndrome is possible.

It is necessary to combat a sudden attack using relaxation techniques. Breathing exercises help a lot: slow, deep inhalations and exhalations.

Attentive attitude on the part of relatives and friends, tolerance towards the patient will help overcome his feeling of self-doubt. The expectation of a “blow” from loved ones and, as a result, the fear of them will gradually go away. Trust and working together to overcome fear of people will help establish a normal social life.

The feeling of fear is instinctive and is an integral part of the human psyche. Fear, arising in response to danger, generated flight and preserved life. Sometimes it appears out of nowhere, “sticks” to a person, grows over time like a snowball, completely subjugating it. Fear of people is one of these fears that paralyzes the will.

What is the fear of people called?

Fear has a scientific name - anthropophobia, derived from two ancient Greek words: ἄνθρωπος - Human, φόβος – fear. Fear of people is one of the forms of social phobia related to neuroses, in the International Directory of Classification of Diseases, listed under the code F 40 - phobic anxiety disorders. American psychiatrist G. Sullivan believed that in order to understand the reason that caused the phobia, it is important to “unravel the tangle” of relationships between a person suffering from fears and other people from his close environment.

The reasons why anthropophobia is formed:

• a fearful mother, constantly under stress and anxiety, leaves an imprint on the child’s psyche with her behavior: “It’s natural to be afraid!”;
• violence, bullying in childhood;
• social isolation in childhood;
• individual (increased suspiciousness, vulnerability, anxiety);
• psychasthenic personality type;
• psychotrauma;
• ridicule in childhood and adolescence.

Fear of people - phobia

All phobias are characterized by similar symptoms that arise in response to the appearance of an object of fear in space. In this regard, anthropophobia is divided into several subtypes (in total, there are about 100):

• ochlophobia (demophobia) – fear of crowds of people or mass gatherings of people in one place;
• haptophobia – the touch of strangers causes horror;
• Homilophobia – fear of talking to strangers;
• Ommatophobia – fear of looking into the eyes;

There are also rare types of anthropophobia:

• fear of obese people;
• fear of redheads and freckles;
• fear of older people;
• fear of people of a certain nationality;
• fear of those who wear a beard and mustache or, conversely, are clean-shaven.

General signs of social phobia and variations of anthropophobia:

• a person's self-isolation;
• solitary lifestyle;
• hostility towards strangers;
• hostility and discomfort when other people invade the space of an anthropophobe.

Physiological symptoms of anthropophobia:

• tremor throughout the body;
• chills;
• profuse sweating;
• and gagging;
• panic attacks;
• obsessive thoughts.

Fear of large crowds of people

Demophobia is a little-studied neurotic disorder that characterizes the fear of a large number of people. The origins of this fear can be any childhood memory associated with unpleasant circumstances that occurred in front of a large crowd of people. Fear of crowds can also develop in adulthood, when the catalyst for obsessive fear can be a terrorist attack in a crowded place that occurs in front of a person, a fight, or even a murder.

Fear of strangers' touch

People's fears are so diverse that the mechanisms that trigger this or that fear are not always clear. A person can grow up in a prosperous, loving family, but this does not guarantee that he will be free from obsessive fears. Haptophobia is a rare type of anthropophobia that manifests itself as a fear of being touched by people close to you or strangers. Other names for this fear:

• haphephobia;
• aphenmosphophobia;
• haptophobia.

Causes of haptophobia:

• autism spectrum disorders;
• progressive schizophrenia;
• a person’s exaggerated desire to protect his personal space;
• sexual violence at any age;
• disgust as a character trait;
• mysophobia (fear of contaminating the mouth when touched).

Manifestations of haptophobia:

• avoids any physical touch (handshakes, hugs, kisses);
• women and men who have experienced violence can avoid the touch of a person of the same gender who committed the violence;
• experience a number of negative emotions when trying to touch them;
• According to descriptions of haptophobes, touch causes them to actually feel signs of burning or cold.

Fear of communicating with people

Fear of social interaction includes all social phobias. A social phobe is afraid of everything connected with other people. The fear of communicating with people is formed in childhood on the basis of unsuccessful interactions with peers, during public performances that ended in failure, all this leaves an imprint on the child’s psyche, making him a possible future sociopath and neurotic.

Fear of looking people in the eyes

Fear of people and society can also be expressed in such fear as ommatophobia - fear of the eyes. This strange and little-studied phobia manifests itself in the fear of looking at the interlocutor and when the interlocutor looks attentively and carefully at the anthropophobe. The gaze of an outsider is perceived as aggression and invasion of personal space, which causes panic and fear. A type of ommatophobia is the fear of the “evil” eye; a person is afraid that he will be jinxed or damaged.

Fear of talking to people

Homilophobia is the fear of people being in an awkward, awkward position because of an incorrectly spoken remark. Fear of talking to people may stem from a fear of being intrusive or attracting attention. A person susceptible to homilophobia experiences severe anxiety and excitement, even when he needs to ask a simple question, for example, asking for directions - he believes that he will be considered ridiculous and funny. The mechanism of occurrence of homilophobia is not fully understood.

Fear of strangers

This phobia is inherent at the genetic level in all people on Earth. Xenophobia - for some it is expressed in an exaggerated version: hatred of other ethnic groups, people of non-traditional orientation. In its usual manifestation, a person who is afraid of the company of strangers experiences wariness and fear towards everyone who is not his relatives. Often this is a huge problem for the person himself and leads to forced social isolation and loss to society.

How to get rid of social phobia?

Getting rid of phobias on your own is only possible if a person realizes that he has a problem. Among social phobes there are many who suddenly encounter the truth and realize that they have a phobic disorder, and having realized it, questions arise: what to do and how to stop being afraid of people? If it is not possible to visit a specialist, at the initial stage you can follow the following recommendations on how to stop being afraid of people and shy:

• find the reason - this will help you see the exaggeration of fear and one negative experience should not become a problem for the rest of your life;
• conscious work with negative thoughts - replacing them with positive ones;
• take control of the fear that has arisen;
• develop new behavior (start taking small steps towards fear, instead of the usual reaction of flight).