Strange phobias!

There are a lot of things that we tend to fear. Some have a fear of height, while others have a fear of clowns. These fears or phobias may come into being because of some trauma or personal experience, i.e. classical conditioning. It can also emerge from the observation of another person’s experience or reaction, i.e. vicarious fear acquisition. Fear can also develop in the mind according to what is told or described as a fearsome thing, situation or creature, i.e. informational/instructional fear acquisition. Some phobias are, unlike the other deep and dark ones, are really absurd, and may even seem funny to others. Let us find out about the top 10 strangest phobias that you probably didn’t know about.

10. Panphobia/Panophobia/Pantophobia/Omniphobia

This is a non-specific fear for some unknown evil. It is vague and persistent, but it is not registered in medical references as a type of phobia. Théodule-Armand Ribot, who coined the term, defined it as a state in which the person fears nothing in particular, and hence, his fear floats from one object to another, based on circumstances. In other words, it is a fear for everything. One can only imagine how the patient feels, being anxious all the time.

9. Somniphobia/Hypnophobia/Clinophobia

Most people day-dream about sleeping. Sleep is essential for the body. But, those who suffer from Somniphobia are scared of sleeping. Their irrational and excessive fear may be a fear for losing control, or losing time. Recurring nightmares may also lead to this kind of anxiety. Another major cause of this phobia is seeing someone else with sleep terror. Whatever be the trigger, it can cause severe mental and physical effects, with severe side effects and withdrawal symptoms of the drugs.

8. Euphobia

When it comes to hearing news, what almost all people suffer from is a fear of hearing bad news. But, not the Euphobic people. What they fear is hearing good news. This fear arises from a person’s previous disappointing experience, following a good news that fell through. There are also some people who thrive in the chaotic and negative aspects of life. Instead of feeling happy, they feel anxious or dismayed by good news, and often stay in groups of people who only display negativity.

7. Ablutophobia

If you have Ablutophobia, then there is one thing you have in common with your pet cat: neither of you is particularly fond of taking a bath. Ablutophobia is an irrational fear of washing, cleaning or bathing which is specific to situations. Abnormal, persistent and unwarranted, this fear may arise due to past traumas, emotional instabilities or distressing experiences or ideas. Though generally, men are associated with untidiness, this fear is ironically seen in women. Some children have it, too.

6. Ortographobia

This is the fear of making spelling mistakes. It has been derived from the word, Orthography, which means, the conventional spelling system of a language. People with this kind of phobia are likely to suffer from poor written communication skills, and they also find it hard to score well in theory papers. This is because, the constant fear deviates their concentration and stifles the creative process and flow of writing. Regular practice of spellings and dictations can help control this fear.

5. Deipnophobia

If you can’t remember when you last you were willing to participate in a dinner conversation with your family, maybe it’s Deipnophobia at play. It is the fear of engaging in conversations during dinner time. It isn’t necessary for such people to be shy, but, their lack of enthusiasm to chat is particularly for the meal time in groups. This can be triggered by embarrassing experience during meals with families, or for being told not to talk while eating.

4. Venustraphobia/Caligynephobia

If the presence of a pretty lady gets your palm sweaty and you get tongue-tied in front of the pretty woman you like, if you want to run away in the opposite direction if you see a beautiful stranger walking up to you, then you are suffering from Venustraphobia. There are many who have this irrational and exaggerated fear for women. Luckily, support groups and therapy can help get over this social awkwardness.

3. Ergophobia

The entire world can unanimously agree that they suffer from Ergophobia, because there is hardly a soul on the earth who likes to get up on Monday mornings and go to work. Yes, Ergophobia is the persistent fear of work or finding employment. It could arise due to performance anxiety or social phobia. Even though sometimes, the sufferer himself realizes that the fear is irrational. It could be a combination of different anxieties, be it emotional, psychological or physiological.

2. Nomophobia

This fear is rather modern, if you will. The term is an abbreviation of sorts for ‘no-mobile-phone phobia,’ coined in 2010. Many people tend to get anxious if they lose or forget their phones, run out of battery, or have no network coverage. The reasons could be plenty: missing out on important calls, the inability to reach out for help during a possible emergency, being out of reach, etc. Do you think everyone is Nomophobic? Actor Rob Pattinson and supermodel Tyra Banks definitely aren’t.

1. Phobophobia – The 10 Strangest Phobias:

This is an irrational fear of phobias. People suffering from it generally go with their gut feeling and fear that phobia is ensuing. It can also be defined as the fear of developing some form of phobia. This complex condition is developed by the unconscious mind due to several reasons. At the risk of sounding like an alliteration – or more like a ‘phobia’-ception, – it can be stated that Phobophobia is the phobia of phobias, or fear of fears.

There are several other Experiences, whether personal or of others, as well as lessons, instil many fears in the minds of people in a life-time, but, no one is really born with deep-rooted phobias. So, it is a good idea to not scare small children unnecessarily, just in order to tame them. It can leave effects so deep that the child will grow up to go any length to avoid what they fear most, even if it is something really silly, as a result of which, they can be joked about by others.