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Fear of Men - Androphobia
Beliefs

Androphobia – The Fear of Men

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The Excessive Fear of Men, or Androphobia

Do you tremble at the thought of talking to men? Does being in a room full of men fill you with dread?

Does the prospect of meeting up with male colleagues or even family members cause headaches, sleepless nights, or excessive sweating? Do you find it difficult to concentrate on day-to-day activities when surrounded by men? If your answer to these questions is yes, you are most likely suffering from androphobia.

This phobia may cause you to completely cut off any social contact and avoid working at places that have male employees. You might stop visiting places where you would be expected to talk to men.

Since androphobia is considered an irrational fear, it can become difficult to openly discuss your issues with someone. You might also hesitate to seek professional help, fearing judgment.

However, androphobia is not an incurable problem. With the right help and treatment, you can overcome the phobia of men. But first, it’s important to acknowledge that you have this condition.

What Is Androphobia All About?

What is androphobia? In simple terms, androphobia is defined as the phobia of men, or fear of men. Those with this phobia have an irrational and persistent fear of anyone or anything associated with the male gender.

The term is derived from the Greek words andros, meaning “man” and phobos, meaning “fear.” Some say the word androphobia can be traced back to feminist and lesbian-feminist movements. In those contexts, androphobia is a counter to the word “gynophobia,” which is defined as the fear of women.

How common is androphobia? Although it affects both men and women, women are more likely to be diagnosed with or suffer from androphobia. Moreover, younger women and girls are at a higher risk of suffering from androphobia than older females.

There are two types of androphobia. Homosocial androphobia involves men fearing other men. Heterosocial androphobia occurs when women fear men. Both of these categories of androphobia are triggered by the fear of masculinity.

Androphobia is categorized as a form of specific phobia since it is an irrational and overpowering form of fear of men. In such phobias, the object of fear may not pose an actual danger or threat. However, this extreme fear still overpowers individuals.

If not treated, androphobia may last a lifetime. Phobias can affect one’s ability to form healthy relationships and carry out daily activities.

Causes of Androphobia

It is generally believed that those who have had unpleasant and traumatic experiences with men tend to develop androphobia. In 70 percent of all cases, the individual was a victim of sexual assault by a man.

Other reasons for developing androphobia include:

  • Negative experiences with men that do not necessarily indicate sexual assault
  • Hearing about negative experiences with men from friends, families, or even strangers
  • Abuse and neglect at the hands of men
  • Seeing or reading about incidents where others, particularly women, have been abused or assaulted by men, including incidents such as domestic violence, assault, abduction, and killing of women at the hands of men
  • Genetics and learned behavior from family members
  • Changes to the functioning of the brain

In certain societies, women and girls are forced by social standards to stay away from men. This is done by limiting their interaction with males or instilling a sense of fear. Such females may develop androphobia even if they have not had any unpleasant or traumatic encounters with men. Even if they go on to have male friends, they can’t form healthy relationships because of a fear of male attention. Often, they feel scared of working with or being in the company of men.

Individuals who are already suffering from anxiety or depression may also be at a higher risk of developing androphobia.

Symptoms of Androphobia

Do you have androphobia? The best way to find out is to consult a mental health professional, especially if you have any of these tell-tale symptoms:

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Confusion
  • Fear of losing control
  • Difficulty in concentration
  • Anger
  • Irritability and quick-tempered
  • Mood swings
  • Feeling withdrawn and isolated
  • Fear of dying
  • Frequent nightmares involving men
  • Erratic sleeping patterns
  • Feelings of hopelessness and dejection
  • An impending feeling of dread
  • Inability to calm down

Physical Symptoms

  • Dizziness
  • Palpitations and irregular heartbeat
  • Body aches
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Excessive sweating
  • Shortness of breath
  • Frequent headaches
  • Prickly sensation all over the body
  • Dryness in mouth
  • Increase in blood pressure
  • Ringing sound in ears

Typically, an individual with androphobia will go out of their way to avoid interaction with men. They may only visit places that only have females. Some refuse to go out at all, fearing an encounter with men.

Self-Help Techniques for Androphobia

If you choose to cope with androphobia on your own, there are several ways to go about it.

  • Begin by increasing your physical activity. Try yoga postures, particularly focusing on those that help to relax your muscles and mind.
  • Meditation can also help to overcome androphobia. Focus on your inhalation and exhalation, along with other breathing techniques.
  • Schedule rigorous physical activity daily. Examples are jogging, brisk walking, and aerobics.
  • Reduce your intake of caffeine and junk food.
  • Join a self-help group. You can help each other overcome your phobias by sharing your androphobia stories. Their experiences will resonate with you and provide the assurance that you’re not alone.

 

Seeking Professional Help

If you’re unable to treat androphobia on your own, seek professional guidance. A therapist will recommend methods to help better manage your phobia or, in some cases, to overcome it completely. Let’s look at some of these methods in detail.

Exposure Therapy

Here, a therapist will expose you to things and situations that you associate with men. In time, you’ll also be asked to interact with a man or men under supervision. Such a method works to change negative thoughts, responses, and sensations.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Under CBT, a therapist uses exposure therapy along with a host of other therapeutic techniques to desensitize you to the things or people you fear. With CBT, your therapist will help you perceive your fears in a manner different from what you typically do. This allows you to cope with the physical sensations related to androphobia.

You’ll also get input on how to tackle the emotional impact androphobia has had on your life. Ultimately, CBT will help you gain confidence in dealing with your fears.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

In DBT, the therapist will help you learn to control your emotions when your fear comes to mind. One way to do this is using a method called “half-smiling.” You’ll be asked to lift the corners of your mouth slightly whenever you think about men or anything masculine.

How Can You Avoid Androphobia Altogether?

If you’re having a hard time managing your androphobia symptoms, you may need to completely avoid men or masculine things. This could include staying at home or refraining from places where there is a possibility of talking to men. If you’re a student, you could try and enroll in an all-girls school or exclusive college rather than a co-educational institution. However, these measures aren’t foolproof, and the likelihood of encountering men at some point in your day or week are high.

Conclusion

Androphobia can be managed, either on your own or with professional assistance. Like other forms of phobia, it will take time to see results. With a little work, you’ll be able to interact with men with confidence.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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