The Anuptaphobia Is a specific phobia where the feared element lies in being single. OR The person suffering from this psychological alteration presents an extremely high fear whenever he is exposed to his dreaded situation, that is, whenever he has no partner or thinks he might not have it.
In order to correctly delimit this anxiety disorder , It is necessary to know exactly what are the qualities that characterize the fear experienced.
In fact, all people may have a certain fear of being single at many times in our lives.
Especially in those moments when we end a relationship or we begin to have problems with our partner, we can feel a certain fear of being alone and losing the company we have had for so long.
Similarly, in certain vital stages that relate to commitment, having children or forming a family, we may also be more predisposed to become nervous at the thought of not having a person with whom to materialize these plans for the future.
However, as we have been remarking, anupophobia goes beyond a simple fear of being single, so the fear that is experienced in this disorder must meet a number of characteristics.
1- It is disproportionate
The fear experienced in anupophobia is totally disproportionate to the demands of the situation.
This means that the individual suffering from this type of phobia will experience an extremely high fear, which does not respond to a situation that presents a real danger.
This first diagnostic aspect can be somewhat ambiguous since it is often difficult to delimit when the fear of not having a partner is disproportionate.
However, in general terms, that fear experienced with high feelings of terror can be considered as phobic.
2- Can not be explained or reasoned
The person who suffers from anupophobia is not able to explain why he experiences such high feelings of fear at the thought of not having a partner.
Thus, although the individual may carry out logical reasoning about the other aspects of his life, it will be difficult to find explanations to the fear that he experiences with respect to his sentimental situation.
3- It is beyond voluntary control
The anuptophobic, like any other person with an anxiety disorder, is not able to control the feelings of fear that he suffers.
Fear takes over your mind and is not able to reduce or mitigate it no matter how much you try to introduce opposing thoughts.
4- It leads to avoidance of the dreaded situation
People who suffer from anupophobia will try to avoid by all means the situation they fear the most, that is, being single.
This manifestation of fear can be translated into obsessive behaviors of search of couple or high resistances to end a sentimental relation.
5- Persistent over time
This anxiety disorder does not appear in isolation or at specific times, but remains with the passage of time.
Thus, while a person without anupophobia may experience fear of being single at delicate times in their life, the individual who suffers from this phobic disorder will have the fear of not having a constant and permanent partner.
6- Is maladaptive
It is considered that the fear that the person experiences does not fulfill adaptive functions, ie, does not respond to a real danger nor allows the individual to adapt adequately to their environment, rather the opposite.
How does anupophobia manifest?
As we have seen, anupophobia requires the experimentation of a concrete fear of the idea or reality of being single.
So, if you have a preference for having a partner, you do not feel comfortable when you do not have it but you do not experience a fear characterized by the 6 points that we just discussed, most likely do not suffer anupophobia.
However, often delimiting the properties of an emotion as intense and unpleasant as fear can be complicated.
In order to distinguish anupophobia from non-pathological fear of being single, it is very clear to take into account the clinical characteristics of this disorder.
In general terms, it is possible to delineate three main areas that are altered by the presence of anuptaphobia: the physiological plane, the cognitive plane and the behavioral plane.
1- Physiological plane
Anuptaphobia carries a very high and extremely intense fear response.
This activation is characterized by the implementation of a whole set of physiological responses produced by an increase in the activity of the Central Nervous System (SNA).
The main responses are increased heart rate, increased respiration and sweating, muscle tension, pupillary dilatation, dry mouth, and in some cases stomach pains, nausea and vomiting.
Thus, on a physical level, it manifests itself through the same activation that people experience when we are exposed to an element that can be highly dangerous to our integrity.
2- Cognitive plane
At the cognitive level the individual suffering from anuptaphobia will display a whole series of beliefs about the dreaded situation, that is, about having no partner.
These beliefs are often characterized by a series of negative attributes as well as pessimistic ideas about one's coping ability.
Thoughts like I will never find a partner, I will always be alone, no one will love me or I will never be happy are some of those who may appear more frequently.
3- Behavioral plane
Finally, the last element that is fundamental to delimit the presence of anuptaphobia lies in the affectation that has the fear about the behavior and the behavior of the person.
The fear, the fears and all the manifestations that we have discussed so far affect directly in the behavior of the individual.
This can vary in each case although the most habitual behaviors are usually resistance to separation, obsessive search of couple and behaviors of pessimism or even depressive when one is single.
A sign of cellophysics and dependence
As discussed at the beginning of the article, the fear of not having a partner depends on many different factors, most of them concerning personality characteristics of the individual.
Thus, very often, the anuptophobic have characteristic features characterized by the dependence and the Celestípia .
The high fear of being single can lead to dependency behaviors and beliefs, since the person may think that he will only be well if he is with his partner and deposit his stability in the permanence of the relationship.
Likewise, the fear of losing the sentimental partner may result in a series of behaviors and behaviors of jealousy, which would belong to the behavioral plane of the disorder.
The relationship between anuptaphobia, dependence and cellophilia can be made from both sides of the coin.
Thus, the fear of not having a partner can lead to feelings of dependence and lateness, just as feelings of dependence and jealousy can lead to anupophobia.
In those individuals who witness these three responses a thorough psychological study should be performed to know the personality characteristics and the development of the pathology.
Causes of anupophobia
There are many factors that can influence the development of anupophobia.
It is maintained that there is no single cause for this type of disorder and that its appearance depends on the conjunction of different factors, most of them environmental.
The most common are those that have to do with conditioning during the early stages of life.
Especially, suffering from traumatic experiences related to commitment and sentimental relationships such as having witnessed a bad separation from the parents can turn out to be important aspects.
Likewise, it is maintained that the obtaining of verbal information during childhood can also be a relevant element.
Being educated in an environment where too much importance is attached to life as a couple, having children or forming a stable family can also predispose to the development of anupophobia.
The personality traits discussed above such as dependence or low self-esteem are other risk factors that can lead to the onset of the disorder.
Finally, it is agreed that the social pressure and rejection that exists on the elderly can be factors that increase the prevalence of this disorder.
Why should anupophobia be treated?
Anuptaphobia is a disorder that can significantly deteriorate the life of people.
The individual with this disorder can be exposed to very high feelings and manifestations of anxiety, which can affect their behavior, their daily life, and especially their quality of life.
In addition, overcoming this alteration without help from mental health professionals is virtually impossible.
However, as in most specific phobias, the request for help from individuals with anupophobia is not usually common.
In fact, most people who seek psychological help to overcome their phobia do so by one of these three determinants:
- Something has changed in the life of the patient that makes the phobic stimulus become more present or relevant.
- An abrupt event has caused certain fears to appear that previously did not exist and condition its current life.
- The person is tired of living with a certain fear and decides, by itself or influenced by third parties, finally solve their problem.
Treatments for Anuptaphobia
One of the most optimistic aspects of anupophobia is that it can be overcome and remitted if appropriate interventions are applied.
In the treatment of this disorder drugs are not usually used, except in those cases in which the anxiety response is extremely high and the use of Anxiolytics For stabilization.
Thus, the main intervention to be applied in anupophobia is psychotherapy.
Specifically, Cognitive behavioral therapy Can provide techniques that are effective for the treatment of anupophobia.
The technique of systematic desensitization, exposure in imagination, cognitive therapy and relaxation are the psychological treatments that are most frequently used in this type of alterations.
Through these techniques the patient is exposed to the feared elements and work is done to avoid the avoidance response, so that little by little the individual becomes accustomed to their fears and is developing skills that allow him to face it.
References
- Belloch A., Sandín B. and Ramos F. Manual of Psychopathology. Volume II. Mc Graw Hill 2008.
- Capafons-Bonet, J.I. (2001). Effective psychological treatments for specific phobias. Psicothema, 13 (3), 447-452.
- Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSMIII). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1980.
- Marks I. Fears, phobias and rituals. Edt. Martinez Roca. Barcelona 1990.
- Mineka S, Zinbarg R. A contemporary learning theory perspective on the etiology of anxiety disorders: it is not what you thought it was. Am Psychol 2006; 61: 10-26.
- Trumpf J, Becker ES, Vriends N, et al. Rates and predictors of remission among young women with specific phobia: a prospective community study. J Anxiety Disord 2009; 23: 958-964.