Taijin Kyofusho (phobia Of Being A Nuisance): Symptoms And Treatment
Communicating with our peers is something very important for human beings, being in fact one of the bases that has allowed the development and evolution of our species. It is something complex that is subject to interpretation of both words and actions, and which can sometimes be judged.
Sometimes fears or even phobias may appear in this sense, some of them influenced by the mentality of certain cultures and groups. This is the case of the syndrome known as Taijin Kyofusho which we are going to talk about next.
The name Taijin Kyofusho is a psychological alteration or condition characterized by the presence of a disproportionate and irrational fear that the communicative acts themselves, our body or physiological reactions are noticed, judged, and considered uncomfortable or annoying by other people
This is a type of phobia very similar to social phobia, which until recently It has been considered a cultural syndrome typical of Japan and to a lesser extent Korea However, it has now been observed that similar alterations exist in other parts of the world, and that some of their variants may correspond to other problems.
Symptoms
The possibility that other people feel discomfort or annoyance at different aspects of our encounter or our interaction with them generates a very high level of panic and anxiety, which can also generate physiological reactions such as tachycardia, hyperventilation, sweating, nausea and vomiting. It also usually generates an avoidance of contact with others, or the use of mechanisms such as masks to avoid exposing aspects such as breath or smile.
Taijin Kyofusho is a general concept that encompasses the fear that our exposure to society may be a nuisance, but it usually includes four much more specific subcategories.
1. Sekimen-kyofu
This term refers to the phobia of turning red in public and making it somewhat uncomfortable for everyone else.
2. Shubo-kyofu
In this case, the phobia is linked to the perception of one’s own body as something deformed or to dissatisfaction with one’s own body: it is the phobia that the sight of our body or figure is annoying or uncomfortable.
3. Jikoshisen-kyofu
This phobia refers to the phobia of maintaining eye contact, something that generates panic at the idea of the discomfort it can represent
4. Jikoshu-kyofu
Body odor is in this case the stimulus that generates panic and anxiety, or rather the idea that it can cause discomfort in others.
Difference from conventional social phobia
The truth is that Taijin Kyofusho could be considered a variant of social phobia since they are deeply linked and are based on the panic of being socially exposed.
However, there are some nuances that mean that we are talking more about a differentiated variant: in social phobia, panic is about being judged negatively, while in this variant of fear it is more linked to being a nuisance to others.
Likewise, typical components that could be identified with other phobias such as erythrophobia can also be found.
Causes of this alteration
The causes of taijin kyofusho syndrome are not yet fully known, especially considering how specific it has been until recently.
However, as a variant of social phobia it is possible to establish hypotheses in this regard. It is considered that it can be product of previous traumatic experiences during development and early socialization perhaps the subject being scolded or marginalized for any of the above aspects (especially by parents, partners or circles of friends or in general by highly significant people), for considering themselves inadequate or incompetent, having low self-esteem or for having observed how someone was judged for some of the phobic stimuli mentioned.
It is also associated with a lack or limitation of opportunities for normative social interaction. It is also associated with shy and inhibited personalities, or extremely self-controlled ones.
The reason that Taijin Kyofusho is so relatively common in Japan and Korea, and that in fact has led to its consideration as a culture-dependent syndrome, is due to the type of thinking and mentality typical of these cultures. In fact, it has been observed a higher prevalence in collectivistic cultures like those already mentioned, given that in them there is a much greater tendency than in individualistic ones to generate personal identity based on social consideration.
It can also derive from the high level of social demands that societies such as Japan maintain, with very high demands and expectations for all its citizens.
Treatment
Taijin kyofusho is a phobic-type problem that, like other phobias, can be treated.
Firstly, it would be necessary to analyze which stimuli generate fear, the meaning that the subject gives it, when the phobia originated and why the person believes it appeared. Likewise, it would be necessary to assess the contexts in which it usually appears, if there are some in which it does not do so, and the difficulties it generates for the person on a daily basis. Also what importance is given to socialization, What would it mean to be a nuisance to others? or why you think it might be.
Once this is done, one of the most common therapies is exposure therapy, in which little by little and in a graduated manner the subject is exposed to a series of situations so that they can face anxiety. Firstly, an exposure hierarchy would be created together with the patient and little by little the exposures would be carried out, each item being carried out until in at least two successive exposures the anxiety is significantly reduced before moving on to the next.
At the same time, the set of beliefs regarding oneself, society or the way of interacting with it could be worked on through techniques such as cognitive restructuring. The objective would be to generate interpretations of reality that are more adaptive than the original ones, linked to the idea of the negative effects of one’s own presence on others. It would also be necessary try to reduce self-demand and the importance given to the expectations that are considered to be had on us.
In severe cases, the use of pharmacological treatment may be required, in order to reduce the level of anxiety while learning to manage it.
