Arenophobia (phobia of Men): Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

How many people do we come across every day? We go out into the street and find hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people circulating around us. Among them we find men and women of very different ages, races, conditions, preferences and tastes.

For most people this is no problem, but there are people who experience feelings of intense panic when they see someone with specific characteristics appear. Some people have such sensations when confronted, for example, with a man. And not with one in particular, but anyone. This is what happens to people with arenophobia a very limiting phobia that we are going to talk about in this article.

What is arenophobia?

What is understood as arenophobia? irrational and extreme fear or panic towards all men It is a specific phobia in which an uncontrolled and disproportionate aversion, fear and panic towards men in general appears, continuously and persistently for at least six months. In the presence of a man or the possibility or thought that one appears, the affected person may suffer alterations such as tachycardia, hyperventilation, dizziness, sweating and tremors, nausea and vomiting, and may suffer an anxiety crisis. Due to this fear, the subject will systematically avoid approaching men and places where they may be especially prevalent.

This phobia is unusual and occurs mainly in women, but it can also occur in men who fear exposing themselves to other men. It is important to keep in mind that we are facing a real and totally involuntary problem, not a chosen contempt for the male figure. That is to say, it is not that this person does not like men, but rather that he feels an atrocious and uncontrollable panic every time he sees one approaching.

Unlike other phobias, which, although limiting, generally do not pose a great threat on a day-to-day basis (for example, we generally do not have to take a flight or draw blood every day), the phobia of men or arrenophobia, also known as androphobia, represents a severe limitation in all areas of life, since in practically every activity we carry out we will find both men and women. School, work, leisure… all of this will be experienced with a very high level of anxiety on the part of the affected people, who will often have to endure contact with men with great anxiety.

The avoidance that takes place can lead to employing strategies such as working from home, going to gyms or women-only environments, isolating oneself, and/or avoiding intimate contact and relationships. And this also obviously affects the emotional and couple level, avoiding intimate contact and commitment. Many of these people choose to stay single due to the panic that the male figure generates in them. This does not mean that they do not want a partner or that they do not appreciate men, but simply that their own reaction of suffering prevents or makes it very difficult for them to be close to one. And this can cause deep suffering.

What causes androphobia?

The causes of arenophobia are not, as is the case with the rest of the phobias, something clear and known. However, in this specific case a relationship has often been observed between the emergence of fear of men and suffering from some type of trauma or extremely aversive experience that a man has caused to the affected person.

In this way, it is common (although not necessary) that we are talking, both in women and men who suffer from this phobia, about people who have suffered sexual abuse or kidnapping, domestic violence (whether said violence is exercised against the person themselves or towards another) or parental abandonment. It is also important to distinguish arenophobia from post-traumatic stress disorder, which can also appear due to the experience of these traumatic events: if post-traumatic stress explained the alterations better, we would not be talking about this phobia.

It is also associated with culture: the traditional gender figure and role of men can generate panic in people educated so that they have to be submissive and obedient. Men who suffer from this phobia They can feel it by considering themselves inferior to what a man should be for them or what he considers other men to be.

Treatment

Arenophobia is a condition that implies a severe limitation for the person who suffers from it and that can cause a lot of suffering. That is why treating this phobia is necessary, and fortunately there are a large number of methods to do so.

As in other phobias, exposure to the feared stimulus without employing avoidance strategies for enough time so that the level of anxiety decreases until it becomes imperceptible is something that can be very useful. The use of systematic desensitization is recommended, making gradual exposure to increasingly phobic stimuli. If the level of anxiety is very high, you can start by doing an exhibition in imagination, to gradually get closer to the live exhibition or as an alternative in itself.

But in this phobia, and especially in those cases that have arisen as a result of experiencing some type of abuse or neglect, It is also essential to work on dysfunctional beliefs that the person may have with respect to men and with respect to himself. For this, cognitive restructuring is of great help.

Likewise, learning relaxation techniques can help the patient relieve the tension they feel due to exposure. Hypnotherapy has also been used in some cases.