Androphobia

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Androphobia is a pathological fear of men. It originated within feminist and lesbian movements to balance the completely different term "gynophobia". The term androphobia differs from misandry, as it is the hatred towards men. A person who's afraid of men is androphobic. Androphobia is a type of specific phobia and people who have this phobia feel safe in areas devoid of men.

Etymology

The word "androphobia" derives from Greek ἀνδρός andrós meaning man and -φοβία phobía meaning fear.

Symptoms and causes

Symptoms

A child who's androphobic may scream, cry, flee or try to hide from a man. Reactions improve as the child gets older. Symptoms of androphobia includes dizziness, a dry mouth, a feeling of extreme fear, stuttering, nausea, stomach pain, shaking, hyperventilation, high heart rate, muscle tension, headache and aching muscles. Other symptoms include having anxious behavior when thinking about men, naturally avoiding a male or panicking when encountering a man or group of men that are in close proximity.

Causes

Androphobia may be caused by negative past experiences such as sexual, physical or emotional abuse committed by men. This may result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as androphobia. Both men and women can experience androphobia. Specific phobias like adrophobia happens due to the brain's neural pathway which is responsible for defensive behavior, being dysfunctional. One part of the brain named the amygdala becomes over-stimulated and increases emotional responses people have to certain things.

Treatments

Treatments for androphobia includes frequent therapeutic sessions. The following three most used psychotherapy includes:

Talk therapy

Most therapy sessions are psychotherapy such as talk therapy, in which the patient and the therapist discuss on the problems and the best way to to deal with the phobia.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that allows a patient to confront their fears in a safe place. This method is used to avoid the suppression of androphobia, as it makes the phobia worse. Over time, the exposure to men will eventually end androphobia.

Congnitive-behavioral therapy

This is a form of psychological treatment that is designed to set a conservation between the patient and the therapist/counselor. This is a conversation about androphobia and its related fears and triggers. This method is designed to assist the patient in becoming more aware of their illogical fear towards men. The purpose of the therapy is for the patient to manage their fear, be aware of the physical triggers and how to calm those triggers, and turn their negative emotions into positive ones. Medicines are also used in cognitive-behavioral therapies.

See also

• Gynophobia
• List of phobias
• Specific social phobia
• Fear of children

References

This article "Androphobia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Androphobia. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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