Zoophobia (Zoophobia)

Zoophobia (from the Greek words zoo - “animal” and phobia - “fear”) is a mental disorder characterized by an obsessive, unrealistic and constant fear of animals.

People suffering from zoophobia experience severe anxiety and discomfort at the sight or even the thought of contact with animals. Their fear may be caused by all types of animals or only some, such as dogs, cats, snakes, etc.

Symptoms of zoophobia include panic attacks, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, chills and sweating. A person may avoid places where animals may be, such as zoos or homes with pets. Some people may be reluctant to go outside for fear of running into an animal.

The causes of zoophobia may be related to a traumatic experience in the past, such as being bitten or attacked by an animal. Also, the development of a phobia can be influenced by upbringing, if in childhood a person was constantly told that animals are dangerous. Genetic predisposition also plays a role.

Psychotherapy is used to treat zoophobia, in particular gradual exposure techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal is to help a person realize the irrationality of their fears and develop skills to cope with anxiety when meeting the object of a phobia. In some cases, medications are prescribed. With proper treatment, most people can learn to control their zoophobia.

Zoophobia: Fear of Animals

Zoophobia is a specific irrational fear that relates to living beings in general or specific species of the animal world. Like any other phobia, zoophobia can be caused by various reasons, but are mainly associated with the physical characteristics of the animal. Some types of zoophobia may even show aggression or may turn people off.

Causes of zoophobia

Most causes of zoophobia can be divided into social and genetic. The socio-biological causes of zoophobia are due to a large number of stress factors and poor communication between people and their pets. A negative mental environment, poor living conditions and a constant lack of attention and communication with the owners are responsible for this side effect. Because of this, pets become a burden to their owners.

In contrast to these situations, genetic zoophobia may be a manifestation of negative changes in the DNA of our ancestors. This type of phobia can be passed on from generation to generation. Perhaps in ancient times, some representatives of previous eras sensed a genetically unpleasant animal odor or other characteristics that could aggravate their zoophobia.

Main types and examples of zoophobia

The most common form of zoophobia in the world is the fear of cats. However, this phobia is also quite common among Ukrainians, although animal psychologists claim that the nature of the body’s response to individual felines may be different. A separate group are permocynophobics - people who are afraid of snakes. Other types include latestinophobia (fear of hedgehogs), caniophobia (fear of dogs) and others.

Phobias of some animals (fox, wild boar, elephant) usually lead to more serious stress, since they are associated with danger to humans or certain animal needs. These cases are most common in women.