User:Kameron.McBride/sandbox

Welcome to my Sandbox!

Comments

I see a lot of progress in introducing new sections like Symptoms and Treatments. So far, the content is more note-like, with separate sentences linked to sources rather than a continuous narrative. I'm sure you are planning to work on this aspect as you get the article in shape for Tuesday. It might be really useful if one person could act as general editor to encourage continuity and accurate language throughout. In the History list, I see a lot of contributions by Kameron and a few by other members. I'll be looking to see what everyone has contributed to the online version next week. I think this is a really interesting topic and look forward to seeing it develop. —Webster Newbold (talk) 02:09, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

Final few comments: looking pretty good to go on-wiki. Areas still needing work include 1) making references complete and accurate, and reasonably consistent. Some refs need publication data, authors need to be put first, some links are just external pointers while others are given in full. 2) Minor formatting; Some sentences are separated out and should be put together in a paragraph. 3) Copy editing for style and correctness--I've put some bolded comments in brackets to point out problems I saw. —Webster Newbold (talk) 04:00, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

General Overview

Scopophobia or scoptophobia (from Greek σκοπέω - skopeō, "look to, examine" and φόβος - phobos, "fear") is an anxiety disorder characterized by a morbid fear of being seen or stared at by others. It is related to Ophthalmophobia (from Greek ὀφθαλμός- ophthalmos, "eye"). Scopophobia can also be associated with a pathological fear of drawing attention to oneself.

History

General phobias have been around for centuries. The concept of social phobias have been referred to as far back as 400 B.C. One of the first references to social phobias, such as scopophobia, lies in a statement Hippocrates made about the overly shy individual. Hippocrates explained that a shy person, "loves darkness as light" and "thinks every man observes him."

The actual term "Social Phobia" was first coined by French psychiatrist Pierre Janet in 1903. He used this term to describe his patients who exhibited a fear of being observed as they were participating in daily activities such as talking, playing the piano, or writing.

In the 1906 psychiatric journal The Alienist and Neurologist, scopophobia was described:

Then, there is a fear of being seen and a shamefacedness, which one sees in asylums. [...] We called it scopophobia — a morbid dread of being seen. In minor degree, it is morbid shamefacedness, and the patient covers the face with his or her hands. In greater degree, the patient will shun the visitor and escape from his or her sight where this is possible. Scopophobia is more often manifest among women than among men.

Later, on p. 285 scopophobia is defined as "a fear of seeing people or being seen, especially of strange faces."

Causes

Scopophobia is unique among phobias in that the fear of being looked at is considered both a Social Phobia and a Specific Phobia, because it is a specific occurrence which takes place in a social setting. Most phobias typically fall in either one category or the other but Scopophobia can be placed in both. On the other hand, as with most phobias, Scopophobia generally arises from a traumatic event in the victim's life. With Scopophobia, it is likely that the person was subjected to public ridicule as a child. It is also possible that the person suffering from scopopobia is often subject to public staring, possibly due to a deformity or physical ailment.

According to the Social Phobia/Social Anxiety association, as of 2012, U.S. government data shows social anxiety affects over 7% of the population at any given time. Stretched over a lifetime, the percentage increases to 13%. In addition, studies have shown that Social Anxiety is the third largest health care problem in the world.

Related syndromes

Though scopophobia is a solitary disorder, many individuals with scopophobia are commonly subject to other anxiety disorders as well. Scopophobia has been related to many other irrational fears and phobias. Specific phobias and syndromes that are similar to scopophobia include erythrophobia, the fear of blushing (which is found especially in young people), as well as the epileptic's fear that being looked at may precipitate an attack. Scopophobia is also commonly associated with schizophrenia and other psychological illnesses. However, it is not considered a symptom of another disease, but rather a psychological problem that can be cured on its own. Erving Goffman suggested that shying away from casual glances in the street remained one of the characteristic symptoms of psychosis in public. Many Scophophobia victims develop habits of voyeurism or exhibitionism. Another related, yet very different, syndrome to scopophobia is known as scopophilia. Schopophilia is not the fear of being looked at, but rather the enjoyment of being looked at or looking at another.

Psychoanalytic views

Building on Freud's concept of the eye as erogenous zone, psychoanalysts have linked scopophobia to a (repressed) fear of looking, as well as to an inhibition of exhibitionism. Freud also referred to Scopophobia as a "dread of the evil eye" and "the function of observing and criticizing the self" during his research into the "eye" and "transformed I's."

The equation of being looked at with a feeling of being criticized or despised reveals shame as a motivating force behind scopophobia. In the self-consciousness of adolescence, with its increasing awareness of the Other as constitutive of the looking glass self, shame may exacerbate feelings of erythrophobia and scopophobia.

Symptoms & Effects

Individuals with scopophobia generally exhibit symptoms in social situations when attention is brought upon them. A specific example of a social situation in which this may occur would be speaking in front of a large group of people. Several other triggers exist to cause social anxiety. Some examples include: Being introduced to new people, being teased and/or criticized, embarrassing easily, and even answering a cell phone call in public.

Often Scopophobia will result in symptoms common with other anxiety disorders. Many symptoms of Scopophobia include: an irrational feeling of panic, feeling of terror, feeling of dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dry mouth, trembling, anxiety, and extreme avoidance measures taken. Other symptoms related to scopophobia are: hyperventilation, muscle tension, dizziness, uncontrollable shaking or trembling, excessive eye watering or redness of the eyes.

A great deal of research has been done to link scopophobia to irregular sexual tendencies. Scopophobia can potentially affect one's sexual maturity: "According to this line of thinking, the failure to develop a mature sexuality could lead to an obsessive scopophilia (exhibitionism and voyeurism) or its opposite, scopophobia (the fear of being seen)."

Treatments

There are several different options for treatment of scopophobia. One such treatment option for those suffering with Scopophobia is to be stared at for a prolonged period of time and then describe their feelings. The hope is that the individual will either be desensitized to being stared at or discover the root of their Scopophobia.

Exposure therapy is another treatment that is commonly prescribed. There are five steps to exposure therapy:

• evaluation
• feedback
• developing a fear hierarchy
• exposure
• building

In the evaluation stage, the individual suffering from scopophobia would describe their fear to the therapist and try to figure out when and why this fear developed. The feedback stage is when the therapist offers a way of treatment for the phobia. When one develops a fear hierarchy, they create a list of scenarios involving their fear, with each one becoming worse and worse. Exposure involves exposing oneself to the scenarios and situations of their fear hierarchy. Finally, building is when the patient has become comfortable with one step and moves on to the next step.

As with any problems humans have, there are support groups for Scopophobia victims. Being around individuals who suffer from the same issues can often create a more comfortable environment.

In extreme cases of Scopophobia, it is possible for the subject to be prescribed anti–anxiety medications. . The medications that can be prescribed include benzodiazepines, antidepressants, or beta-blockers. Suggested treatments for Scopophobia include Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and Energy Psychology

Cultural examples

• In The Neverending Story, the Acharis are a race of beings so ashamed of their ugliness that they never appear in daylight.

• In The Conversation, Harry Caul exhibits several symptoms of Scopophobia.

• In his novels, Ernest Hemingway's characters often display many traits of Scopophobia.

• It has been noted that Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window has a subtext of Scopophobia

• Scopophobia has also been used as a term to describe the reluctance of historians to consider photographs as historical documents.

• Scopophobia is the name of of a DvD release by the band Therapy?. The DvD includes footage of their tour for the 2003 album High Anxiety.

• "Scopophobia" is the name of a song on the the metal band War From a Harlots Mouth's album "Voyuer."

• The character Ryōshi Morino in Ōkami-san (novel series) suffers from this. He wears his hair long to avoid eye contact, and breaks down into a whimpering mess when he notices people staring at him.

See also

• Evil Eye
• Gaze
• Generalized other
• Ideas of reference and delusions of reference
• List of phobias
• Scopophilia
• Social anxiety
• Stage fright
• Surveillance
• Psychosexual development

Further reading

Moss Hart, Lady in the Dark (New York 1941]

External links

• Scopophobia, The Fear of Being Stared At

Category:Phobias Category:Visual perception