Last Updated on April 13, 2023 by Mike Robinson
Anuptaphobia is a specific phobia in which a person fears being single. People with this psychological disorder have intense fear whenever they are in a situation where they have no partner or think they may soon be single
Knowing what qualities characterize the fear experienced is necessary to break down this anxiety disorder. All people can suffer from the fear of being single at different phases in their lives.
Especially when we end a relationship or start having problems with our partner, we may experience sadness or fear at these times. These feelings may turn into thoughts about being alone and losing the companion we’ve had for so long.
There are stages in our lives related to commitment, having children, or forming a family. We can become predisposed and get nervous at the idea of not having a person with whom to share these plans for the future.
Common Symptoms
However, anuptaphobia goes beyond a simple fear of being single. To qualify as a phobia, the anxiety experienced must meet several characteristics.
1: It is disproportionate.
The fear experienced in anuptaphobia is disproportionate to the danger and risks of being single.
Although individuals suffering from this type of phobia will experience an extremely high level of fear, they are in no real danger. Since everyone is single at different times, it is a normal part of life.
This first diagnostic aspect can be ambiguous since it is often difficult to define when the fear of not having a partner is disproportionate.
However, in general terms, intense fear with high sensations of terror can be considered phobic.
2: It can not be explained.
The person with anuptaphobia cannot explain why he experiences such intense sensations of fear at the idea of not having a partner.
In this way, although the individual can carry out logical reasoning about the other aspects of his life, it will be difficult to find explanations for the fear he experiences regarding his sentimental situation.
3: It is beyond voluntary control.
Like most other anxiety disorders, the person can’t control the feelings of fear and anxiety.
Fear seizes their mind, and the individual can’t reduce or eliminate it.
4: It leads to the avoidance of the feared situation.
People who have anuptaphobia will try to avoid, by all means, being single.
This fear can sometimes become obsessive behaviors such as searching for a partner or never wanting to end relationships.
5- Persists over time
This type of anxiety does not come and go at specific moments but remains over time.
For example, a person without anuptaphobia may experience fear of being single in sensitive moments of their lives. This is part of normal human nature. But the individual suffering from this phobia will have a constant and permanent fear of not having a partner.
6: Difficulty adapting to their environment.
Because an individual with anuptaphobia can’t control their fear, and it is always present, they have other social problems. This phobia makes adapting to their social environment challenging because of the constant fear of being single. Although no real danger exists, the constant fear of becoming single or staying single causes substantial behavior changes.
Specific characteristics of anuptaphobia
Those with anuptaphobia constantly have a concrete fear of the idea or reality of being single.
To distinguish the fear caused by anuptaphobia from the non-pathological fear of being single, we must examine the clinical characteristics of this disorder.
Three main areas that are altered by anuptaphobia can be defined: physiological, cognitive, and behavioral.
1: Physiological plan
Anuptaphobia involves a very high and intense fear response.
The responses begin with physiological responses produced by an increase in the activity of the central nervous system (SNA).
The primary responses are usually an increased heart rate, increased breathing and sweating, muscle tension, pupillary dilation, dry mouth, and in some cases, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.
The symptoms are similar to those we feel when faced with life-threatening situations.
2: Changes in thoughts and beliefs occur
On the cognitive level, the individual with anuptaphobia will exhibit a variety of beliefs regarding the dreaded scenario, i.e., being single.
These beliefs consist of negative characteristics and pessimistic views of one’s coping abilities.
Frequent thoughts include, “I will never find a relationship,” “I will always be alone,” “no one will love me,” and “I will never be happy.”
3-Behavioral changes occur
The influence of the individual’s dread on their behavior and actions is the final criterion for determining the presence of anuptaphobia.
The fear and manifestations we have discussed directly affect the individual’s behavior.
Behaviors can vary in each case, although the most common behaviors are usually resistance to separation, obsessive search for a partner, and pessimism or even depression while being single.
Signs of jealousy and dependence
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, the fear of not having a partner depends on many factors, most of which refer to the individual’s personality traits.
Those who have anuptaphobia have character traits characterized by dependence and jealousy.
The fear of being single can cause someone to become overly dependent on and jealous of their partners. The individual may believe they will only be well if they keep their partner. Therefore, their stability relies on the status of their relationship.
Likewise, the fear of losing the partner may lead to a series of behaviors, including jealousy. This behavior is a behavior disorder under these circumstances.
The relationship between anuptaphobia, dependence, and jealousy is present on both sides of the coin.
Thus, the fear of not having a partner can lead to dependency and loneliness. Additionally, feelings of dependence and jealousy can lead to anuptaphobia.
A thorough psychological study should occur for individuals who experience these three responses to determine the pathology’s personality characteristics and development.
Causes of anuptaphobia
Many factors can influence the development of agoraphobia.
Researchers believe there is no single cause for this type of disorder and that its appearance depends on the combination of different environmental factors.
The most common are those that have to do with experiences during the first stages of life.
Particularly suffering from painful events associated with commitment and emotional relationships, such as seeing a nasty divorce, might be significant factors.
Similarly, getting verbal confirmation during childhood is a key factor.
Growing up in a stable family might also predispose an individual to develop anuptaphobia if their family culture places disproportionate significance on married life.
The personality traits mentioned above, such as dependence or low self-esteem, are other risk factors that can lead to this disorder.
Finally, experts agree that the presence of pressure and social rejection among single older adults may increase the prevalence of this disorder.
Why should anuptaphobia be treated?
Anuptaphobia is a disorder that can deteriorate people’s lives.
Individuals with this disorder can experience very high sensations and symptoms of anxiety. These symptoms affect their behavior and quality of life.
Furthermore, overcoming this specific phobia without the help of mental health professionals is practically impossible.
However, as with most specific phobias, requests for help from individuals with anuptaphobia are not common.
Most people who seek psychological help to overcome their phobia do so for one of these three reasons:
- Something has changed in the patient’s life, making the phobic stimulus impossible to ignore or avoid.
- A sudden event has caused specific fears that did not exist before.
- The person is tired of living with a particular fear and decides, by themselves or with help, to finally solve their problem.
Treatments for anuptaphobia
One of the most favorable aspects of anuptaphobia is that you can overcome it with the appropriate interventions.
In treating this disorder, drugs are not usually used, except in cases where the anxiety response is exceptionally high.
Otherwise, psychotherapy is the primary intervention patients should use.
Specifically, cognitive behavioral therapy can provide effective techniques for treating anuptaphobia.
The techniques of systematic desensitization, exposure in imagination, cognitive therapy, and relaxation are the psychological treatments that are used most frequently in this type of treatment.
Through these techniques, the patient is exposed to the feared elements. Work is done to reduce the avoidance response so that the individual gradually becomes accustomed to his fears and develops skills that allow him to face them.
Related article: Effects of Social Phobia on Educational Performance
