What is the fear of clowns called ? This is a common question. We will understand it in more detail. Human life is filled with a wide variety of fears. Some of them are understandable and rational, while others grow from the depths of the subconscious and do not have a logical basis.
Description of the disease
In recent decades, the disease coulrophobia has spread. This personality disorder manifests itself as an uncontrollable fear of clowns.
In some cases, patients are afraid not only when they encounter living clowns, but they are even afraid of their images, figurines and toys. Studies conducted by eminent English scientists have shown that children aged 4 to 16 are most often afraid of clowns.
However, it is not so rare that fear of clowns persists in adults. Coulrophobia was most prevalent at the end of the last century.
According to the results of many social studies conducted on the Internet, more than half of the people surveyed do not like clowns or are afraid of them. These polls included people of various ages, nationalities, and professions. Most of the respondents explained their dislike of clowns by their ridiculous appearance and inappropriate humor.
Perhaps that is why in modern cinema, clowns are increasingly becoming the main characters in horror films.
Causes of Phobia
Behind the fear of clowns is often a number of serious subconscious reasons. Coulrophobia comes from a fear of the unknown. A clown with his appearance and behavior appears as a kind of symbol of this obscurity.
Firstly, a mask or make-up conceals the true face of a person dressed as a clown, the painted motionless smile is deceiving, and therefore it is impossible to understand real emotions. Such secrecy of the artist can confuse and frighten others.
Secondly, to attract the attention of the public, the clown uses such methods as loud speech and laughter, sharp fast movements and gestures. On a subconscious level, this is perceived as inappropriate behavior characteristic of mentally unhealthy people. Abnormality causes subconscious fear.
Third, most people fear public ridicule. And in their performances, clowns often invite random people from the audience to the stage, who make fun of them, exposing them in an absurd form. The audience’s laughter only enhances the feeling of awkwardness, especially if the clown’s jokes are inappropriate or affect personal experiences.
These reasons for fear of clowns are true for children and adults, but they usually scare young spectators much more.
Reasons for children's fear of clowns
Young children, for the most part, are afraid of everything unusual and new, especially strangers. What can we say about an adult stranger who has an unnaturally broad and bright smile on his face, especially if he screams loudly and waves his arms.
In addition, children are often much more sensitive than adults to public ridicule. Moreover, if an adult is able to control his emotions or take jokes with a share of self-irony, then the child often does not even understand why they laugh at him, which means that he cannot defend himself against ridicule. The absence of a number of parents also scares the child.
Makeup and costume do not allow the child to determine the gender of the clown, and the inability to understand the “aunt” or “uncle” in front of you can confuse and frighten the baby.
In addition, children feel much better the sincerity of other people, and therefore the simulated fun and mask with a joyful smile on their face repels the small viewer.
Signs of coulrophobia in adults and children
Manifestations of fear of clowns are similar to symptoms in other phobias. Typical clinical signs are increased blood pressure, increased sweating, trembling hands, muscle tension, pallor or redness of the skin. At the same time, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream, which accelerates muscle reactions and increases the body’s physical capabilities.
The psychological symptoms of an attack of the disease are similar to manifestations of other mental disorders of a similar nature. The meeting with the clown causes the patient panic attacks and an acute desire to leave the danger zone, in his opinion, as soon as possible. Sometimes the symptoms are so pronounced that the patient tries to hide in a corner, run away, begins to cry or scream. With a mild form, a person experiences a slight unconscious anxiety.
In the absence of a source of fear, the disease practically does not appear, without affecting the quality of life of the patient. For example, the need to visit a circus or watch a movie with the participation of a clown causes little concern, but there is no panic attack.
The consequences of a phobia of fear of clowns
Coulrophobia practically does not affect the patient's quality of life, since the irritating factor is not often found in everyday life. A much greater inconvenience to a person can be caused by the reaction of others to his illness. Fear of clowns is often perceived as something funny and insignificant. However, the patient should not be frivolous with the development of phobias, considering this fear shameful or "childish."
How to get rid of the disease fear of clowns?
Coulrophobia Treatment
Despite the fact that coulrophobia does not interfere in ordinary life, it is recommended to get rid of this disorder in a timely manner. Attempts to isolate oneself from the source of fear, as a rule, do not give a positive result, because there is always the possibility of an accidental meeting with a clown at a children's party or, for example, in a shopping center.
Since a sense of fear is not amenable to medical treatment, getting rid of the disease can only be done with the help of correctly selected psychotherapeutic methods.
Therapy consists in working with a psychologist or psychotherapist and gradually getting in touch with a source of fear. A specialist will help to understand the causes of phobia and change the patient's attitude to the traumatic situation.
Contact with the object of the phobia implies getting to know the artist acting as a clown, dressing up one of the relatives or the patient himself in a clown dress, or watching films and cartoons in which the clown is a good positive character.
Such treatment helps the patient realize that his reaction to the clown is natural, and the clown's appearance and behavior are just his stage image. The name of the disease fear of clowns is now known. But how to prevent it?
How to prevent the development of coulrophobia?
Since fear of clowns arises, as a rule, in childhood, parents should explain to the child as early as possible that a laughing character in a wig and a bright suit does not pose any threat.
To do this, it is useful for the child to be present when dressing the clown and applying or removing makeup. Thus, it will be easier for the child to understand that the clown is the same person as the others, for whom conducting performances in a strange costume is just a job.
conclusions
Recently, fear of clowns is becoming more common. The reasons for the development of a phobia are varied - from a child’s fright at a circus performance to watching a horror movie. Although coulrophobia does not cause serious inconvenience, it is better to prevent its development in a child. To do this, you should carefully choose circus performances for a trip with a child and explain to him in advance that the clown is not a scary character, but a kind and cheerful character.
We examined what the phobia of fear of clowns is called .