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Having an inhibited temperament and a neurotic or anxious personality.Firstly, because of the possible inherited genetic component, but also because of having grown up observing people close to you reacting with fear to such situations. Having a family history of haphephobia or other anxiety disorders.Even so, there are several factors that increase the risk of developing this disorder: Therefore, what for one person may be the origin of haphephobia won’t have a major impact on another. Not all people react the same way to the same events. Similarly, learning that some people have caught a virus through contact with others can trigger this extreme fear of being touched by others. Thus, for example, having a history of sexual abuse in childhood can lead to haphephobia. Specific phobias are generally acquired after experiencing related traumatic events either first-hand or witnessing others experience the negative consequences of what subsequently generates fear. There may be a certain biological component relating to ancestral fears inherited from our ancestors.
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The cause of haphephobia hasn’t been fully established yet and it’s likely that several factors are involved. It’s also likely that there are irrational thoughts and beliefs about the danger of contact. At the thought of physical contact with other people, physiological symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, choking sensation or muscular tension appear.The disorder is prolonged over time and generates interference in the person’s daily life (personal, social, occupational…).Situations involving physical contact with others are avoided at all costs and, if not possible, are endured at the cost of enormous discomfort.The individual is probably aware that their fear is irrational, but can’t control it.Exposure to the feared situation (in this case, physical contact) triggers a strong anxiety reaction.Intense and disproportionate fear of touching other people or having them touch us.Haphephobia falls into the category of specific phobias, so its symptoms are shared with the rest of them. In fact, its origin can be both physical and psychological.