Haphephobia (also known as aphephobia, haphophobia, hapnophobia, haptephobia, haptophobia, thixophobia, aphenphosmphobia) is a rare

specific phobia Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the o ...

that involves the fear of touching or of being touched.

Signs and symptoms

As with other phobias and anxiety conditions, haphephobia may come with anxiety and stress-related symptoms that vary among those that suffer from it. A non-exhaustive list of potential symptoms that those suffering from haphephobia may have includes: *Chest pain *Choking sensation *Cold or hot flushes *

Cholinergic urticaria Cholinergic urticaria (CU) presents with tiny very itchy wheals and small bumps on a reddish background. It is a type of physical urticaria (or ''hives'') that appears when a person is sweating or their core body temperature increases. Sympt ...

*Dissociation *Dizziness *Fear of dying *Fear of loss of control *Feeling of being trapped *Heart palpitations *Hyperventilation *Nausea *Sense of impending danger *Sweating *Tingling and shivering sensations *Trembling

Popular culture

*In the 1987 teen film ''

Three O'Clock High ''Three O'Clock High'' is a 1987 American teen comedy film directed by Phil Joanou. The script, about a meek high schooler who is forced into a fight with a volatile new transfer student, is based on the high school experiences of screenwriters R ...

'', the main antagonist Buddy Revell physically assaults anyone who physically touches him. *In the 1989 manga '' Berserk'', the main character Guts suffers from haphephobia as a result of being raped as a child. *In the 2007 film ''

Lars and the Real Girl ''Lars and the Real Girl'' is a 2007 romantic comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, and Patricia Clarkson. The film follows Lars (Gosling) ...

'', the main character Lars Lindstrom describes being touched by others as a burning sensation, and refuses to allow this for most of the film. *In the 2007 manga ''

Freezing Freezing is a phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid o ...

'', the main heroine has this phobia due to her traumatic background. This is a very notable case of it. * *In the 2012 Nintendo tactical RPG ''

Fire Emblem Awakening ''Fire Emblem Awakening'' is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in April 2012 in Japan and 2013 internationally. It is the thirteenth in ...

'', the character Libra suffers from haphephobia as a result of his abusive and neglectful parents. * In the 2011 erotic novel, “

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

”, Christian Grey suffers from haphephobia as a result of childhood abuse (including cigarette burns inflicted on his upper body) and neglect. *In the 2013 novel ''

The Foxhole Court ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', one of the main characters, Andrew Minyard, suffers from haphephobia due to his abusive childhood spent in foster care. Throughout the trilogy, his condition and his mentality regarding it are explored. *In the 2015 film Our Brand Is Crisis, the protagonist, played by

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...

, suffers from the condition. *In the 2015 TV series

Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression and dissociati ...

, protagonist Elliot Alderson is strongly implied to suffer from haphephobia, frequently avoiding the touch of others. *In the 2015 novel ''

Six of Crows ''Six of Crows'' is a fantasy novel written by the Israeli-American author Leigh Bardugo and published by Henry Holt and Co. in 2015. The story follows a thieving crew and is primarily set in the city of Ketterdam, which is loosely inspired by ...

'', protagonist Kaz Brekker suffers from this condition, causing him to wear gloves and take other measures in order to avoid skin contact. His struggles with haphephobia and attempts to overcome it are explored as a subplot throughout the duology. *In the

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. Having left the Army at age 36, Reacher roams the United States, t ...

novel

Night School A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates. Italy The Scuola ...

it is revealed his former Sergeant Neagley has haphephobia. * In the 2019 game ''

Death Stranding ''Death Stranding'' is a 2019 action game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the first game from director Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions after their split from Kona ...

'', the main character Sam Porter suffers from haphephobia (which is referred to in-game as aphenphosmphobia) and his condition is shown throughout the game. * In season 17, episode 8 of ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', "It's All Too Much", a patient with haphephobia is treated by two of the show's characters, Maggie and Winston. * In Chinese drama series

Cute Bodygaurd Cuteness is a subjective term describing a type of attractiveness commonly associated with youth and appearance, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz. Lorenz proposed the concept o ...

, the main lead Gu Rong suffers from haphephobia and only goes easy with Su Jingjing. * In the 2016 Indonesian novel ''Jakarta Sebelum Pagi,'' one of the main characters, Abel suffers from haphepbobia and ligyrophobia.

References

{{Reflist Phobias pt:Anexo:Lista de fobias#H

Signs and symptoms

Popular culture

See also

References