Understanding Enochlophobia
Enochlophobia is the fear of crowds. Those who suffer from Enochlophobia will go out of their way to avoid places like malls, theaters, sporting arenas or any event that crowds would regular attend. According to Associated Content, A few things they fear will happen when around large crowds are:
-Being trampled to death
-Contracting a deadly virus
-Getting lost in a massive crowd of people
-They themselves feel small and insignificant when surrounded by so many people
Enochlophobia seems to affect women more than men, and can bring on panic attacks in certain situations, and is a form of social anxiety. Taking control of anxiety is key. According to NorthShore University Health System, more than 19 million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, but only a small portion of those people ever seek treatment despite the fact that effective treatments exists. If you think you suffer from an anxiety disorder, talk to your physician.
I myself am enochlophobic, and I am trying to figure out the psychology of this fear. Is there something that could have triggered my fear? Or was I simply born this way? Knowing answers to my questions would definitely help in the process of overcoming my fear. Thank you.
I am fairly certain I have enochlophobia. I try to think back through my life and cannot pin point when or why it started. It pops up in places I don’t expect and doesn’t in other places. I can’t go to the mall, or church, or Walmart on Saturday. But then I love to go to live theater, just have to sit in back. Can not give talks in church, never go to parties. But am fine meeting people one on one. I am OK with all of it. I just go to Walmart early in AM. Thanks.
I distinctly do not like crowds. However, I don’t feel as though I’m going to catch anything, nor does getting lost bother me unless there is a real disaster that will come of that (loosing track of a child in your care, or never finding the only person who knows the country and where the someplace is that you will be staying at). Actually, to me, getting lost is exactly what I want to do, wander off, away from the crowd.
I like my friends, at most, a few at a time. Preferably, I like them one on one so that we can really talk. I guess banter, while fun, isn’t as wonderful as enjoying just another’s company, talking deep, laughing ’till it hurts, zoning to a flick, jamming to tunes, or just being quiet.
But being at a concert is good, enjoying it with friends and meeting and partying with new folks.
But I get nothing that others get, whatever thrill that they find in being part of a huge, dynamic, crazy crowd. So, if not enochlophobia, or ochlophobia, what describes my dislike of crowds.
The last thing that I’d ever want to do is to be in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
I hate how loud and close people are in crowds, and I loose any sense of visceral enjoyment and empathy in their reveling.
I will say that the one thing that is the most frightening thing that I could ever conceive is being anywhere near a MOB. It is a psychological threat that subsumes, subducts the physical, violent threat. There is also pheromonal influences to back up the base and warped reasoning that a mob can generate.
I hope to hell that if ever tossed into such a situation, that I have the opportunity to slip away. There is no real hope of talking your way out, or changing a mob’s mind with reason.
But a crowd is not a mob (yet) (shush!). I miss out seeing my friends play music when I know that it is going to be a kind of crowd that they deserve. There is some amount, or some amount per space , modified by where it is and who they are.
I don’t like crowds at all, I don’t even like lots of people, unless I have a bubble, my own table, my own seat, with seats empty on each side, a perch, something any good cat would insist on.
What, if not (en)ochlophobia, is this?
Sorry for jawing on, I love writing, and this is absolutely the first time that I have found out that there is something that defines something I thought I was alone in, and too, finding others to pseudo-cozy up to that understand (with the comfort of internet space/distance so as not to actually crowd).
Thanks for bearing with me.
Be well,
Mark.