Do you have a phobia? What is it?

[laylo]

Originally Posted by txAOII_15

ROACHES. i cannot stand them. they scare the bejezuz out of me. especially the flying ones.

The WHAT?!! This knowledge will haunt me. In my old apartment if I had ever been attacked by a robber, no one would have helped me because the neighbors were so used to me screaming bloody murder when I saw a roach.

My other phobia is violence by a stranger. I've had it all my life (but being a Sopranos fan really did not help). Whenever someone I'm in the car with gets road rage I beg them to shut up because I'm afraid the other person will pull out a gun. I always wonder where this fear came from.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by laylo

My other phobia is violence by a stranger. I've had it all my life (but being a Sopranos fan really did not help). Whenever someone I'm in the car with gets road rage I beg them to shut up because I'm afraid the other person will pull out a gun. I always wonder where this fear came from.

Don't be too disturbed. The average person has some level of fear of violence by a stranger. I guess yours is a phobia because you're more than cautious because of it, you're basically obsessed with it. Is that correct?

This is no consolation but the reality is you have a higher likelihood of being victimized by family, friend, close acquaintance, or someone who is somehow part of your daily routine. Also, women are more likely to have a fear of violent victimization while men are statistically more likely to be violently victimized with exception for violence such as rape and sexual assault because men are socialized to be less cautious (i.e. they are taught that being a man means they can come and go as they please and wherever they want to go). Stay cautious and keep in mind that violent victimization is relatively rare when your daily routine does not create the environment for such victimization. As you noted in your post, even the angry road raged stranger is uncommon if people are cautious and don't go out of their way to entice crazies.

[laylo]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Don't be too disturbed. The average person has some level of fear of violence by a stranger. I guess yours is a phobia because you're more than cautious because of it, you're basically obsessed with it. Is that correct?

Yep, it's an obsession. It's more about violence to my loved ones than myself. My parents always used to have to console me when I had "bad thoughts" about something happening to them. Now it's transferred to my chronically late boyfriend who always finds me in a panic. I'm hoping to cure myself before I have kids, or Lord help them. Thanks for the info!