Catagelophobia

Catagelophobia- Fear of being ridiculed.

Catagelophobia may be considered as a specific adaptation of shame-bound anxiety. We know that anxiety Is a “Fear of the Future.” It is defined as the persistent fear of being an object of ridicule. This fear can be traced back to early childhood experiences of harsh and repeated exposure to “put-down,” mockery and sarcasm in the course of socialization. catagelophobes continuously fear being scrutinized by others for verification of their percieved ridiculousness. So, they carefully evade situations in which they feel vulnerable to others. Gelotophobia at its extreme, involves a prominent paranoid tendency, a marked sensitivity to offense language, and a resulting social withdrawal, which can lead onto other phobias.