Genophobia
Encyclopedia
Genophobia is the physical or psychological fear of sexual relations or sexual intercourse
. The word comes from the Greek terms genos, meaning “offspring,” and phobos, meaning “fear.” Genophobia can also be called coitophobia. This word is also formed from the Greek term phobos and the term coitus, referring to the act of copulation in which the male reproductive organ penetrates the female reproductive tract. The term erotophobia
can also be used when describing genophobia. It comes from the name of the Greek god of erotic love, Eros. Genophobia can induce panic and fear in individuals, much like panic attacks. People who suffer from the phobia
can be intensely affected by attempted sexual contact or just the thought of it. The extreme fear can lead to trouble in romantic relationships. Those afflicted by genophobia may stay away from getting involved in relationships to avoid the possibility of intimacy. This can lead to feelings of loneliness. Genophobic people may also feel lonely because they may feel embarrassed or ashamed of their personal fears.
is the unlawful act of sexual intercourse forced by one person onto another. This can include penetration, but does not have to. Victims of rape can be female or male. Women and young girls make up the vast majority of victims and men make up the majority of offenders. “Rape is the most extreme possible invasion of a person’s physical and emotional privacy.” It is considered to be such a heinous crime because victims are attacked in a very personal manner and because physical force or deception can be utilized. Rape can be physically painful, but it can be more emotionally unbearable. Rape is often described as less of an invasion of the body and more of an invasion of “self.” Victims often have intense emotional reactions, usually in a predictable order. This is known as rape trauma syndrome
.
Rape victims can experience added stress after the assault with how hospital staff, police personnel, friends, family, and significant others react to the situation. They can often feel lowered self-esteem and even a sense of helplessness. They long for a sense of safety and control over their lives. Rape victims can develop a fear of sex for physical and psychological reasons. During sexual assault, victims experience physical trauma such as soreness, bruising, pain, genital irritation, genital infection, severe tearing of vaginal walls, and rectal bleeding. They may also grapple with fear of the potential reoccurrence of assault. This possibility for rape can put stress of relationships as well. Some women and men can become distrusting and suspicious of others. Rape victims can become fearful of sexual intercourse because of physical pain and mental anguish.
, is a form of sexual assault in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a younger child for sexual satisfaction. This can include talking to a child about having sex, showing pornography to a child, making a child participate in the production of pornography, exposing genitals to a child, fondling of a child’s genitals, or forcing a child to engage in any form of sexual intercourse. Force is not often used in child molestation. Children usually cooperate because they are not fully aware of the significance of what is happening. They also may feel intimidated by the adult or older adolescent.
Victims of child molestation often experience their feelings about the incidents later in life when they can fully understand the importance. They often feel that their privacy has been invaded when they were too young to consent. They can feel like they were taken advantage of and betrayed by those that they trusted. Victims of child molestation can experience long-term psychological traumas. This pushes them to distrust others. The lack of reliance on others can lead to an overall fear of sexual intercourse.
is the sexual interaction between two people who are related, but not married to each other. This can begin when the victim is still a young child or it can commence after they go through puberty
. The culprit, usually referred to as a pedophile, can be male or female and they can abuse young girls or boys.
Victims of incest can lose trust in others. They may feel that no one can be trusted because their family members took advantage of their innocence and naiveté. They can often experience little to no satisfaction sexually. Others can develop a serious fear of sexual contact with anyone.
issues. Some men and women can become obsessively self-conscious of their bodies. This may be regarding their entire physique or it may be focused on one specific issue. Women may become insecure if they dislike the appearance of their labia majora
or labia minora
. Men may become genophobic if they get erectile dysfunction
. Others who grapple with gender identity disorder
can also develop a fear of sex.
: the fear of contracting a disease or virus. They may also have gymnophobia
: the fear of nudity. Others may have extreme fear of being touched. These issues, along with stress disorders, can manifest themselves as the innate fear of sex.
, psychologist
, or licensed counselor for therapy
. Some people experiencing pain during sex may visit their doctor
or gynecologist. Medicine may also be prescribed to treat the anxiety brought on by the phobia.
The independent film
Good Dick
centers on the theme of genophobia and how it affects a young woman and her relationships with people. It also, indirectly, deals with the theme of incest. The movie was written and directed by Marianna Palka
and was released in 2008.
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
. The word comes from the Greek terms genos, meaning “offspring,” and phobos, meaning “fear.” Genophobia can also be called coitophobia. This word is also formed from the Greek term phobos and the term coitus, referring to the act of copulation in which the male reproductive organ penetrates the female reproductive tract. The term erotophobia
Erotophobia
Erotophobia is a term coined by a number of researchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s to describe one pole on a continuum of attitudes and beliefs about sexuality...
can also be used when describing genophobia. It comes from the name of the Greek god of erotic love, Eros. Genophobia can induce panic and fear in individuals, much like panic attacks. People who suffer from the phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...
can be intensely affected by attempted sexual contact or just the thought of it. The extreme fear can lead to trouble in romantic relationships. Those afflicted by genophobia may stay away from getting involved in relationships to avoid the possibility of intimacy. This can lead to feelings of loneliness. Genophobic people may also feel lonely because they may feel embarrassed or ashamed of their personal fears.
Causes
There can be many different reasons for why people develop genophobia. Some of the main causes are former incidents of sexual assaults or abuse. These incidents violate the victim’s trust and take away his/her sense of right to self-determination. Another possible cause of genophobia is the feeling of intense shame for medical reasons. Others may have the fear without any diagnosable reason.Rape
RapeRape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
is the unlawful act of sexual intercourse forced by one person onto another. This can include penetration, but does not have to. Victims of rape can be female or male. Women and young girls make up the vast majority of victims and men make up the majority of offenders. “Rape is the most extreme possible invasion of a person’s physical and emotional privacy.” It is considered to be such a heinous crime because victims are attacked in a very personal manner and because physical force or deception can be utilized. Rape can be physically painful, but it can be more emotionally unbearable. Rape is often described as less of an invasion of the body and more of an invasion of “self.” Victims often have intense emotional reactions, usually in a predictable order. This is known as rape trauma syndrome
Rape trauma syndrome
Rape trauma syndrome is a form of psychological trauma experienced by a rape victim that consist of disruptions to normal physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal characteristics...
.
Rape victims can experience added stress after the assault with how hospital staff, police personnel, friends, family, and significant others react to the situation. They can often feel lowered self-esteem and even a sense of helplessness. They long for a sense of safety and control over their lives. Rape victims can develop a fear of sex for physical and psychological reasons. During sexual assault, victims experience physical trauma such as soreness, bruising, pain, genital irritation, genital infection, severe tearing of vaginal walls, and rectal bleeding. They may also grapple with fear of the potential reoccurrence of assault. This possibility for rape can put stress of relationships as well. Some women and men can become distrusting and suspicious of others. Rape victims can become fearful of sexual intercourse because of physical pain and mental anguish.
Molestation
Child molestation, or child sexual abuseChild sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
, is a form of sexual assault in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a younger child for sexual satisfaction. This can include talking to a child about having sex, showing pornography to a child, making a child participate in the production of pornography, exposing genitals to a child, fondling of a child’s genitals, or forcing a child to engage in any form of sexual intercourse. Force is not often used in child molestation. Children usually cooperate because they are not fully aware of the significance of what is happening. They also may feel intimidated by the adult or older adolescent.
Victims of child molestation often experience their feelings about the incidents later in life when they can fully understand the importance. They often feel that their privacy has been invaded when they were too young to consent. They can feel like they were taken advantage of and betrayed by those that they trusted. Victims of child molestation can experience long-term psychological traumas. This pushes them to distrust others. The lack of reliance on others can lead to an overall fear of sexual intercourse.
Incest
IncestIncest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
is the sexual interaction between two people who are related, but not married to each other. This can begin when the victim is still a young child or it can commence after they go through puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
. The culprit, usually referred to as a pedophile, can be male or female and they can abuse young girls or boys.
Victims of incest can lose trust in others. They may feel that no one can be trusted because their family members took advantage of their innocence and naiveté. They can often experience little to no satisfaction sexually. Others can develop a serious fear of sexual contact with anyone.
Insecurities
Some people may become afflicted with genophobia because of body imageBody image
Body image refers to a person's perception of the aesthetics and sexual attractiveness of their own body. The phrase body image was first coined by the Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder in his masterpiece The Image and Appearance of the Human Body...
issues. Some men and women can become obsessively self-conscious of their bodies. This may be regarding their entire physique or it may be focused on one specific issue. Women may become insecure if they dislike the appearance of their labia majora
Labia majora
The labia majora are two prominent longitudinal cutaneous folds that extend downward and backward from the mons pubis to the perineum and form the lateral boundaries of the pudendal cleft, which contains the labia minora, interlabial sulci, clitoral hood, clitoral glans, frenulum clitoridis, the...
or labia minora
Labia minora
The labia minora , also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin on either side of the human vaginal opening, situated between the labia majora...
. Men may become genophobic if they get erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....
. Others who grapple with gender identity disorder
Gender identity disorder
Gender identity disorder is the formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria . It describes the symptoms related to transsexualism, as well as less severe manifestations of gender dysphoria...
can also develop a fear of sex.
Other fears
Some sufferers of genophobia may develop the fear as a result of preexisting fears. Some people may have nosophobiaNosophobia
Nosophobia is a specific phobia, an irrational fear of contracting a disease, from Greek "nosos" for "disease"...
: the fear of contracting a disease or virus. They may also have gymnophobia
Gymnophobia
Gymnophobia is a fear of nudity. Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked, or both...
: the fear of nudity. Others may have extreme fear of being touched. These issues, along with stress disorders, can manifest themselves as the innate fear of sex.
Symptoms
Symptoms of genophobia can be feeling of panic, terror, and dread. Other symptoms are increased speed of heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, anxiety, sweating, and avoidance of others.Treatments
There is no universal cure for genophobia. Some ways of coping with or treating anxiety issues is to see a psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, or licensed counselor for therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
. Some people experiencing pain during sex may visit their doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
or gynecologist. Medicine may also be prescribed to treat the anxiety brought on by the phobia.
Reference in current culture
The term genophobia is sometimes informally used to refer to sexually repressed societies in popular culture. Some more reserved societies, such as the United States of America, are labeled genophobic by more sexually liberated ones.The independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Good Dick
Good Dick
Good Dick is a 2008 film directed by Marianna Palka.The film competed among others in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.-Plot:...
centers on the theme of genophobia and how it affects a young woman and her relationships with people. It also, indirectly, deals with the theme of incest. The movie was written and directed by Marianna Palka
Marianna Palka
Marianna Palka is the Scottish-born screenwriter, director and co-star of the film Good Dick.-Biography:Palka was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to New York City at age 17 to study at David Mamet and William H. Macy’s Atlantic Theater Company...
and was released in 2008.