We all know that claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces and acrophobia is the fear of heights, but what if you created a character with something beyond the so called generic phobias? Now you have a story with unique characters who become real - with a problem.
In the first part of this article, I will list different phobias and what they are. Then, next month I'll zero in on some of the phobias and give you brainstorming ideas of how to create a character realistically who has one or more of these dreaded fears.
There are tons - and I mean lots of phobias, but I'm not going to dwell on the "really odd" ones such as Blennophobia - fear of slime, or Papyrophobia - Fear of paper (I kid you not) or even Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - which is (don't be surprised) fear of long words.
You could have a character with that last phobia (which I refuse to spell again) but it may be a little aggravating for you readers every time they have to read that long word!
So, instead, I'm going to give you a list of some of the more common - or more fun (for creating character purposes) of the phobias. Keep in mind, some phobias have several names. I've tried to name them all, but if not, have at least given you one of the names to refer to that phobia. So get your pencil ready. Here goes.
Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing. (Sounds like the medievals I write.)
Achluophobia or Lygophobia or Myctophobia - Fear of the dark.
Acrophobia - Fear of heights.
Agrizoophobia - Fear of wild animals.
Ailurophobia - Fear of cats.
Alliumphobia - Fear of garlic. (Good for those vampire characters.)
Anuptaphobia - Fear of staying single. (No known bachelor has been said to have
this.:)
Apiphobia or Melissophobia- Fear of bees.
Apotemnophobia - Fear of persons with amputations.
Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter sticking to roof of mouth. (Good
for dogs?)
Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria.
Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians, like frogs, newts, salamanders.
Bibliophobia - Fear of books. (Not a phobia of a writer, huh?)
Brontophobia or Keraunophobia - Fear of thunder and lightning.
Caligynephobia or Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women. (Good for a shy
hero?)
Carnophobia - Fear of meat. (For the vegetarian.)
Chiraptophobia - Fear of being touched.
Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia - Fear of money. (Are they serious?)
Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks. (Good for Cinderella and Captain Hook.)
Coimetrophobia - Fear of cemetaries. (Good for those paranormals.)
Decidophobia - Fear of making decisions. (Good for that reluctant bachelor
hero.)
Demonophobia or Daemonophobia - Fear of demons. (For everyone BUT Buffy.)
Dentophobia - Fear of dentists. (Does anyone really like them?)
Dishabiliophobia - Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Eisoptrophobia - Fear of seeing oneself in mirrors. (Hmm. For every woman over
40?)
Enochlophobia or Ochophobia - Fear of crowds.
Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers. (For anyone who has one or more!)
Equinophobia - Fear of horses.
Ergophobia - Fear of work.
Eurotophobia - Fear of female genitalia. (Not for the alpha romance hero!)
Felinophobia - Fear of cats. (Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia.)
Frigophobia - Fear of cold, cold things.
Gamophobia - Fear of marriage. (Good for those Bachelor heroes again.)
Genophobia - Fear of sex.
Genuphobia - Fear of knees. (I just had to put that one in.)
Gerascophobia - Fear of growing old.
Gymnophobia or Nudophobia - Fear of nudity.
Hadephobia - Fear of hell.
Hagiophobia - Fear of saints and holy things.
Hamartophobia - Fear of sinning.
Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things.
Homichlophobia or Nebulaphobia- Fear of fog.
Hominophobia or Androphobia - Fear of men.
Hylophobia - Fear of forests.
Iatrophobia - Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
Iophobia - Fear of poison. (Is anyone not afraid of poison?)
Insectophobia or Endomophobia - Fear of insects.
Isolophobia - Fear of solitude, being alone.
Katagelophobia - Fear of ridicule
Kenophobia - Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Koniophobia or Amathophobia - Fear of dust. (No writer could possibly have this!)
Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables.
Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Linonophobia - Fear of string. (Believe it or not.)
Lockiophobia or Maieusiophobia - Fear of childbirth.
Logizomechanophobia - Fear of computers. (Good for the older generation.)
Macrophobia - Fear of long waits. (Like waiting to hear from editors on submissions?)
Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.
Maniaphobia - Fear of insanity.
Metathesiophobia - Fear of changes.
Musophobia or Murophobia - Fear of mice.
Mysophobia - Fear of germs or contamination or dirt.
Noctiphobia or Nyctophobia - Fear of the night. (Great for heroine with vampire
boyfriend.)
Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals.
Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia - Fear of becoming ill.
Numerophobia - Fear of numbers.
Obesophobia or Pocrescophobia - Fear of gaining weight.
Ombrophobia - Fear of rain or being rained on.
Onomatophobia - Fear of hearing a certain word or of names.
Ophthalmophobia, Scopophobia, Scoptophobia - Fear of being stared at.
Panophobia or Pantophobia - Fear of everything.
Paraphobia - Fear of sexual perversion.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia or Triskaidekaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th.
Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.
Rhabdophobia - Fear of being beaten by a rod, severely criticized or magic/magic
wands.
Rhytiphobia - Fear of getting wrinkles.
Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween.
Scelerophibia - Fear of bad men, burglars.
Sciophobia, Sciaphobia - Fear of shadows.
Scolionophobia - Fear of school.
Selachophobia - Fear of sharks.
Selenophobia - Fear of the moon. (I could see a werewolf novel here somewhere.)
Sexophobia - Fear of the opposite sex.
Sinistrophobia - Fear of things to the left, left-handed. (Left handedness was
said at one time to be a sign of a witch. Nothing against left-handers, I'm
left-handed myself.)
Snakephobia, Ophidiophobia- Fear of snakes
Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.
Spectrophobia - Fear of ghosts.
Staurophobia - Fear of crosses or the crucifix. (Vampires?)
Stenophobia - Fear of narrow things or places.
Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
Testophobia - Fear of taking tests.
Thalassophobia - Fear of the sea.
Virginitiphobia - Fear of rape.
Vitricophobia - Fear of step-father.
Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xanthophobia - Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Xyrophobia - Fear of razors.
Zoophobia - fear of animals.
Okay, I could go on forever, but I'd better stop. This should give you some things to think about. Next month in Part 2, I'm going to choose a few phobias and show you how to create characters around them.
Elizabeth Rose
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