Coulrophobia

Coulrophobie is called the morbid fear of clowns. According to a study found children clowns not funny, some are afraid of them. Rarely, this fear is also found in adults, but then has other reasons.

Word origin

The word is from the Greek words κωλον Kolo ( for, limb, extremity ') and φόβος phobos ( for, anxiety, fear ') composed. A κωλοβαθριστής kōlobathristēs was an entertainer (like a clown ), which ran on stilts.

In a study of English University of Sheffield 250 children were interviewed between four and 16 years of age about clowns. The clown pictures that hung on the walls in the hospital, none of the children was funny. Some were afraid of them, many children felt uncomfortable at the sight. The child's fear of clowns has, according to this study, their reasons in whose mysterious appearance and demeanor. This fear of the unknown can refer to many things and is not specific to Clowns, which is why they usually disappear in the course of aging.

The fear of clowns adult justified in their painted faces and the ever- friendly manner, so it is not possible to recognize their true emotions. Clowns act of social norms notwithstanding, what an insecure occurrence them so connected discomfort may result from them over and.

Popular culture

Clowns as dark, evil beings come into popular culture increasingly on about since the mid- 1980s.

In Stephen King's novel It in 1986 the monster occurs in the form of the clown Pennywise. The book was created in 1990 under the title of Stephen King's It filmed, other early films in which clowns are portrayed as evil, were Space Invaders and Clown House.

The motive of the evil, fear spreading clowns has been widely used later, the existing since the 1940s figure of the Joker played in the movie The Dark Knight in 2008 a major role. Even the demon Violator in the comic book series Spawn (1997 filmed ) often appears in the form of a malicious clown.

In the U.S. crime series Bones - The Knochenjägerin has one of the main characters, who usually callous FBI agent Seeley Booth, Coulrophobie; an episode revolves mainly around this phobia, more episodes stripes this topic, but use it rather humorous aspect of this fear of clowns.

Psychologists suggest that these films have the image of clowns in society changed negatively, whether this increased the number of Coulrophobie cases is unknown.