Gelotophobia

The term Gelotophobie is a combination of the Greek words Gelos ( γέλως dt laughter) and Phobia ( φοβία German fear, anxiety ). This phobia to describe people who are afraid to be laughed at. The group of people is not able to appreciate the laughter in his affectively positive meaning. Gelotophobiker can not use it as a Mitvoraussetzung for a living, which is characterized by joy, gaiety and frolic laugh. Experience the laughter of those around them - even if it is not at all voted aggressive - basically as a threat to one's self -esteem.

History

The Gelotophobie is studied worldwide since 2008, mainly by psychologists, psychiatrists and sociologists scientifically. This research was initiated by clinical observations by Michael Titze, who coined the term Gelotophobie introduced in 1995. Titze began to notice that some people primarily suffer from the fear of being laughed at by their social partners. These people tend to keep constantly for signs of disparaging, mocking laughter in their environment out. Furthermore, they believe in a global way to be ridiculous.

Appearance

Gelotophobikern lacks vitality, spontaneity and joy. Often they act on their social partners distanced and cold. Probably the most characteristic feature is that humor and laughter are not relaxing and enjoyable social experience for them, but on the contrary cause tension and anxiety. Even Henri Bergson compared persons who are the target of ridicule and disparaging laughter, with wooden dolls or puppets. To hide this shameful blemish on the outside to Gelotophobiker strive to appear as inconspicuous as possible, but this has the opposite effect causes: Your movements can become locked in such a way that they convey a clumsy, wooden impression. Titze called this "funny" appearance as the Pinocchio syndrome.

Gelotophobie and social phobia

The Pinocchio Syndrome manifests itself usually in a muscular tension that is associated with specific physiological symptoms, such as palpitations, muscle twitching, tremors, blushing, sweating, shortness of breath and a dry throat and mouth. Such symptoms are also characteristic of a social phobia. In a social phobia but it is the generalized fear of social rejection, while a Gelotophobie is to be understood as a specific fear of social rejection, which is primarily stimulated by laughter. Pointedly can be said therefore: Each Gelotophobiker is a social phobia, but not everyone is a social phobia Gelotophobiker. Kim Edwards and co-workers found that a Gelotophobie differs from a social phobia that led to repeated traumatic experiences with disparaging laughter in prehistory.

Causes and consequences of Gelotophobie

Based on clinical observations, a model of the causes and consequences of Gelotophobie was formulated, which includes the following conditions:

• In childhood: development of primary shame due to a lack of interest marked by cold and emotional interaction between caregiver and child.
• Repeated traumatic experiences with disparaging laughter ( ridicule, teasing, ridicule ) in childhood and adolescence.
• Intensive traumatic experiences with a mocking laugh in adulthood (eg, bullying ).

• " Strange " behavior
• The social skills are poorly developed.
• Psychosomatic disorders eg blushing, tension headache, tremors, dizziness, slurred speech, emotional loss of control.
• "Pinocchio Syndrome": Emotional solidification, " petrification " of facial expressions, " wooden ", awkward body movements. Sufferers seem cold, aloof and strange.
• Loss of spontaneity, self-esteem and vitality.
• Laughter and humor do not cause relaxing, joyful effect, but fear or destructive aggression.
• Withdrawal from social life, to protect themselves by disparaging laughter before re- traumatization.

Particulars of the Gelotophobie

Here are some typical characteristics of the determination Gelotophobie:

• Social avoidance behavior that is motivated by the fear of making a fool of himself in public.
• Fear of the laughter of the others.
• Paranoid rating of humorous expressions of the social partners.
• Lack of ability to deal with other people in a humorous and cheerful manner.
• Critical self-assessment in relation to their own bodies and their own verbal and non -verbal skills.
• Feelings of inferiority and envy that result from the comparison with the humor competence of other people.

Diagnostic assessment of Gelotophobie

Based on the above diagnostic characters of Gelotophobie 46 specific findings were derived, which form the basis of a questionnaire for assessment of Gelotophobie ( GELOPH 46), starting at a minimum of threatening situations to extremely threatening situations. This is the short form of a Gelotophobie questionnaire was derived, which only contains 15 statements ( GELOPH <15 > ). Following the GELOPH also a pictorial tools have been developed that makes use of cartoons, the laughing people in different situations show. A picture shows, for example, as someone observed two people who laugh. The subjects to assess what could feel it the observer. While those who are free from Gelotophobie could about answer: " The young people have great fun together," would be a typical response from a Gelotophobiker: " Why do they make fun of me? "

Validation and empirical studies

Statistically significant findings on the personality structure of Gelotophobikern were obtained in empirical studies. So reports Willibald Ruch that Gelotophobiker are introverted and neurotic. In PEN personality model of Jürgen Eysenck Gelotophobie strongly correlated with the dimensions of introversion and neuroticism. And on older P- scales Gelotophobiker achieve a higher score in the dimension of psychoticism Also they seem intense shame experiences in the course to have made their life, and they experience in a significant way both shame and fear during a typical week. Gelotophobiker also feel negative emotions when they hear other people laugh. Gelotophobiker can not distinguish between friendly and hostile laughter. They respond to every laugh with negative feelings such as shame, fear and anger, the ability to feel pleasure and to develop socially unifying forms of humor is clearly limited. Most Gelotophobiker remember embarrassing childhood situations in which they were ridiculed and laughed at by their caregivers.

Strengths, intelligence and humor competence

Show specific tests that Gelotophobiker underestimate their own potential and skills often. They tend approximately to be less virtuous than assess people they know personally. According Gelotophobiker also underestimate their intellectual capacity by up to 6 IQ points Gelotophobiker have an overall negative attitude to laugh. It is unable to lift in a happy mood laugh. Personally, they assess themselves as less humorous than it (due to specific test results ) actually are.

International Gelotophobie study

The GELOPH 15 has been translated into over 40 languages ​​and used worldwide in a study in 72 different countries. The results indicate that the subjects studied can be differentiated by two factors or fundamental motives, namely ( a) uncertainty and ( b ) avoidance behavior. Unsafe Gelotophobiker try the determining conviction to be funny or ridiculous to hide from the others. ( This motif is according to the results of the study in Turkmenistan and Cambodia spread particularly high. ) The avoidance -oriented Gelotophobiker however, go all social situations out of the way, where we could suggest laughed. Because laughter is experienced as a threat to self-esteem. ( This motif is particularly dominant in Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Thailand. ) The prevalence of Gelotophobie is particularly high in Asia, because there the well-being of the collective occupies a high priority and the interests of the individual to those of the group to be subordinated. This in turn is derived from the motif to " save face " in all circumstances. Based on the results of this multinational study, the authors summarize Gelotophobie as a personality trait rather than a disease. The corresponding range of expression of Gelotophobie goes from a minimum expression to a very high or pathological anxiety.