If I tell you that pediophobia is the fear of dolls, you will surely immediately think of dolls like Annabelle or Chucky. Maybe you think of all those dolls your grandmother has at home, made of porcelain, with a rigid face and a half-closed eye that seems to be following you with its gaze, or of an antique store that sells dolls, those that seem worthy of a movie. horror and those that just by seeing them in the window you already know that you would not risk buying them, “it’s not going to be…”
You should know that pediophobia is not about the fear of this type of dolls, but of all types of dolls, even those that you played with as a child and loved. So if you want to know more about this phobia, keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article, we explain What is pediophobia, what are its causes and symptoms, and how to treat it.
What does pediophobia mean?
Pediophobia is the exaggerated and irrational fear of dolls. This word comes from Greek paidion (child) and phobos (fear or phobia). Pediophobic people are terrified of dolls, especially those with real features. And not only dolls, but also mannequins and any figure that may resemble a doll or have similar features.
Symptoms of pediophobia
Some of the most characteristic symptoms of pediophobia that a person can manifest are:
- Negative references to dolls.
- Excessive avoidance and escape of these stimuli.
- Hyperventilation and palpitations.
- intense anxiety in the face of erroneous estimates of threat, that is, in the face of the meanings attributed to the stimulus and the evoked fear response.
- Occurrence of other derived disorders of this phobia.
Causes of pediophobia
If you wonder why I am afraid of dolls, the cause is not only a stressor or an experience, or the biological predisposition of the individual, but we must always keep in mind the interaction between genetics and environment.
The subject who suffers from pediophobia surely has a generalized biological vulnerabilitybecause, together with the stress you experience, it will create a sensation of false alarm, which will end up becoming a learned alarm, generating a psychological vulnerability.
This vulnerability is influenced by learning, either directly or vicariously from other real alarms. This cycle gives rise to the appearance of phobias such as pediophobia.
Treatment of pediophobia
The key to overcoming the fear of dolls is repeated exposure to the specific feared stimulus and the generation of new learning in which the feared stimulus becomes harmless.
To begin the treatment of pediophobia, it is important to acquire anxiety control and relaxation skills, as well as create a safe environment within the framework of a appropriate therapeutic alliance to be able to continue moving forward. From here, as with all phobias, the best treatment would be exposure therapy or systematic desensitization.
Exposure therapy
This type of therapy works by counterconditioninga technique based on generating a relaxation response instead of the one initially generated, such as fear and anxiety.
On the other hand, exposure therapy, based on Maurer’s theory and the habituation and extinction models, prevents avoidance from becoming a signal of safety and can be done in different ways:
- Live (gradual or inversive): exposing yourself directly to the situation that generates irrational fear with dolls.
- Symbolic: through associated visual or auditory stimuli or through virtual reality.
- In group: thus increasing social support and motivation and adherence to therapy.
- Interoceptive: provoking the bodily sensations typical of the moment fear appears, such as hyperventilation.
Other cognitive behavioral therapies
Other techniques are known within the cognitive behavioral stream of psychology that work with some phobias, such as eye movement desensitization and processing (EMDR).
It should be said that the choice of the most appropriate treatment will depend on the person, however, the keys to success To cure pediophobia are:
- That the therapist has knowledge of the conceptual model that he applies.
- That a good therapeutic relationship has been established.
- That a consistent logic of the treatment is transmitted.
- That the different modalities of exhibition are implemented effectively.
If you think you might suffer from pediophobia and you notice that this is interfering with your daily life and causing you discomfort, it is It is important that you go to a psychologist who can do the relevant tests and carry out the treatment that best suits your case.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Pediophobia (fear of dolls): meaning, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
- Belloch, A., Sandín, B., Ramos, F., (2009). Manual of psychopathology, volume II. Madrid. McGraw Hill / Interamericana de España, SAU
- Labrador, FJ, (ed.) (2008). Behavior modification techniques. Madrid. Pyramid
- Muiño, L., (February 3, 2014). What is pediophobia? Very interesting. Recovered from: What is pediophobia? (veryinteresting.es)