The world is in constant evolution, thanks to the inventions that human beings are making. During the last decades, until today, technology has begun to take on an increasingly important role, since a large part of the world’s population has understood the benefits it entails.
On the one hand, technology allows us to communicate and learn about the events that occur in the world quickly. On the other hand, the immediacy brought about by electronic devices means that it is not essential to travel to the place where the news occurs. However, there are people who have a great fear of technology and everything related to it. This problem represents a series of obstacles that can manifest in daily life.
If you are reading these lines, this has probably happened to you or you know someone who has these types of sensations. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Technophobia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment.
What is technophobia
Technophobia is the irrational and exacerbated fear towards technology and the digital environment. In other words, technophobia is an anxiety disorder that consists of a rejection of technological devices. According to the DSM-V, this disorder is within the group of specific phobias, so we must consider the characteristics that manifest in this type of phobias:
- Fear or anxiety in the presence of technology.
- Technology almost always causes fear or anxiety.
- The subject avoid technology.
- Fear or anxiety disproportionate to the real danger posed by technology
- Duration of six months or more.
- Deterioration of social relationshipswork and family.
- Fear or anxiety are not linked to other mental disorders.
Symptoms of technophobia
There are a series of manifestations, both physical and emotional, that respond to a picture of technophobia. In the following items, we will show you the main symptoms of fear of technology:
- Restlessness.
- Excessive sweating.
- Thoughts linked to danger.
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
- Difficulty in concentration and attention.
- Distress.
- Activities that avoid contact with technological objects.
- Excessive fear.
- Tremors.
- Anxiety.
Beyond the symptoms described, it should be noted that the presence of any of them does not necessarily represent that we are facing a condition of technophobia. It is necessary that the diagnosis be made by a health professionalbecause they will be in charge of evaluating the person’s characteristics taking into account their age, sex, family history, medical history or pre-existing diseases, among other factors.
Causes of technophobia
To understand the origin of the symptoms involved in technophobia, it is crucial to locate the causes that determine the condition. For this reason, below, we will describe the causes of technophobia:
unpleasant experiences
If you wonder what causes technophobia, you should know that the situations we experience throughout life have an impact on the way we think, feel and act. For this reason, traumatic situations in which the use of technology has been present can result in electronic devices representing something negative for the subject. In this situation, we recommend you read this article about .
Likewise, it is possible that a person has observed certain behaviors in family members who also suffer from technophobia. Consequently, the imitation of behaviors It can reflect patterns of behavior that are established in life.
Avoidance of social changes
As we have mentioned before, technology appears in the middle of a series of changes worldwide. Thus, it may happen that there are people who do not want to be linked to the digital environment, since they prefer that technology not interfere with certain aspects of their life and usually opt for face-to-face communication. In this sense, we invite you to discover what they are and why it is so important.
Treatment of technophobia
Despite the consequences of technophobia, there are some effective treatments to address this problem. Next, we will show you how to overcome technophobia:
Psychological therapy
Therapy can help cope with situations of stress and/or anxiety otherwise. On the one hand, the
- Long-term therapies: They try to locate the origin of the symptoms by searching for situations related to the problem in the past. This allows the person to understand their difficulties and thus adopt other solutions.
- Short-term therapies: they work on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors involved in a given situation. Through various techniques, it is possible that the person has more tools to overcome technophobia. Here the la can be located as the most relevant approach.
Psychiatric medication
In cases where the fear of technology is of considerable severity, the use of psychotropic drugs is an option that allows reduce the symptoms of technophobia, since medication can act on the neural connections in the brain that are associated with the processing of emotions and behaviors. However, the use of medication must be supervised by a health professional working in conjunction with a psychologist.
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 Technophobia (fear of technology): what it is, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Arteta, J. (2014). TECHNOPHOBIA. Retrieved from: http://openaccess.uoc.edu/webapps/o2/bitstream/10609/39921/1/jarteta_tecnophobia_2014.pdf
- Luque, LE, González Verheust, MC, Burba Pons, MC (2006). Study on fear of technology in older adults. XIII Research Conference and Second Meeting of Mercosur Psychology Researchers. Faculty of Psychology – University of Buenos Aires.