Phobias are a fairly common type of anxiety disorder . Humans can be afraid of many stimuli and it can be normal; however, phobic disorders are characterised by the fact that the fear they provoke is irrational.

Practically everyone would be afraid to be alone with a lion, but not with a clown. There are individuals who are terrified of being around these funny characters, which is known as coulrophobia.

Phobias create discomfort and anxiety for the sufferer, who tends to avoid the phobic stimulus that produces this unpleasant sensation. There are different types of phobias, one of them is bibliophobia or fear of books and reading . In this article we will talk about this phobia and explain its causes, symptoms and consequences.

What is Bibliophobia

Bibliophobia is a phobia and, therefore, an irrational fear of a phobic stimulus, in this case of books and reading . It usually starts at an early age, for example, at school when children may have some unpleasant experience with reading. Imagine a child who has difficulty reading and has to read a text aloud because the teacher asks him to do so.

In front of the class, the child begins to read, but he does so very slowly and his words get stuck. The child gets more and more nervous, and the laughter of his classmates makes him feel so bad that this experience is not forgotten. As the years go by, he keeps remembering this situation every time he has to read a text. That unpleasant experience marks him, and he feels a great discomfort when he sees a book or has to read it to him. In fact, he avoids at all costs having books in his hands because they cause him great anxiety.

Causes

As you can see, one of the origins of this phobia can be a traumatic experience, and as in the previous example, it usually starts at an early age. The learning of this irrational fear can occur through a type of associative learning called classical conditioning, and the reasons for these unpleasant experiences can be lack of understanding of text and low self-esteem, various learning disorders or bullying and teasing for not reading correctly.

One of the most important characteristics of this type of learning is that it involves reflexive or automatic responses , not voluntary behaviour. Classical conditioning is the connection between a new stimulus and an already existing reflex, therefore, it is a type of learning according to which an originally neutral stimulus, which does not provoke a response, ends up provoking an associative connection of this stimulus with the stimulus that normally provokes this response.

Characteristics of classical conditioning

One of the great theorists of classical conditioning was Ivan Pavlov, who devoted part of his life to its study, and is famous for his experiments with dogs.

Ivan Pavlov was not a psychologist but a physiologist who wanted to investigate the salivation process of dogs. His experiment was to measure the saliva of dogs when he presented them with food. However, this intelligent character realized that, after showing them the food repeatedly, the animals salivated even when the food was not present, simply in Pavlov’s presence, since the dogs knew that when he appeared at the door they would receive the delicacy. This was because the dogs had learned that Pavlov’s presence was equal to the presence of the food.

Pavlov was undoubtedly important in providing knowledge and data on this phenomenon, but the first scientist to investigate conditioning with humans was John Watson. He is known for one of the most famous experiments in history and at the same time controversial, but it served to understand what happens in our organism when we have a phobia. In the following video you can find Watson’s experiment explained.

Other causes of fear of books

Learning about classic conditioning phobias means that the environment plays a key role in making a person phobic. However, other theorists have stated throughout history that this disorder may have a genetic origin, that is, that some people may be more likely to suffer from this pathology due to heredity.

In addition, there is another theory called Seligman’s “theory of preparedness”, which states that the fear response is key to human survival, as it activates the fight-flight response in situations of danger. Therefore, biologically we are programmed to fear certain stimuli more easily. These types of associations are called primitive and non-cognitive, which are not easily modified by logical arguments.

Symptoms of this phobic disorder

Although there are different types of phobias, they all share the same symptoms, the only thing that varies is the phobic stimulus that causes them. Phobias are characterized by the discomfort and anxiety they generate and by the avoidance behaviors they cause.

When a person feels an irrational fear of books or reading, he tends to avoid those situations in which he may come into contact with this stimulus that causes an unpleasant sensation .

In summary, the symptomatology of phobias is:

  • Extreme anxiety and fear of the presence or imagination of the phobic stimulus
  • Accelerated heartbeat.
  • Tremors.
  • Avoidance behaviour.
  • Thoughts of the person running out of air.
  • Thoughts of great discomfort.
  • Hyperventilation.
  • Dizziness, nausea, dizziness and headaches.
  • Hypersudation.
  • Chest pain or tightness.

Treatment and therapy

Like the vast majority of phobias, the treatment that has the greatest scientific support is cognitive behavioural therapy , which consists of correcting and modifying those thoughts or behaviours that cause the patient discomfort. Various techniques are used, including relaxation techniques and exposure techniques.

The latter is the treatment par excellence, and more specifically the expository technique of systematic desensitization, which consists of gradually exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus while learning effective coping tools.

However, other types of psychological therapy have also proven effective in different studies, for example, Mindfulness or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

In severe cases, drug treatment can also work, as long as it is not the only therapeutic option and is combined with psychotherapy.