Chiroptophobia is the persistent and intense fear of bats . It is a specific type of phobia that, as such, can be a major trigger of anxiety responses and even panic attacks. It is a rare fear related to the transmission of threatening information about this animal species.

We will see below the main characteristics of chiroptophobia as well as its possible causes and treatment.

Chiroptophobia: fear of bats

The word “chiroptera” is composed of the Greek word “cheir”, which means “hand”, and the word “pteron”, which means wings. It is the formal name for mammals that develop wings on their limbs, which we know as “bats. In turn, the word “chiroptophobia” is made up of the same Greek words, followed by the term “phobos” which refers to fear. In this sense, chiroptophobia is the term that refers to the fear of bats.

When it manifests itself in the presence of a specific animal, chiroptophobia is considered a specific type of phobia . However, it is not a common phobia. Specific animal phobias occur most frequently towards snakes, spiders, mice or rats, some insects and birds.

In this type of phobia, the fear is not usually towards potential harm. That is, people recognize that the animal does not represent a significant danger to their physical integrity . However, this recognition does not reduce the anxiety response, since the fear is generated by the physical characteristics of the animal.

Specifically, the fear is related to the movement that the animal produces, especially if it is difficult to anticipate movements (for example sudden fluttering), which in the case of chiroptophobia is very evident. Fear is also caused by the physical aspect of the animals, which can be related to negative stereotypes about them and to sensations such as disgust .

Likewise, in the case of small animals that can evoke a perceived danger (e.g. snakes) fear is the primary reaction, and disgust is the secondary reaction. The opposite is true for rats, mice and bats, for example. Finally, fear is related to the sounds they produce and the tactile sensations that animals generate upon human contact.

Main symptoms

As with other phobias, chiroptophobia triggers an immediate anxiety response . The latter can occur with direct exposure to the stimulus, or with the possibility or anticipation of exposure. Due to the activation of the autonomic nervous system (the charge that regulates our involuntary movements), the most common response is a picture of anxiety that includes sweating, decreased gastrointestinal activity, hyperventilation, accelerated heart rate, and sometimes a panic attack.

There may also be a fear of one’s symptoms or a panic attack. There may also be a social component: many people are afraid of the possibility of making a fool of themselves when others notice the reaction .

Specific phobias of animals usually start in childhood (before age 12), although not necessarily, and occur more often among women.

Possible causes

One of the main hypotheses about the causes of specific phobias is that they derive from basic fears common to the human species, generated by phylogenetic evolution . This same hypothesis holds that the most common phobic fears are situational, to the natural environment, to diseases and finally to animals.

In the same vein, animal phobia is often explained by the theory of biological preparedness, which says that a stimulus is more likely to become phobic when it poses a threat to the survival of the species. This would include fear of attacks by different animals.

On the other hand, animal phobias are usually explained by the socio-cultural variables that surround our interaction with animals, as well as by early learning about danger and possible threats .

In other words, the expectation of fear has to do with the transmission of threatening information, which refers to warnings received about the dangerousness of the stimulus.

Thus, chiroptophobia can also be generated with the negative connotations associated with bats. In this regard, it should be noted that, contrary to what is thought, of the 1100 species of bats that exist, only 3 feed on blood. The vast majority eat insects and fruits, and in some cases small vertebrates . They are therefore an important species for pest control and for the dispersal of seeds.

Finally, as with other phobias, one of the main causes is previous negative experiences with the phobic stimulus (in this case with bats). Such experiences may have been direct or indirect, and are potential triggers when they fit with the previously acquired expectation of danger. Likewise, fear expectations are reinforced by not having had positive experiences with the same stimulus.

Psychological treatment

There are different psychological techniques that allow us to modify the fears turned into phobias, as well as to diminish the anxiety response. One of the most used in the case of specific phobias to animals is the technique of live exposure and some techniques of exposure in the imagination . Both have effects such as reducing fear, avoidance behaviours and negative evaluation on the stimulus that causes both the phobia and the repulsion.

In combination with the above, participant modelling or learning by observation is used, which is a form of accompaniment in which the person observes the behaviour of another and tries to imitate it. At the same time, he or she receives feedback on both physical and verbal/behavioral responses.

The problem specifically in the case of animal phobias, such as chiroptophobia, is the difficulty of being exposed live to their natural environments. In view of this, virtual reality exposure techniques, imaginative exposure techniques and systematic desensitization have been generated.

Bibliographic references:

  • Bados, A. (2005). Specific phobias. Faculty of Psychology. Departament de Personalitat, Avaluació i Tractament Psicològics. University of Barcelona. Retrieved October 08, 2018. Available at http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/360/1/113.pdf.