Monophobia: Fear and Taught Stranger Danger
Monophobia
“Do I really have to come to the bathroom with you?” I never understood why a grown woman would ask me to go to the bathroom with her, but if it made her feel safe I would. Loren will never feel secure unless she is with another person. Monophobia is a fear many people have and some even suffer from it. Many different people and animals experience this fear and it is not an easy fear to overcome. More common fears are having a fear of heights or being afraid of the dark. Monophobia is the abnormal fear of being alone. There are different cases of monophobia; some are extreme and some are very minuscule.
Loren has always had monophobia; we were about 14 when I realized it and found out what monophobia actually was. Every time Loren had to go to the bathroom I had to accompany her. When she wanted to get something to drink I went with her. She cannot sleep alone, eat alone or walk to her classes alone. Having a fear is one thing, but suffering from it is another. As a result of her fear she has to schedule her classes with someone she knows. Loren always has sleepovers or she sleeps in her brother or mom’s bedroom. Simple tasks that people do alone on a daily basis, Loren cannot do. Loren has an extreme case of monophobia, unlike Emma.
Emma, my cousin, is a two year old with monophobia. Without an adult in the same vicinity as her she cries. Emma has to have someone constantly with her or she starts to cry. Although she is only two it is not hard to see that she has monophobia. Emma fears being alone more than any two year old I have ever known. She cannot sleep alone, or be left alone for more than a minute. Some would confuse this with separation anxiety but it is not the same. She does not have an attachment to one person, she can be with another child playing alone and be fine. Emma could be with any adult and be okay; the crying does not occur just when she is separated from her parents or a family member; it happens when she is left completely
“Do I really have to come to the bathroom with you?” I never understood why a grown woman would ask me to go to the bathroom with her, but if it made her feel safe I would. Loren will never feel secure unless she is with another person. Monophobia is a fear many people have and some even suffer from it. Many different people and animals experience this fear and it is not an easy fear to overcome. More common fears are having a fear of heights or being afraid of the dark. Monophobia is the abnormal fear of being alone. There are different cases of monophobia; some are extreme and some are very minuscule.
Loren has always had monophobia; we were about 14 when I realized it and found out what monophobia actually was. Every time Loren had to go to the bathroom I had to accompany her. When she wanted to get something to drink I went with her. She cannot sleep alone, eat alone or walk to her classes alone. Having a fear is one thing, but suffering from it is another. As a result of her fear she has to schedule her classes with someone she knows. Loren always has sleepovers or she sleeps in her brother or mom’s bedroom. Simple tasks that people do alone on a daily basis, Loren cannot do. Loren has an extreme case of monophobia, unlike Emma.
Emma, my cousin, is a two year old with monophobia. Without an adult in the same vicinity as her she cries. Emma has to have someone constantly with her or she starts to cry. Although she is only two it is not hard to see that she has monophobia. Emma fears being alone more than any two year old I have ever known. She cannot sleep alone, or be left alone for more than a minute. Some would confuse this with separation anxiety but it is not the same. She does not have an attachment to one person, she can be with another child playing alone and be fine. Emma could be with any adult and be okay; the crying does not occur just when she is separated from her parents or a family member; it happens when she is left completely