Fear of clowns

He brings laughter and joy to people - this is the original purpose of such a character as a clown. But this does not always happen.

There is such a disease in psychological practice. Fear of clowns is scientifically called coulrophobia and is the emergence of a sincere feeling of fear of these cheerful and cute, in the opinion of the majority, creatures, which is completely irrational and accompanied by panic horror. Moreover, fear of clowns occurs in both children and adults. According to surveys of scientists, a significant part of the population of our planet is afraid of clowns, and some individuals are actually afraid of them. And this can be both a small child and a very successful person with status and respect in society.

The emergence of coulrophobia in modern society

The fear of clowns became most pronounced in society at the beginning of the 20th century. This was facilitated by cinema, since clowns often appear in horror films, and as negative characters, or even as maniac killers. Therefore, many people have a creepy image of a clown with a whitened face and a smile that never leaves his face, holding a bloody knife, chainsaw or other weapon in his hands. The spread of the fear of clowns was facilitated, in particular, by the novel by the famous American writer Stephen King "It" and the film based on it, where a maniac clown kills people and smiles his creepy clown smile. It was followed by a whole series of similar horror films. Clowns appear in this "role" not only in cinema, but also in other areas of art.

Reasons for fear of clowns

According to psychologists, people suffering from coulrophobia are most afraid of the face that is hidden by makeup or a mask. After all, in this case, it is unclear what is really on the mind of such a person, since a completely artificial smile does not leave the face. The facial expressions of clowns are also deliberately unnatural, they behave completely inadequately compared to normal people, they make jokes that seem stupid. In general, all the behavior of clowns for people with coulrophobia conceals some kind of catch, it is unpredictable, and it is completely unclear what he can do the next second, what to expect from a clown. From the outside, clowns look and behave like mentally ill people - this is one of their main trump cards for attracting the attention of the audience. Coulrophobes claim that the laughter of the audience in response to clowns' jokes is more like a nervous giggle. Therefore, the protective reaction of the psyche becomes wariness towards clowns. In fact, the fear of clowns can be attributed to a particular manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation.

Fear of clowns is also often associated with the fact that coulrophobes are terrified of public ridicule. A common behavior of a clown is to find one spectator in the audience and make fun of him. In psychological practice, there are often cases when a person began to have mental problems after this, and coulrophobia developed.

Fear of clowns can develop from childhood memories, when a child, for example, having seen a film with a maniac clown, was very scared, or after it there were unpleasant impressions. And do not forget that children are very impressionable, even a minor trifle in childhood can lead to the development of serious psychological problems in the future.

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Symptoms of fear of coons

• panic attacks when in the same room with a clown;
• worsening mood;
• dry mouth;
• dizziness;
• a sharp drop in blood pressure and, as a result, fainting;
• profuse sweating;
• trembling of the limbs;
• loss of control over behavior and emotions (a person suffering from coulrophobia may quickly run away from clowns, throw objects at them, scream).

These symptoms of fear of clowns can manifest themselves both all and selectively. Naturally, reactions and behavior are individual for each person and directly depend on temperament, emotionality, etc.

Treatment for fear of clowns

When it becomes clear that your loved one does not have a simple, coming and going aversion to clowns, but it is clear that the person reacts to them in a not entirely adequate way, then the surest method is to consult a specialist psychologist. Especially when a child is suspected of having coulrophobia. First, you can try watching films and/or cartoons where clowns are presented in a good light and are positive characters. If you go to the circus, it is better to attend children's sessions with clowns, where their performance is adapted for an audience of children. You can also play clowns at home: so that parents dress up in a clown costume in front of the child, and the child sees that under the mask there is a completely ordinary person, and the clown is not something supernatural and dangerous. By the way, this practice also helps adults suffering from coulrophobia.

In advanced cases, it is better to immediately consult a doctor so as not to provoke the further development of the fear of clowns with the above-described actions.

It is necessary to fight the fear of clowns or coulrophobia and get rid of the fear of clowns. Of course, you can exclude visits to the circus and avoid places where clowns perform. But the object of your fear may simply suddenly meet on the street or in some unexpected place. And if the problem is not solved, after long runs, reactions may manifest themselves very violently. Therefore, it is better to contact a specialist who will help you cope with fear and overcome the fear of clowns.