Genophobia or coitophobia is the physical or psychological fear of sexual relations or

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

. The term

erotophobia Erotophobia is a term to describe a fear or aversion to sex or related matters. It was coined by a number of researchers in the late 1970s and early 1980s to describe one pole on a continuum of attitudes and beliefs about sexuality. The word is der ...

can also be used when describing genophobia. It comes from the name of the Greek god of erotic love,

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

. Genophobia can induce panic and fear in individuals, much like

panic attacks Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a rapid, irregular heartbeat, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, con ...

. People who suffer from the

phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...

can be intensely affected by attempted sexual contact or just the thought of it. The extreme fear can lead to trouble in romantic relationships. Those afflicted by genophobia may stay away from getting involved in relationships to avoid the possibility of intimacy. This can lead to feelings of loneliness. Genophobic people may also feel lonely because they may feel embarrassed or ashamed of their personal fears.

Etymology

The word ''genophobia'' comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

nouns (), meaning "offspring", and ' (), meaning "fear". The word ''coitophobia'' is formed from the term

coitus Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

, referring to the act of copulation in which a male reproductive organ penetrates a female reproductive tract.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of genophobia can be feeling of panic, terror, and dread. Other symptoms are increased speed of heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling/shaking, anxiety, sweating, crying, and avoidance of others.

Causes

There can be many different reasons for why people develop genophobia. Some of the main causes are former incidents of

sexual assaults Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. Sex, SEX or sexual may also refer to: *Sexual intercourse, a sexual activity Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Sex'' (1920 ...

or abuse. These incidents violate the victim's trust and take away their sense of right to

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

.Offir, Carole Wade. ''Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.'' Human Sexuality. New York: Harcourt, 1983. 391–416. Another possible cause of genophobia is the feeling of intense shame or medical reasons. Others may have the fear without any diagnosable reason.

Rape

Rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

is the nonconsensual and unlawful act of sexual intercourse forced by one person onto another. This can include penetration, but does not have to. Victims of rape can be of any gender. "Rape is the most extreme possible invasion of a person's physical and emotional privacy." It is considered to be such a heinous crime because victims are attacked in a very personal manner and because physical force or deception can be utilized. Rape can be physically painful, but it can be more emotionally unbearable. Rape is often described as less of an invasion of the body and more of an invasion of "self". Victims often have intense emotional reactions, usually in a predictable order. This is known as

rape trauma syndrome Rape trauma syndrome (RTS) is the psychological trauma experienced by a rape survivor that includes disruptions to normal physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal behavior. The theory was first described by nurse Ann Wolbert Burgess and ...

. Rape victims can experience added stress after the assault because of the way hospital staff, police personnel, friends, family, and significant others react to the situation. They can often feel lowered self-esteem and even a sense of helplessness. They long for a sense of safety and control over their lives. Rape victims can develop a fear of sex for physical and psychological reasons. During sexual assault, victims experience physical trauma such as soreness, bruising, pain, genital irritation, genital infection, severe tearing of vaginal walls, and rectal bleeding. They may also grapple with fear of the potential reoccurrence of assault. This possibility for rape can put stress on relationships as well. Some victims can become distrusting and suspicious of others. Rape victims can become fearful of sexual intercourse because of physical pain and mental anguish.

Molestation

Child molestation, or

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

, is a form of sexual assault in which a child, an adult or older adolescent abuses a younger child for sexual satisfaction. (A child can molest another child; this is defined as

child-on-child sexual abuse Child-on-child sexual abuse is a form of child sexual abuse in which a prepubescent child is sexually abused by one or more other children or adolescents, and in which no adult is directly involved. While this includes one of the children using phy ...

). This can include talking to a child about having sex, showing pornography to a child, making a child participate in the production of pornography, exposing genitals to a child, fondling of a child's genitals, or forcing a child to engage in any form of sexual intercourse. Force is not often used in child molestation. Children usually cooperate because they are not fully aware of the significance of what is happening. They also may feel intimidated by the adult or older adolescent. Victims of child molestation often experience their feelings about the incidents later in life when they can fully understand the importance. They often feel that their privacy has been invaded when they were too young to consent. They can feel like they were taken advantage of and betrayed by those that they trusted. Victims of child molestation can experience long-term psychological traumas. This pushes them to distrust others. The lack of reliance on others can lead to an overall fear of sexual intercourse.

Insecurities

Some people may become afflicted with genophobia because of

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in several disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psycho ...

issues. Some men and women can become obsessively self-conscious of their bodies. This may be regarding their entire physique or it may be focused on one specific issue. Women may become insecure if they dislike the appearance of their

labia majora In primates, and specifically in humans, the labia majora (: labium majus), also known as the outer lips or outer labia, are two prominent Anatomical terms of location, longitudinal skin folds that extend downward and backward from the mons pubis ...

labia minora The labia minora (Latin for 'smaller lips', : labium minus), also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin that are part of the primate vulva, extending outwards from the inner Vagina#Vaginal opening and hymen, vagi ...

. Men may become genophobic if they suffer from

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a Human penis, penile erection with sufficient rigidity and durat ...

. Others who grapple with

gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to inconsistency between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender i ...

can also develop a fear of sex.

Other fears

Some sufferers of genophobia may develop the fear as a result of preexisting fears. Some people may have nosophobia: the fear of contracting a disease or virus. They may also have

gymnophobia Gymnophobia is a fear (phobia) of or prejudice against nudity. Symptoms Gymnophobics experience anxiety from nudity, even if they realize their fear is irrational. They may worry about seeing others naked, being seen naked, or both. Their fear m ...

: the fear of nudity. Others may have extreme fear of being touched. These issues, along with stress disorders, can manifest themselves as the innate fear of sex.

Treatments

There is no universal cure for genophobia. Some ways of coping with or treating anxiety issues is to see a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

, or licensed counselor for

therapy A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications a ...

. Some people experiencing pain during sex may visit their

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

. Medicine may also be prescribed to treat the anxiety brought on by the phobia. The

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

Good Dick ''Good Dick'' is a 2008 comedy drama film written and directed by Marianna Palka. Palka also stars in the film, opposite Jason Ritter. ''Good Dick'' premiered in the Dramatic Competition of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Plot A video store cl ...

'' centers on the theme of genophobia and how it affects a young woman and her relationships with people. It also, indirectly, deals with the theme of incest. The movie was written and directed by

Marianna Palka Marianna Bronislawa Barbara Palka (born 7 September 1981) is a Scottish actress, producer, director, and writer. She is the writer, director and star of the film ''Good Dick'', which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Early life and educa ...

and was released in 2008.

References

{{Reflist Phobias Non-sexuality