Fear of responsibility: psychology, reasons, how to overcome

In the modern world, there are many opportunities to achieve success in life and no less dangers to our health, including psychological. Often you have to make difficult decisions and take responsibility for certain actions. The fear of not meeting the expectations of others can become a serious obstacle on the path of life. The fear of responsibility may not seem so scary at first. Don't believe this: people who are afraid to take a step forward are exposed to a lot of dangers. It is necessary to first understand what such fears actually are.

Fear of responsibility can cause serious trouble

Phobia or disease

What is such a phobia? This phobia has a name - hypengiophobia. Literally translated from Greek - fear of responsibility. To put it simply, it is an unreasonable, excessive fear.

Interestingly, this phobia is considered one of the most common anxiety disorders of the psyche. Based on modern lifestyles, we can be sure that more and more people are at risk. In this case, it is not so much the disease itself that is scary as its consequences. Subsequently, its functional effect on the body can cause:

ulcers;
cardiovascular diseases;
strokes, heart attacks;
hypertensive diseases.

All these factors are one of the many reasons to combat hypongiophobia.

How to get rid of the fear of responsibility

How to overcome the fear of responsibility? The main method of treatment is cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Sometimes short-term medication is indicated. Therapy involves two parts: changing the client’s attitude towards himself, working through traumas and changing behavior in the present, in interaction with others.

Correction methods are selected individually depending on the personality of the hypengiophobe. However, in all cases it is indicated to gradually load the person with responsibility. The starting point depends on the characteristics of the phobia. For example, for some, the starting point would be the commitment to wash dishes every day and keep the kitchen clean. And for some, treatment will begin with a conscious choice of breakfast. The third category of hypengiophobes will begin to get to know themselves, choose a profession, etc.

Note! As a form of self-help, it is recommended to analyze each of the frightening situations (behind the fear of responsibility lies a mass of individual small fears) and select a positive objection for each negative belief. Do it in writing first, over time it will become a habit.

Root causes of hypengiophobia

Why do we fear responsibility? What are its reasons? As psychologists say, all our fears and phobias come from childhood. Fear of responsibility is no exception. The root cause of such fear may be psychological trauma in childhood or adolescence. The most likely reason why a person develops a fear of responsibility is parents who cared too much about the child in childhood and instilled in him the inability to decide something on his own. In another case, the reason for this could be punishment for incorrect actions or mistakes, which entailed a reluctance to make decisions on their own.

Scientists say that 20% of newborns exhibit neurochemical processes that are the basis of hypersensitivity to stress and any innovations.

The reason for this may be hereditary connections. Thus, the part of the brain that is responsible for fear due to hypersensitivity panics. As a result, we get a ready-made phobia that needs to be fought.

Two in ten babies are hypersensitive to stress

Symptoms of a phobia

Fear of taking responsibility leads to psychological disorders and general deterioration of health. If you have this fear, you will experience the following symptoms:

insomnia;
depression;
inability to think rationally;
lack of composure;
increased heart rate.

All these symptoms are not always indicators of stress. Their appearance may indicate deeper psychological stress that is associated with making an important decision in your life.

At moments when a person suffering from hypengiophobia is required to make an important decision, he may panic or throw an unreasonable hysteria.

He himself is unable to understand what is happening and begins to blame others.

Insomnia is a symptom of phobia

Manifestation of fear

How does this phobia manifest itself? Everything is very simple. Very often this can be found among people who occupy high leadership positions. Subsequently, you get the feeling that you control everything and, in fact, all responsibility falls on one fragile shoulders. This can't help but frighten. Along with the fear of responsibility, third-party fears also arise.

Fear of affected pride.
Fear of inadequacy.
Fear of success.
Fear of restrictions on freedom and so on.

All of them are the basis for fear. They cause a person mental discomfort and do not allow him to fully exist in society. A hypertrophied sense of responsibility may not manifest itself clearly enough until a certain turning point in life. In a hidden form, it can be detected by a person’s low self-esteem, his infantilism or selfishness. Hypengiophobia can also be traced by symptoms such as:

insomnia;
depression;
cardiopalmus;
inability to rationally evaluate one's actions.

The phobia may manifest itself as a rapid heartbeat

How to overcome the fear of responsibility ↑

Feeling fear that is difficult to control in moments that require a responsible position, the hypengiophobe experiences a kind of life crisis.

A threatening situation is created in his mind: “What if I can’t cope?!”, “What if my decision leads to disaster?!”, “I will let so many people down with my unsuccessful actions?!”

Psychology of a person who is afraid of responsibility:

increased self-criticism at the level of self-flagellation;
avoiding any situations where uncertainty arises (learning new things, business acquaintances, project development, control);
a feeling of hopelessness at the slightest difficulties and obstacles;
low tolerance for any criticism.

The following actions will help prevent such a position in life:

Encouraging optimism in yourself . In the life of any person there are ups and downs, it is necessary to focus on any experience, even negative ones. Any problem is easier to solve if you approach it in a positive way.
A rational approach to assessing the consequences of any difficulties and unfavorable decisions. Analytical procedures when assessing each option for solving any circumstances will create clarity of the situation and a concrete understanding of all possible consequences.
An error should not be seen as a disaster - it should be seen as a hint to a plan of possible actions to improve the situation for the better.
You should not delay making a decision - this will only create greater psychological tension and initiate stress in the individual.
All tasks must be brought to their logical conclusion . If the problem remains in limbo, its existence creates an additional reason for fear. Completeness will allow you to see the situation from a position of optimism.
to develop self-confidence and self-confidence. They are the basis for action and will allow you to minimize anxiety in a situation of responsibility.
A mandatory action is training volitional efforts . Forcing yourself to do what you are afraid of or do not want is a procedure that creates the foundation for overcoming any phobia.
Alternating between active work and proper rest is the basis for an optimal mental state. At the same time, the person’s mind will work more rationally, and the emotional state will remain stable and optimistic.
It is necessary to pay increased attention to the “comfort zone” . The “panic zone” and the “comfort zone” exist one at the expense of the other - by increasing the volume of one, we reduce the other. By enhancing the influence of positive emotions, one can achieve a maximum reduction in the impact of anxiety and fear on a person.
If an individual takes responsibility for daily actions more often, this will create a resource for countering hypongiophobia.

Ways to Avoid Fear

Like any phobia, such a fear can also be cured. This will require a lot of effort, but the result will be obvious. Modern medicine offers many solutions, but in severe cases, the first person to turn to for help is a psychologist.

But a responsible person can handle it on his own. The first step to solving a problem is understanding and wanting to solve it. After that, you need to start small.

Try to take responsibility for a small action.
Then analyze it and decide whether the fear is really as great as it seems.
The next step will be to gradually increase the degree of responsibility.
You should also try exercises to improve your self-esteem. Psychologists recommend a method such as meditation. For a meditation session, you can use oils from a variety of herbs to calm, for example: mint, St. John's wort, chamomile, valerian. You can supplement the treatment method with relaxing music and decoctions of the above herbs.
Using massages and herbal baths, you can relieve muscle tension, which will help you relax faster and approach problems more constructively.

It should be remembered that this is a rather labor-intensive process that requires systematic action.

How to determine the presence of a phobic disorder?

Experts in the field of psychology have established that fear of responsibility is a real disease that has its own manifestations.

Physical symptoms of hypongiophobia:

quiet voice;
cardiopalmus;
inability to concentrate on a task;
nausea;
headache;
inability to clearly formulate thoughts;
increased sweating.

Psychological manifestations of hypengiophobia:

a feeling of depression caused by a feeling of pressure from the outside;
the desire to hide, dissolve, disappear;
panicked state when thinking about the task;
the desire to postpone solving problems until later;
irrational feeling of anxiety.

The carrier of the phobia feels internal discomfort, but cannot even explain to himself why he experiences such a set of sensations. He convinces himself that he is tired, that the demands placed on him exceed his authority, and shifts responsibility to others. If an individual can honestly admit to himself: “I am afraid of responsibility,” then this will be the first step towards solving the problem.

If there is a hypengiophobe in your environment

From all of the above, it follows that there is no need to treat people with fear of responsibility too harshly. Under no circumstances should you reproach a person. One of the consequences of a phobia is lack of self-confidence. This is the first thing that needs to be dealt with.

The surest way to solve this problem is to sit down and talk calmly. It is necessary to explain to the person what exactly he is doing wrong, and not to label him as “lazy” or “irresponsible.”

Taking a more serious approach to studying the problem, we can conclude that it requires a solution. To live a full life, you need to overcome your phobia. Its absence will help you move up your career ladder, improve yourself and diversify your life. In addition, this is an opportunity to be a completely “healthy” person. And health, as we know, is the most valuable thing. Understanding that we ourselves are responsible for our lives is the right path to happiness and spiritual harmony.

Reasons for fear of responsibility

Reasons for developing a fear of responsibility:

Authoritarian or overprotective parenting style in the family. Two opposite types lead to the same result - infantilism and passivity of children. The child gets used to the fact that everything is always decided for him, and that attempts to express himself are also punished. Having become an adult, such a person does not know how to take responsibility for his own life, he is afraid. Therefore, he is looking for someone who will continue the “work” of his parents. Or the hypengiophobe continues to live with his parents and obey them.
Psychotrauma due to a mistake. Perhaps one day a person made a responsible decision and made a mistake, which caused serious consequences. This stuck in my memory and turned into a fear of responsibility.
Fear of making mistakes. This is an independent phobia, which is associated with the costs of family upbringing, a person’s complexes and insecurities, worries about past mistakes, hyper-responsibility and much more.

Note! Fear of responsibility may be associated with other phobias. For example, with fear of the unknown or new, fear of looking ridiculous or being ridiculed, fear of loneliness and fear of being rejected, and much more.