# Gamophobia

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamophobia/674468>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 21, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamophobia/674468 "2013-11-21T19:39:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Esco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de053/32.png) [@Esco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esco)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamophobia/674468/1 "2013-11-21T19:39:30Z")

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No, its not a fear of games. Its fear of getting married and I might have this phobia.

Anyone else suffer from it??

> **[Gamophobia](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamophobia)**
>
> Gamophobia (prounced 'ga-me-PHO-bia', from the Greek 'gamo' meaning 'marriage') is the fear of getting married, being in a relationship, or commitment. The opposite of 'gamophobia' is 'anuptaphobia'-it is the fear of not being in a relationship (to be single or alone). A person who has gamophobia may like or love a person, but when he or she finds out about that person liking them back and attempting to be together, there is a possibility that their affection would change to hate.
> Rather than a ...

> [@](#):
>
> **Gamophobia**
> 
> Gamophobia (prounced ‘ga-me-PHO-bia’, from the Greek ‘gamo’ meaning ‘marriage’) is the fear of getting married, being in a relationship, or commitment. The opposite of ‘gamophobia’ is ‘anuptophobia’-it is the fear of being or staying single. A person who has gamophobia may like or love a person, but when he or she finds out about that person liking them back and attempting to be together there is a possibility that that like would change to hate.
> 
> Rather than a phobia, such behavior is linked to a number of personality disorders and neuroses. The majority of phobias are socially created, and are not found in any DSM Psychology manual. The inability to allow oneself to be vulnerable and show their ‘bad parts’ has a personality disorder. When the individual displays reaction formation (love to hate) this is a neurotic defense mechanism

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamophobia/674468/2 "2013-11-21T20:21:47Z")

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Since the OP is asking about personal experience, this is best suited to IMHO.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator

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**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gamophobia/674468/3 "2013-11-21T21:45:29Z")

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Not at the level of a phobia…but at the level of a life-long commitment to make no life-long commitments. Some people are made for intimate relationships…and some people are not.

But a phobia? That’s harsh. It’s a deep-seated internal over-reaction that you can’t turn off. It’s when you get cold sweats and start to shiver…just because you heard Mendelssohn’s wedding march on the radio. It’s when you become nauseated when you see the word “bridle” because it’s too close to “bridal.” Phobias are beyond the reach of the intellectual side of the brain. They have a red-telephone hot line to the panic center of the brain.

A process of desensitization can help…a little. If it is seriously harmful to your quality of life, there are meds that help…a little.

I hope your situation is not a full-fledged debilitating phobia!

(I’ve got arachnophobia…to maybe a “6” on a 1-10 scale. Ick. I get screamish just looking at a picture of a tarantula.)