What is Germanophobia? (An Overview)
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In this blog we will view the causes, symptoms and treatments of Germanophobia.
Germanophobia is an irrational fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.
This is related to Anti German sentiments that date back to the time of II World War.
Germany is a country in Europe with a rich history and one of the most visited tourist attractions.
People love going to Germany, but someone who is suffering from Germanophobia will undergo a full-blown panic attack if they even think about Germany.
The person who suffers from phobia of a specific place or object undergo immense anxiety and their daily living, occupational and academic life is affected immensely.
Germanophobia is an intense fear of Germany and its culture, it limits the person from talking or even thinking about anything that is German. Even the language and the German cuisine pose a threat to the person suffering from Germanophobia.
Symptoms of Germanophobia
To avoid the experience of anxiety itself the individual may develop Germanophobia, so as to avoid the very cause of the uncomfortable condition.
- Anxiety at the thought of Germany
- Anxiety when seeing German culture or a German flag
- Unable to be involved in activities that include anything German
Physical Symptoms
These are intense and can begin without any prior warning.
The person suffering from Germanophobia experiences the full physical intensity of either all of these or some of these in combination with others.
- hot flashes or chills
- headaches
- sweating
- trembling
- shortness of breath a choking sensation
- rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- nausea
- dizziness
- feeling faint
- numbness
- dry mouth
- ringing in ears
- confusion
- hyperventilation
- raised blood pressure
- Bizarre behavior
The Psychological Symptoms
During panic attack the person suffering from Germanophobia may experience the following
- fear of being in Germany
- feelings of dread
- fear of being trapped
- Socially withdrawn
- fear of losing control
- fear of self harm
- fear of German food and German language
- feeling of hopelessness
- feeling of disconnect
- confusion
- lack of concentration
- anger
- irritability
- mood swings
- afraid of rejection
- incapacitated to enjoy the traveling to countries near Germany
Causes of Germanophobia
As with most phobias and anxieties, there is no clear consensus about what causes Germanophobia, but still a very plausible cause could be a fear of committing a mistake.
The most common explanation is stories and facts of the German genocide during 1933-1945, World War II.
The rise of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and the Holocaust that took place has till now haunted many and left many dead.
The horrors of the concentration camps and the effects that the entire continent had to face is also the reason for people to develop Germanophobia.
Persons suffering from Germanophobia may have read detailed accounts of the Holocaust with anecdotes of the opression caused to not only adults but also children and women.
This can also lead to an irrational fear of encountering the same tyranny at the hands of the German yet again if he visits or indulges in anything German.
Scientists believe that a combination of genetic tendencies, brain chemistry, and other biological and environmental factors could cause such fears to develop.
As is common in specific phobias, the cause Germanophobia may lie deep in the person’s childhood or its onset may be due to an environmental factor.
Other causes can be as follow:
• Learned behavior
• Traumatic experiences
Etiological Models of Germanophobia
1. Biological (Genetic) Model
Genetics also determines how a person reacts and feels. Therefore, people inherit fears and phobias as well from their families.
The brain cells (neurons) release certain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Serotonin and Dopamine are two neurotransmitters that in depleted states can cause anxiety like symptoms.
2. Psychodiagnostics Model
If a person has suffered from a traumatic experience in early childhood it can have a severe dire impact on his later life.
A childhood traumatic experience could be where children experienced a negative impact of events due to a change in their life.
This may leave a long lasting impression.
3. Behavioral Model
According to this model, irrational fears may be caused through behaviors that are learned by replication.
Children often replicate unique behaviors of their adults, parents or a favorite aunt or uncle.
If a family member is already suffering from anxiety or is scared of one or another thing, then chances are higher that only by observing this, the child may develop fears.
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Treatments of Germanophobia
Germanophobia can be treated through different treatments. These include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT),
Exposure Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Program (NLP), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MBSR) and forms of meditation.
1) Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
In CBT the therapist helps the client to amend his thoughts so that a desirable behavior can be achieved.
This therapy is effective, because if the thoughts or cognitions alter then there will be a lasting impact on behavior.
The therapist helps the client to discover the reason for this thought, his behavior in regards to changes in life.
This therapy is goal oriented and short termed. Therefore, the results are seen soon. It changes the way a person thinks and feels.
CBT does not focus on probing the past to resolve current problems, rather it concentrates on the present situation.
Our thoughts determine how we act or react to certain stimuli and situations.
Therefore, negative thoughts bring about a negative behavior response or an undesirable behavior.
Whereas, positive thoughts propagate desirable and healthy attitude and response.
For the treatment of Germanophobia, the therapist separates the problem into parts. These may include: thoughts, feelings and actions.
- What thought is invoked at the thought of Germany?
- How do you feel when you see or hear the name of the man who led the Nationalist movement in Germany which led to the end of so many Jewish lives?
- What do you do when you visit Germany?
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of CBT and designed by Albert Ellis. According to Ellis, “people are not disturbed by things but rather by their view of things.” This is what subjective perspective is.
2) Exposure Therapy
It is one of the most frequently used ways of treating patients with Francophobia. In this therapy, the patient is exposed to the source of his fear over a certain span of time.
To begin with the therapy, the therapist exposes the patient to the least triggering stimuli.
As the therapy progresses and the patient is able to control his anxious feelings, imagery can be used to take the treatment a step further.
In this part of the treatment the patient is asked to visualize/imagine a situation that makes him anxious.
During this process of imagery, one actually feels being in that particular situation or place, experiencing various senses.
Once the person successfully, without feeling anxious clears this step of the therapy, he is then exposed to real life situations.
While the patient is being exposed to different intensities of stimuli during the various stages of therapy, the therapist simultaneously teaches them coping exercises.
These include, breathing techniques or muscle relaxation methods to lower their anxiety, when in an actual fear/anxiety causing situation.
This teaches them how to remain calm when exposed to the fear stimuli.
Before actually starting the exposure therapy, the therapist needs to figure out the intensity of the patient’s fear, as to deduce whether they will be able to undergo this treatment, without any physical or psychological harm caused to them during the exposure processes.
3) Neuro Linguistic Program (NLP)
In this therapy the client is asked to
- Access the phobia in a safe environment.
- Help them to replay the phobia along with happy emotions.
- Disassociate from the phobia.
4) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
MBSR involves being aware of one’s own thoughts, feelings and reducing the interference from around the environment.
We do not pay attention to how we process the various stimuli that affect us.
We do not process the way our bodies feel and respond, there is no focus on our thoughts and how these thoughts are influencing our emotions.
In MBSR, the client is ‘woken up’ to actually experience the various senses. ‘Focus’ is the keyword!
5) Meditation
For meditation to be effective during treatment, the mind is cleared off all the clutter of random thoughts.
The mind and body are made to be ‘in sync’ with each other, so that the feared stimulus does not invoke a negative thought.
The client will meditate during the thoughts of death and concentrate on his breathing patterns in the presence of the feared stimulus.
6) Self-Help Groups
Self Help groups are an effective type of therapy, in which the client does not find himself as a lone sufferer.
These groups are individuals who are afflicted with the same types of phobias.
They come together to share their thoughts, experiences and their coping strategies. This also helps in developing a ‘sense of I am not the only one’ suffering.
7) Changing Lifestyle
Breaking down the dullness of the daily, helps break down anxiety as well.
• Take up jogging or go for daily walks:
Developing a walk routine can damper the way our negative thoughts control our behavior.
• Indulging in an exercise regime:
Vigorous exercise like aerobics has proved to reduce or alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Exercise helps the mind to cope with stress and stressful situations better.
This is what the American Psychological Association has to say about inducting exercise to eliminate stress or phobias.
• Altering eating and drinking habits:
Cutting down on fatty foods and caffeine can improve self-image, that in turn leads to a raised self-esteem.
This finally diminishes the symptoms of stress to a bare minimum.
With high intake of caffeine, the body resembles a ‘fight or flight’ response, thus giving way to anxiety.
When we get proper rest, our concentration improves.
8) Psychiatric Medication
There are a number of medicines that the Psychiatrist can prescribe if the symptoms of Germanophobia are severe.
Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs)
These should only be taken after the consultation with the doctor and shouldn’t be initiated or discontinued as per personal discretion.
Antidepressants
These medicines are not only used to treat depression, but also to alleviate the symptoms of Germanophobia as well as other phobias.
Medicines alone might not be as effective, but if used in conjunction with therapies then the results will be better.
9) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
This kind of therapy is used to regulate the emotions.
A technique called “half-smiling” is used where the client is asked to lift the corners of his mouth when the feared thought comes to his mind.
Apart from this the mind is to be trained to refrain from thinking about the painful stimulus.
Coping Ahead is another technique in DBT that requires the client to sit quietly and think of the feared situation and strategize what he will do.
We are always here to answer if you have any queries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fear of Germany called?
The fear of Germany is called Germanophobia.
How do I overcome my fear of Germany?
You can take up Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness exercises to overcome the fear of Germany.
What is the best thing about Germany?
The best thing about Germany are the tourist attractions and the German people.
What does Danke mean in English?
Danke means thank you in English language.
Titles to Read
by Kunth Verlag | Mar 20, 2017
by Robert Maurer and Michelle Gifford
by N. Robert
by Seth J. Gillihan Ph.D | May 22, 2018
Examples of other interesting phobias
Citations
- www.apa.org
- www.psychologytoday.com
- www.brain.org
- www.psychtimes.com
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