Mastigofobia (punishment phobia): symptoms, causes and treatment

Mastigophobia is the extreme fear of punishment, and appears mainly during childhood.

Phobias are a very common group of anxiety disorders. In fact, although they are rarely the main reason for consultation for a psychology professional, they are the most frequent comorbid problem in other clinical entities of the same category (generalized anxiety, for example).

Those who suffer from a phobia experience an overwhelming fear, which they often perceive as uncontrollable, and which conditions the way in which they live their lives or carry out activities that are meaningful to them.

In this article we will address mastigophobia, a relatively common fear in childhood that has been shown to have and which has been shown to be deeply rooted. Here we will discuss its clinical expression, the potential underlying causes and the psychological treatment currently available.

How is mastigophobia expressed?

The mastigofobia (also called poinephobia) consists of a generalized, irrational and disproportionate fear of punishment.. It is a word composed by the confluence of two terms coming from the Greek: "mastigos" (which could be translated as whip or scourge) and "phobos" (which would mean fear or aversion). It describes any irrational panic reaction at the moment when a corrective is applied, and which exceeds what would be foreseeable based on its intensity or the immediate conditions in which it occurs.

It is important to consider, however, that punishments are strategies aimed at reducing the frequency with which a behavior considered undesirable (for the child or for third parties) is observed. This is why, implicitly, an aversive quality is attributed to them on which their effectiveness is based. This fear, therefore, must be differentiated in a matter of degree with respect to what is expected under normal conditions during the application of the procedure; in such a way that it conditions the way in which children (who are the most affected by this disorder) feel, think and act.

The following are the forms that mastigophobia can take at a clinical level. Although most commonly occurring in childhood, the fear may occasionally persist into adulthood.

In general, the fear is the fear is projected towards both physical and psychological punishment.and precipitates a physiological reaction similar to that of a panic attack. Likewise, phobia extends to positive punishment (production of an aversive stimulus) and negative punishment (removal of something the child perceives as pleasant or reinforcing). Both behavior modification strategies have been the subject of debate in recent years.

1. Anxiety oriented to punishment situations

The feelings of anxiety that emerge in the context of mastigophobia, as a result of punishment or its anticipation, are very similar to those described in other phobic conditions. For descriptive purposes, three relatively independent essential areas can be distinguished (although they have multiple relationships with each other): physiological, cognitive and motor.

At the physiological level, hyperactivation of the autonomic nervous system is observed, and specifically of its sympathetic branch (tachycardia, tachypnea, sweating, tremors, etc.). At the cognitive level, the concern and catastrophic interpretation of the fictions that occur within normal coexistence are very relevant. that occur within normal coexistence. At the motor level, finally, the avoidance of any situation that could lead to the imposition of a physical or psychological punishment, even if there is only a remote possibility for either of them.

2. Fear of physical punishment

Children suffering from mastigophobia fear being victims of physical punishment (spanking, for example) as a consequence of having carried out a behavior considered undesirable for those persons (parents, for example) who could administer it. This feeling does not always have an objective basis, so it can extend even to those who do not seek to generate any punitive situation.

This phenomenon is frequent in children who are adopted by a new family after having gone through traumatic experiences of physical abuse with their original caregivers. The previous parenting style would facilitate learning about conflict resolution dynamics that would carry over into the current environment. This is why they they react with enormous shock when the adoptive parents confront or correct them. They react with great shock when they are confronted or corrected by adoptive parents for disruptive behavior, even though they do so in an appropriate manner and without the mediation of any fuss.

Children with mastigophobia are very sensitive to the facial expression associated with anger, an emotion that often anticipated the physical punishments they suffered throughout their lives. This is a learning process forged over a long period of time, from which it is possible to predict a negative and potentially dangerous stimulus. Over the years, disproportionate vigilance towards hostile nonverbal cues can be maintained.

3. Fear of psychological punishment

Punishments can be both physical and psychological. The latter includes behaviors such as contempt, isolation, threats, unjustified disapproval or insults. Sufferers of this phobia show an overwhelming fear during any interaction in which these adverse exchanges may occur, so they develop a behavior aimed at avoiding them at all costs. Thus, they may assume an overly complacent attitude towards othersThey may become overly complacent with others, even when there is clear abuse in their relationships.

One of the situations that generate the greatest anxiety in people suffering from this disorder are the silences resulting from a situation of interpersonal conflict. The fact of feeling ignored is perceived as a punitive act of unbearable dimensions, in the face of which intense bodily sensations emerge that can progress to acute hyperarousal (such as nausea, abdominal discomfort, tachycardia, tachypnea, etc.).

4. Anxious anticipation of potential punishment

Children with this phobia have the feeling that they could be susceptible to punishment anywhere and for any reason. As soon as they become aware that they have done something reprehensible, they harbor an intense fear of being caught, of being reproached for their behavior, or of being reprimanded.

This leads to constant worry about what might happen, as well as disproportionateas well as disproportionate ideas (suffering severe corrections for an innocuous, accidental or involuntary act).

5. Disproportionate reactions to mistakes

Children who suffer from mastigophobia are hypervigilant about any mistake they might make, so that their anxiety levels (physiological, cognitive and motor). (physiological, cognitive and motor). For this reason, they invest overwhelming efforts in many of their activities. It is essential to point out that they would not engage in them for the intrinsic pleasure of performing them correctly (or for mastery motivation), but for fear that the error could precipitate the dreaded punishment. They would not seek the good, but would flee from the bad.

This expression of mastigophobia is common in children whose parents opted for authoritarian parenting styles, oriented to the exclusive reinforcement of achievements and the systematic punishment of any deviation from these. This pattern would forge a painful perfectionism that does not pursue excellence, but the avoidance of harm.

Why does mastigophobia occur?

Mastigophobia is common in those children who have received a have received an upbringing based on the use of punishments, both positive and negative, in order to systematically correct their behavior.The use of punishments, both positive and negative, in order to systematically correct the child's behavior. It is especially common in cases in which the application of these punishments was excessive, involving physical harm or deprivation of activities necessary for a healthy physical/emotional development (hitting, permanent prohibition of sharing time with friends, etc.).

Cases of children with mastigophobia are not infrequent, and they who report a serious history of maltreatment behind them, and who live in constant fear.and who live in constant fear of being punished for their actions. Through sensitive inquiry into the past it is often possible to detect the point from which this disorder was articulated, which is often associated with impaired self-esteem and a self-worth weighed down by the belief of being "undesirable and/or inappropriate". It can also appear as a consequence of having observed how severe punishments were applied to others (siblings, schoolmates, etc.).

What is the treatment of mastigophobia?

The treatment of mastigophobia is complex, as it must integrate many domains of childhood experience: past traumatic or severely hostile experiences, impaired identity formation, persistent difficult emotions and even adaptive difficulties in areas such as school or home. Parents should also be involved, in order to provide adequate psychoeducation on how to correctly apply reinforcement and punishment (and the situations in which it is appropriate).

Rigid perfection is also an issue that often requires intervention.The child sets a standard that is impossible to meet without deteriorating other key facets of his or her life (leisure, social relationships with peers, etc.), and which also does not allow him or her to build a positive self-image. The pattern described may end up being associated with comorbidities such as depression (which is expressed in the form of irritability during this period), or other anxious conditions that extend into adulthood.

It is an approach that must consider the family system as a whole and be very sensitive to the specific needs of the child. The cognitive-behavioral treatment allows to modify the environmental contingencies that maintain the problem, and at the same time to explore the child's thoughts.The child's thoughts and emotions can be explored in order to detect and discuss the beliefs that are contributing to the child's symptoms.

Finally, in the event that it becomes evident that the family is carrying out any form of mistreatment of the child, it will be essential to report it to the competent authorities so that they can mediate the appropriate legal actions.

Bibliographical references:

• Grös, D.F. and Antony, M.M. (2006). The assessment and treatment of specific phobias: a review. Current Psychiatry Reports, 8(4), 298-303.
• Singh, J. and Singh, J. (2016). Treatment options for the specific phobias. International Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 5(3), 593-598.