Do you remember that thing you badly wanted but were too scared to ask for? Perhaps you wanted to ask for a raise, help, or even sex. Perhaps you knew there was nothing inherently wrong with the ask, and that a yes could be the best thing that would happen to you all day, week, or month, yet askophobia – the crippling fear of asking for what you want – froze you on your tracks.
Pistanthrophobia is the severe fear of not being able to trust others because you’ve been through some serious disappointments in the past or experienced some soul-crushing end of a friendship or relationship.
People with pistanthrophobia have likely been burned before. So, they put up this massive wall around themselves because they’re terrified of getting hurt all over again.
Atelophobia is a relatively common phobia, and even though it is an abnormal/excessive desire to be perfect, it is usually not a life sentence. The fear of disappointing people is a problem that hides in plain sight, masquerading as a positive trait. It will often feel as though acting out those behaviours were in your best interests, but they aren’t.
