Logophobia

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The word logophobia is derived from the Greek words λόγος lógos ('word, speech; teaching') and φόβος phóbos ('fear, fear; flight') and is the medical-psychological term for fear of speech . Other sources, however, clearly differentiate speech fear from logophobia (Kriebel, Haubl and Spitznagel).

In German-speaking glossophobia is also often identified by terms such as speech inhibition , fright , canon fever , communication apprehension , public anxiety , speech anxiety , performance anxiety , communication anxiety , interpersonal anxiety or social anxiety equated or closely correlated.

Disorder

Logophobia is a psychogenic (psychologically caused) speech disorder that impairs the normal flow of speech. Logophobia can appear as an independent disorder or it can be included as a component in various speech, speech , speech and voice disorders, especially in stuttering and mutism .

Logophobia refers to the state of pathological fear of speech in an audience situation and, due to its basic phobic component, is an inappropriate, permanent and strong fear reaction in speech situations that do not pose any real danger or threat.

The strong fear reaction is associated with corresponding avoidance and flight tendencies, which are reduced and balanced in different ways. If a person concerned tries to avoid fear-inducing speaking situations, it is often impossible for him to realize his concerns and needs.

Symptoms

When it comes to fear of speaking, the following symptoms may be observed in a speaking situation:

  • Voice : speaking voice is too high, dynamic is too quiet, melody is monotonous
  • Flow of speech : Delayed finding of words, speech blocks, lack of fluency in speech, inappropriate pauses, speaking too quickly
  • Breathing : increased breathing rate, gasping for air
  • Mouth and throat : frequent throat clearing and swallowing
  • Facial expression : no eye contact, eye rolling, tense facial muscles, grimacing, twitching, rigid facial expression
  • Motor skills : tense, fidgeting, motionless, stiff, hands and feet tremble / sway, step from one foot to the other

Differentiation of logophobia from fear of speech

The terms fear of speech and logophobia are often equated, but only logophobia is an actual disease.

Speech anxiety is viewed as a disorder of "normal" speech in a healthy person. It appears as a justified fear and thus differs from logophobia, which occurs as a pathologically exaggerated fear that is inappropriate to the situation.

When speaking, and this applies to almost all communication situations, the communication partner faces the criticism of his interlocutor or listener with every expression. If the speaker takes into account the importance of oral communication and the critical ability of the communication partner, and if the individual has remained critical of himself, this almost inevitably leads to the phenomenon of speech anxiety. In the audience situation, however, logophobia already includes clinically more relevant, more intense fears than speech fear, which, compared to speech fear, are also more and more closely related to the behavior class "escape / avoidance".

In the English-speaking world, the term glossophobia (= fear of speaking in public) has been able to gain a foothold because (free) public speech traditionally plays a greater cultural role there than e.g. B. in German-speaking countries. The percentage of people who are infected by glossophobia is put in various printed and Internet sources at 41% and 75%, respectively, although there is always no evidence from which studies these figures come.

Therapy options

So far, from a medical-psychological point of view, there are no holistic healing or therapy options for people with logophobia. Only therapeutic measures for other language and speech disorders can be used, but these do not initiate a cure, but only a small psychological improvement in the life of logophobic people. The main aim of this type of therapy is to relieve people of fear when talking when it comes to vital conversations or everyday conversational situations.

See also

literature

  • Ulla Beushausen : Fear of speech. Explanatory models and forms of therapy. (= Contributions to psychological research. 26). Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen 1996, ISBN 3-531-12838-8 .
  • Ulla Beushausen: Fear of speech. In: Gert Ueding (Hrsg.): Historical dictionary of rhetoric . Volume 10, WBG, Darmstadt 2011, Sp. 1016-1021.
  • Reinholde Kriebel: fear of speaking. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-17-007941-7 .
  • Geert Lotzmann (Ed.): Speech anxiety in its relationship to communication disorders. (= Logotherapia. 2). Marhold, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-7864-2275-3 .
  • Kerstin Seidel: Music pedagogical and therapeutic aspects in the treatment of logophobia. In: Daniela Laufer (ed.): De consolatione musicae. Festschrift on the retirement of Walter Piel. Dohr, Cologne-Rheinkassel 2004, ISBN 3-936655-13-8 , pp. 213-226.
  • Jürgen Wendler (Hrsg.): Textbook of phoniatrics and pedaudiology. 4th edition. Thieme, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-13-102294-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The 14 Worst Human Fears. In: David Wallenchinsky, Irving Wallace, Amy Wallace: The Book of Lists. 1977, pp. 469-470 (also reprinted in the Sunday Times, London)
  2. ^ Lenny Laskowski: 10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking. Warner Books, 2001, ISBN 0-7595-2500-5 , pp.
  3. ^ Glossophobia. In: Graham Jones: Stop Public Speaking Fear. 2005, ISBN 1-871550-36-X , p. 7.