This fear would be described as a sexual and perhaps social phobia. Perhaps because young girls are pretty and innocent there is a fear among some that it is something close to sin to even talk to a young girl. Parthenophobia is the name of this fear and the root Greek word would add that this is also a fear of virgins.
This may seem a rather awkward fear, but it can be debilitating to certain men. The fear can even be expressed among women who may fear young girls for other reasons. For instance an older woman might fear a younger girl because they believe the younger girl holds the power to steal the affection of their husband. It doesn’t matter that this may not be anything even remotely considered by the younger girl or woman. You may consider it a high form of jealousy, but it’s roots may lie in fear.
What Causes Parthenophobia?
The fear can present itself if for instance a man who believes himself to know better finds himself attracted to a young girl. He may work at denying the feeling or mentally beat himself up about finding her attractive. He may succumb to fear as a motivation to keep a firm distance between himself and young girls. This may prevent him from being able to interact with a daughter’s friends if they visit the home. It could even prevent him from showing natural fatherly affection to his own young daughter.
This may be a case of metaphorically removing all the trees in an effort to avoid forbidden fruit. It might also be that the man fears the young girl because he believes she has the power to destroy his life if he were to allow her to get close to him.
Symptoms of Parthenophobia
Many who fear young girls express a sense of panic and an urge to flee in their presence. These men may be extremely uncomfortable and may fear for the safety of their own personal long-term relationships.
Other symptoms may include…
- Air hunger
- Trembling
- Nausea
- Self-loathing
- Anger
- Feelings of control loss
- A sense of dread
You need to understand that for the man a fear of young girls is almost always a sexual fear. The anxiety may be due to the man’s belief that he could potentially lose control if he became too close to a young girl.
How to Overcome Parthenophobia
This fear may be justified in some instances and overblown in others, but the reality is help will be required to come to terms with the fear and learn how to manage feelings that may be present within the fear.
A therapist would be able to help with a variety of therapies and help determine the source of the fear. It could have started with something as seemingly small as a fathers advice to never look at another girl once the son got married.
There can be appropriate adult/young girl relationships. Managing your fear will be the first step in making that possible.
The fear of young girls is also referred to as:
- Virgin fear
- Young girl fear
- Parthenophobia
- Fear of virgins
