Do you have a fear of intimacy? Do you push people away when they get too close to you emotionally? It can be scary to be intimate and emotionally vulnerable to someone. Having a fear of intimacy is perfectly understandable, especially if you have a history of failed relationships and emotionally distant or absent parents.

Are you looking for relationship advice on how to overcome the fear of intimacy? Before we get to the "how", we need to identify the signs first and understand the psychology behind the fear. If this video described you or someone you know, we've also made a video on the four attachment styles of love to help you understand why you or someone may fear intimacy:    • The Four Attachment Styles of Love  

#intimacy #psych2go

Credits
Writer: Chloe Avenasa
Script Editor: Rida Batool
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
VO: Amanda Silvera
Storyboarder: Yi Lin
Animator: Andrew Allan
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

References:

Watkins, P. C., Woodward, K., Stone, T., & Kolts, R. L. (2003). Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 31(5), 431-451.

Thelen, M. H., Vander Wal, J. S., Thomas, A. M., & Harmon, R. (2000). Fear of intimacy among dating couples. Behavior modification, 24(2), 223-240.

Szymanski, D. M., & Hilton, A. N. (2013). Fear of intimacy as a mediator of the internalized heterosexism-relationship quality link among men in same-sex relationships. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35(4), 760-772.

LeFebvre, L. (2017). Ghosting as a relationship dissolution strategy in the technological age. The impact of social media in modern romantic relationships, 219-235.

Martin, J. L., & Ashby, J. S. (2004). Perfectionism and fear of intimacy: Implications for relationships. The Family Journal, 12(4), 368-374.