Definition
The fear of the loss of loved ones, money, the job, animals and many other things probably feels each humans in the course of the life. Here it can present itself in clearly fluctuating intensity, from no less than an ulterior motive to existential fear of loss. Most often, fear of loss occurs in the context of relationships, i.e. the fear of losing a beloved partner.
The causes of strong fears of loss can be very multifaceted and the fears occur at all stages of life. Since everyone feels fear of loss, it is always a question of the extent to which the fear of loss is pathological or not. Long-lasting strong fears of loss, especially in children, can have a significant influence on the development of the personality.
Causes
The causes that lead to the development of fear of loss are as diverse as the many different objects of this fear (partners, animals, money). Often, however, those affected report incisive losses that were made during childhood or later, such as the loss of a loved one, such as parents, through death or divorce. As a reaction to this formative experience, there is an excessive fear of further losses, but these do not always have to be related to the first experience.
The feeling of security and safety is then no longer there for the child and he or she tries to create it himself or herself. Thus, people with strong fears of loss cling to things in order not to lose them. The impending loss is not perceived as a simple part of life, as is the case with normal fear of loss, but as an existential loss. Thus fears of loss are always the result of traumatizing experiences of loss.
Diagnosis
There are no specific psychological tests used in the diagnosis of fear of loss to prove it. Rather, the diagnosis is made through an in-depth psychological interview in which various signs of excessive fear of loss can be identified, if they are present. These include, on the one hand, as a direct consequence of these fears, the excessive clinging to things such as the partner or the job.
The impending loss is not seen here as a normal part of life, but as an existential threat to one’s own happiness. Thus, people with pronounced fears of loss react to losses with excessive grief, which can even lead to depression. Furthermore, fear of loss is often associated with a fundamental pessimistic attitude towards many things. Not infrequently, those affected develop pronounced compulsions to control the object of loss. Numerous cases of fear of loss have been described in relationships in which one partner wants to gain maximum control over the other.
All articles in this series:
