Fear of school in adolescence
In everyday school life, young people face completely different demands than primary school pupils. Teaching is more difficult, the pressure to perform is greater and the social structures are more complex in the face of puberty. If fear of school develops in this context, it is usually more profound than at primary school age.
Performance-related school fears are based on the young person’s fear of failure. This is an expression of low self-esteem and thus a psychological problem that can have many causes. Social school anxiety, on the other hand, results from dealing with fellow pupils, which can be very difficult at this age.
The young people seek their place in society and the weaker ones are excluded. Aggression, peer pressure and the need to belong result in bullying and exclusion. Such a tense relationship with the other pupils is the reason for many young people to be afraid of school.
Is school fear and school phobia the same thing?
Fear of school and school phobia are not the same thing. The term school phobia is misleading, since it does not refer to fear of school, but rather to fear of separation from the persons to whom they relate (e.g. parents). A school phobic child therefore does not want to go to school because it would then be separated from the family and not because it is afraid of school. Thus, a school phobia where separation anxiety is the problem is different from a school phobia where school is the trigger.
