Agorafobie en het verloren maatschappelijk zelfrespect

Samenvatting

Agoraphobia and Loss of Social Self-Respect . In this article, a new theory is presented about agoraphobia (the fear of public places). The term public places refers to the locations where public life takes place. Public life takes place amidst "the people", "the public", in other words amidst people in their role as members of society. It is argued that the playing of this role presumes a certain awareness of social status, a certain social self-respect, on the part of the persons involved. Agoraphobia is thought to be due to the loss of this social self-respect resulting from the elimination of the roles and positions it was based on. This kind of loss makes inter action with other members of society impossible, so that one is no longer able to move freely among them. The avoidance of public places can also mean that an individual has never had this kind of self-respect. Characteristic features of agoraphobic behaviour are proached from this angle. Agoraphobic anxiety-reducers, for example, can thus be viewed as status symbols that the persons involved can utilize to provide themselves with a social identity. Analysis has shown that the situations agoraphobic persons are most sensitive to are particularly apt to present a threat to their status. Lastly, a link is drawn between this theory and the relatively low social status of the groups where agoraphobia is most frequent or where the symptoms are most serious.