Logophobia (glossophobia) is a pathological fear of speaking in public. It accompanies the course of stuttering, mutism, dyslalia, sometimes occurs within the framework of social phobia. With logophobia, there is a constant fear of speech convulsions, a fear of being ridiculed by others, a painful fixation on a speech defect, which is why patients avoid communication situations. Fear of speech is revealed in the course of observation, conversation, filling out speech questionnaires. Treatment of logophobia is carried out through cognitive-behavioral therapy, speech training, mastering relaxation methods, speech therapy correction.
Logophobia refers to phobic disorders. It can be expressed in several ways:
In its development, logophobia goes through three stages:
To a greater extent, logophobia is expressed in neurotic stuttering, to a lesser extent in neurosis-like stuttering. In the presence of relatives and well-known people, the fear of speech may be absent, but surrounded by strangers, in an unfamiliar environment, the situation gets out of control. Logophobia can be aggravated by telephone conversations, communication with a person of the opposite sex, peers or adults.
Speech neurosis is expressed in an obsessive fear of the development of convulsive hesitations when pronouncing a sound, word, phrase, sentence. Anxiety and anxiety are growing due to the fear of being publicly ridiculed. Anxious expectation is a factor that even more constrains the phonation, articulation, and respiratory muscles. Therefore, with the beginning of speech, convulsive hesitation intensifies. In this state, the stutterer does not say what he planned, but what is easier for him to pronounce. Sometimes a person becomes completely silent, stops answering questions, closes in on himself.
As a result of logophobia, the patient eventually begins to avoid oral speech contacts, tries to communicate more in writing. Constant difficulties in speech cause the development of neurotic reactions. Sometimes the result of the fear of speech becomes resentment, anger, excessive aggressiveness.
The severity of logophobia can be so strong that a person prefers not to talk at all in certain situations. Elective (selective) mutism develops.
The patient stops communicating with people who cause him negative emotions, anxiety, fear: he does not speak to them, does not answer questions. At the same time, verbal contact with other people is preserved, speech understanding is not impaired, written speech is normal. Sometimes logophobia is manifested by silence in strictly defined places (kindergarten, school, section), where the patient feels uncomfortable.
Distorted, abnormal pronunciation of sounds often causes logophobia in adolescents and adults. Awareness of one’s defect (lisping, burr), a pronounced national accent or local dialect (okanya, gekanya) in a correctly speaking environment can cause reluctance to enter into speech contact, refusal to communicate, monosyllabic answers.
Surrounding such manifestations can be regarded as arrogance, demonstrative behavior, but in fact this hides embarrassment, the fear of being “not like everyone else”, being the object of ridicule and mockery. When speaking, people with defects in sound pronunciation try to avoid difficult sounds or pronounce them quietly, at an accelerated pace, wanting to quickly “slip through”, make their problem inconspicuous to others.
This form of logophobia is not associated with speech disorders and mental disorders. Behind the fear of speaking in public, children's fears, criticism of parents and teachers, and the negative experience of previous public speaking that ended in failure can be hidden.
The manifestations of logophobia in this case are the drying up of the throat when trying to start a speech, difficulty breathing. A person cannot utter a single word (“is silent, as if he had swallowed his tongue”, “has lost the gift of speech”), as he expects another communicative failure.
If you still manage to start a speech, then it is replete with stammers, reservations, parasitic words, unreasonable pauses. Phrases are pronounced in fragments, the logic and sequence of presentation of thoughts are violated, the voice breaks, the pace speeds up or slows down. Articulation and diction become fuzzy. A conversation or speech ends in disappointment, both for the speaker and for his listeners.
Signs of speech anxiety are also hand tremors, tremors in the legs, heart palpitations, nausea, and sweating. There are headaches, a feeling of tension and pain in the neck. The general psychological state is characterized by depression, depression, low self-esteem, disbelief in oneself. Outwardly, people suffering from logophobia are closed, silent, non-contact. At the same time, internally they are very eager to communicate, but due to their fears they are afraid to overcome this barrier.
Logophobia
The cause of logophobia can be an unpleasant, fetid odor from the mouth, which is felt by the speaker himself. Bad breath makes it difficult to communicate with people who are in close proximity, makes you avoid various manifestations of feelings (kisses, friendly hugs), intimate contacts.
In a company, a person suffering from halitosis is afraid to speak, prefers to remain silent, expressing his opinion with facial expressions and gestures. There is a constant need to use mouth sprays and rinses, but they only eliminate bad breath for a short time, without solving the problem of halitosis and logophobia.
With logophobia, there is a danger of addictive behavior. “For courage” and “emancipation” before the start of oral speech, a person can drink alcohol or take a drug. In other cases, before public speaking, there is a need to conduct certain obsessive rituals, which eventually develops into an obsessive-compulsive syndrome. The consequence of logophobia can be a refusal to visit public places, leaving the profession or from a prestigious place of work, voluntary self-isolation.
Diagnostic tactics are aimed at identifying the cause of the logophobic syndrome, determining the severity of the disorder and contributing conditions. First of all, psychotherapists and speech therapists are involved in the diagnosis, and if necessary, clinical specialists. In practice, the following methods are used:
Some patients with logophobia may additionally require a neurological examination (EEG, MRI of the brain), dental diagnostics (examination of the oral cavity, radiography of the teeth), examination of the gastrointestinal tract (gastroscopy, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity), upper respiratory tract (endoscopy of ENT organs).
Logophobia cannot be eliminated without addressing its cause. Since the fear of speech belongs to the category of phobic disorders, the basis of treatment is medical measures. If necessary, a course of drug therapy is carried out with the help of antidepressants, tranquilizers, neuroleptics. General health procedures are prescribed that reduce the excitability of the nervous system:
Psychotherapeutic assistance is aimed at reducing anxiety, overcoming speech difficulties, mastering relaxation techniques. Psychocorrection is carried out for a long time, sometimes it takes more than one year to overcome your fears and learn to control yourself. With logophobia, the following methods are successfully used:
Logophobia 1
Speech therapy assistance is required for patients with tongue-tied tongue, stuttering. The purpose of classes for dyslalia is to establish the correct sound pronunciation with subsequent automation of the acquired skills. To prepare the organs of speech, articulation exercises are performed, speech therapy massage is performed. The work is considered completed after all difficult sounds are pronounced unmistakably, introduced into speech and freely used in all situations of communication.
The task of remedial classes for stuttering is to develop and consolidate a new speech skill without hesitation. In the speech therapist's office, the technique of smooth speech is worked out, logomassage, respiratory-voice gymnastics, and speech therapy rhythm are carried out. Audio therapy according to the Tomatis method has a good effect.
In order to develop communicative functions and overcome logophobia, speech trainings are organized. Speech and emotional load gradually becomes more complicated. Practicing the skills of "speech without fear" is carried out in various situations and circumstances: at school, in a store, on the street, with acquaintances and strangers.
It is imperative to note the positive dynamics in the treatment, praise the patient, inspire confidence in his strength and speech capabilities. Even after the end of the full course of therapy, a patient suffering from logophobia needs to independently continue auto-training and speech training, if necessary, consult with specialists.