Talk:trypophobia

Request for verification
Protologism? —Internoob (Disc.•Cont.) 00:57, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * It's findable on Google. It depends what you mean by durably archived. I hope this is kept because it is in use and I don't think we should be deleting words that are actually being used - but I think we do. Mglovesfun (talk) 11:23, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * RFVfailed, this doesn't even meet the arbitrary criteria I set for Appendix:Invented phobias (use on internet forums means nothing, look on the images search for how often the same images have been copied and pasted around, is it almost impossible to show independance, to date accurately, to assign an identity to the author). Wiktionary has (in the past) decided that it will not become another Urban Dictionary, we want some kind of professionality, and just including any word anyone makes up does not create a particularly useful reference resource (though it might be more fun, I suppose - let's add [rashophobia], because no-one can look at rashes and not feel a bit eww either). Some internet reading:
 * Trypophobia is an intense fear of the following things, which results in an all-over itchy feeling and general uneasyness. Lotus seed pods, Crumpets, Pumice, Cavities in teeth, the Ampullae of Lorenzini in Sharks, Holes in concrete, Bug tunnels in wood, Enlarged pores of the skin, Aero Bars, Holes in walls caused by bullets, Bone marrow, Wasps' nest, Honeycomb, Bubbles in Dough, Ant holes, Veins in meat, Clusters of holes." &mdash; flickr
 * According to several unreliable sources the phobia was given the name trypophobia on May 23rd, 2005 by the Oxford English Dictionary at the request of one persistent trypophobic &mdash; http://trypophobia.com


 * I've said it before, and I'll say it again if I have to: you can't call it "RFV failed" unless it's actually failed RFV. You can speedy-delete it, or you can wait a month; take your pick. —Ruakh TALK 14:40, 1 December 2009 (UTC)
 * deleted. Conrad.Irwin 14:45, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * In view of the above, why have we kept trypophobic and trypophobics? I've added trypophobia and trypophobic to our list of protologisms.    D b f  i  r  s   10:32, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

Image caption
Sgconlaw, I appreciated when you made this edit. But regarding this and this, use of "claimed" is inaccurate because researchers are very clear that the lotus flower does cause trypophobic reactions in some people. This 2015 "Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear" source, from ABC-CLIO, page 402, is clear about that. So is this 2016 "Discovering Psychology" source, from Macmillan Higher Education, page 32. So are other sources on the topic. That trypophobia is not yet an official phobia does not make it any less real. The condition is called trypophobia, regardless of whether it's officially classified as a phobia or not. Although some researchers ponder whether or not it should be classified as a phobia, they do not question the very real reactions people are having from seeing such imagery. These reactions are called trypophobic. So stating "claimed," as if the researchers are lying or as if the people who are classified as trypophobic are lying, is inaccurate and completely unnecessary. Personally speaking, I know my reactions to such images are very real and that it's getting easier and easier to stand such images the more I look at them. The first linked source above notes that exposure therapy would likely be effective for treating trypophobia, and that's true in my case.

There are many phobias that are not official phobias, such as the fear of clowns (coulrophobia), but we wouldn't state that people claim to fear clowns or that clown imagery is claimed to induce coulrophobia in some people. We would simply state that "coulrophobia is a fear of clowns" or "coulrophobia is a proposed phobia relating to the fear of clowns" (or something like that). And if including a clown image, we would state "Images of clowns induce coulrophobia in some people," or something like that. In fact, the Wikipedia article should simply state "Trypophobia is the intense, irrational fear, or anxiety of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps." Or "Trypophobia is the fear of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps." (I might seek to implement either wording at a later date.) The "proposed phobia" part is something that Wikipedia added, and some poor sources have copied that wording, but there is no academic source (that I'm aware of) using "proposed phobia" with regard to trypophobia. Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 02:15, 28 October 2017 (UTC) Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 02:50, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Proposed wording needs a tweak: "fear of X" is okay but "anxiety of X" is not. Equinox ◑ 02:51, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Equinox, thanks for commenting. I didn't propose any wording for this article. I was referring to the lead of the Wikipedia article. As for this article, the definition currently states, "An irrational or obsessive fear of patterns of small holes, such as those found in honeycombs." What is currently at dispute, however, is the caption for the lotus image, which you tweaked with this edit. Per above, I'm arguing that the caption should state "induce trypophobia in some people" instead of "have been claimed to induce trypophobia in some people." Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 03:08, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * I'd also support changing the caption to "induce fear in some people" or "cause discomfort or repulsion in some people" (like we do at the Wikipedia article). But I feel that "induce fear" is not adequate, since the emotions people get from looking at a lotus seedpod image (when looking at it has an effect on people) range from revulsion, fear, and/or a panicked feeling, and they are sometimes accompanied by one or more physical reactions (such as goosebumps). Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 05:19, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Plus, the initial reaction is not usually fear. The fear usually results from the thought of looking at the image again and/or having to deal with the repeated imagery in the head. Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 05:39, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * My concern was that if trypophobia is not scientifically recognized as a mental condition (as the English Wikipedia article seems to suggest), then stating in the image caption that such an image "induces trypophobia" might suggest that there is such scientific recognition. But since we don't define trypophobia as being scientifically recognized, I'm OK with letting the current caption stand unless there are other views on the matter. — SGconlaw (talk) 13:13, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Sgconlaw, thanks. I understand where you were coming from. I hope that, per above, you understand where I was coming from as well. On a side note: I would state that while trypophobia is not yet medically recognized, it is being scientifically recognized since scientists feel that something is there. Of course, we both know that it's not yet an official phobia. It might never be one. People have feared clowns for years, and yet that fear is still not an official phobia (as in officially labeled a phobia by the medical community). Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 14:48, 28 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Also, the category of "specific phobia" is medically recognized, and, like the first linked source above notes, trypophobia can fall under that category. Some conditions fall under broad medical categories without being specifically listed in a diagnostic manual. Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 15:19, 28 October 2017 (UTC) Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 15:21, 28 October 2017 (UTC)