Anyone else think the term "Arachnophobia" should be split into different categories?

[ScorpionEvo687]

I say this cause I'm sure there's plenty of people that are afraid of spiders but not scorpions and vice versa. And then there's also ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons. Call the fear of spiders Araneaophobia, the fear of scorpions Scorpiophobia, and come up with a few different names for the fear of the other ones. What you guys think? Should this be done or do you view it as frivolous and unnecessary?

 

[Wolfram1]

No, i think it is a good "chatch all" phrase that makes it easy to talk about even if everyone who does suffer from it, has likely much more defined fears within that category and not neccessarily all or even most of them.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

No, i think it is a good "chatch all" phrase that makes it easy to talk about even if everyone who does suffer from it, has likely much more defined fears within that category and not neccessarily all or even most of them.

Maybe. Idk. I just feel like it would be better if everything was more specific but maybe that's just me.

 

[Isopods others]

Not really- when people you say Arachnophobia people get the gist afraid of stinging or biting or hairy many legged things, we needn't narrow it down because to those uninformed there's no difference between a scorpion pseudoscorpion, hell people still believe Daddy long legs ( Harvest men not crane flies or mosquito hawks in North American) are the most venemous of spiders, even though...they aren't spiders and lack fangs, and it's unlikely something is to have a terrible fear of millipedes but not centipedes and vice versa

 

[viper69]

I say this cause I'm sure there's plenty of people that are afraid of spiders but not scorpions and vice versa. And then there's also ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons. Call the fear of spiders Araneaophobia, the fear of scorpions Scorpiophobia, and come up with a few different names for the fear of the other ones. What you guys think? Should this be done or do you view it as frivolous and unnecessary?

I do! Friend is terrified of Ts, owns scorpions

 

[Isopods others]

I do! Friend is terrified of Ts, owns scorpions

To be fair they do have a slow insidious creep yet the more I see of them the more I want one ha

 

[viper69]

To be fair they do have a slow insidious creep yet the more I see of them the more I want one ha

Some people say that about humans

 

[foxy]

Can I suffer from semi arachnophobia? I don't mind T's obviously, and don't freak out if one happens to bolt and i have to use hands as well as catch cups or one runs up tongues etc onto me...but I still can't deal with house spiders...(and I'm the UK so they aren't even venomous) there's just something about a common house spider that freaks me out...

 

[Wolf135]

I've always been scared of spiders, centipedes and scorpions but Ive never been scared of tarantulas since they look more like eight legged teddybears.

 

[tarantulas118]

I've always been scared of spiders, centipedes and scorpions but Ive never been scared of tarantulas since they look more like eight legged teddybears.

Ok, but how could anyone not love this thing

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Ok, but how could anyone not love this thing
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Quite colorful

 

[HooahArmy]

Arachnophobia is based on the rudimentary fear of the unknown, which in 8-legged beasties, comes in the form of these separate terrors:
- Odd legginess and unusual movement
- Non-mammalian fuzziness
- Unknown potential venom potency
- Size and tendency to hide in unseen places
The reason why spiders tend to get more horror than scorpions and other 8 leggers like mites, is because they tend to have multiple fear traits, versus the others that have less. We naturally fear things that are 'odd' to us, but a part of fear is also learned. Take for example, some peoples' fears of dogs or birds. Those who own Ts or other arachnids have been likely conditioned to find those creatures as friends, or began with some arachnophobia and then learned that the 8-leggers are okay from repeated exposure. This is a very interesting topic! I however do also think that spider-phobia should be classified apart from phobias of other arachnids.

There's this big guy at my base who has no fear of any spider 2" or greater, but will scream at pitches only dogs can hear at anything smaller. Why? Because the small guys can be 'in places he can't see'.
MICROSPOODAPHOBIA

Source 1: https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-are-we-afraid-of-spiders-26405

 

[curtisgiganteus]

Ok, but how could anyone not love this thing
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I miss living in California when I see these guys haha

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

I miss living in California when I see these guys haha

What kind of orb weaver is that? We have orb weavers in Ohio (where I live), but not that kind I don't think.

 

[Isopods others]

Can I suffer from semi arachnophobia? I don't mind T's obviously, and don't freak out if one happens to bolt and i have to use hands as well as catch cups or one runs up tongues etc onto me...but I still can't deal with house spiders...(and I'm the UK so they aren't even venomous) there's just something about a common house spider that freaks me out...

I kept one for a time, it then escaped I had a glimmer of your unease then, thankfully I found it several months later crawling across the carpet at an unearthly hour it's abdomen shrivelled from lack of food meaning it had been crawling around for months unbeknownst to me

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

I had Arachnophobia nearly my whole life, until 2019 and hypnotherapy almost cured it. I say almost 'cos I still fear big house spiders. I don't see how having different categories of the phobia would serve any useful purpose.

edit: I just read the scientific article linked above and I think people who don't have a phobia don't understand that it's an irrational fear. It's not about being afraid of getting bitten or non-mammalian fuzziness etc. It's entirely irrational and sciency* types always want to have an explanation for everything. Not everything can be explained.

*I know that's not a real word, thanks.

 

[tarantulas118]

What kind of orb weaver is that? We have orb weavers in Ohio (where I live), but not that kind I don't think.

Argiope aurantia or the black and yellow garden spider, this is my favorite of the argiopes (next to the wasp spider) and are amongst the largest spiders in Missouri, I would say these guys are Quite Harmless and every time I’ve handled one it wouldn’t bite. They have this strange thing that they do when predators are around their home, they’ll bounce on their webs to make it more likely that the predators get stuck in its web. They are very common where I live and I did a quick search and they do live in Ohio along with another argiope, the banded spider.
They get pretty huge too

argiopes are my favorite genus of true spiders

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Argiope aurantia or the black and yellow garden spider, this is my favorite of the argiopes (next to the wasp spider) and are amongst the largest spiders in Missouri, I would say these guys are Quite Harmless and every time I’ve handled one it wouldn’t bite. They have this strange thing that they do when predators are around their home, they’ll bounce on their webs to make it more likely that the predators get stuck in its web. They are very common where I live and I did a quick search and they do live in Ohio along with another argiope, the banded spider.
They get pretty huge too

argiopes are my favorite genus of true spiders

Hm, maybe those were the garden spiders we'd sometimes find in Ohio. Idk. Hard to say. I just don't remember them being quite that large.

 

[Mike Withrow]

Bought an used enclosure at a show,had couple inches of dirt in it already.
Got home, went to clean out and scooped up a big centipede. The biggest one I have ever seen. Found out it was a scolopendra and little bit about them
So that whole episode I think may have gave me a slight case of whatever phobia of centipedes would align with. Scorps and anything else I'm fine with.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Bought an used enclosure at a show,had couple inches of dirt in it already.
Got home, went to clean out and scooped up a big centipede. The biggest one I have ever seen. Found out it was a scolopendra and little bit about them
So that whole episode I think may have gave me a slight case of whatever phobia of centipedes would align with. Scorps and anything else I'm fine with.

The fear of centipedes is Chilopodophobia. Everyone in my household (so my mom dad and sister) hates the thought of me owning a centipede and I think it's safe to say they're all Chilopodophobic. My mom and sister are what I'd call moderately Arachnophobic. They do get a good bit creeped out by spiders (and scorpions) I would say, and like to keep a good bit of distance, but the sight of one will not cause them to absolutely panic which is why I say only moderately.