A fear of intimacy in a relationship is often subconscious and affects one’s ability to maintain or form close relationships.
Rejecting one’s love is not done intentionally. Instead, people’s behaviours may cause stress in a relationship, which could result in a breakup before the development of deeper intimacy, explains WebMD.
They further explain that fear can develop for many reasons. However, for many, fear may stem from their childhood relationship with their caregivers.
Another reason for fear of intimacy may also result from childhood trauma. For example, abuse or loss of a parent. WebMD states that this could cause a person to develop trust issues.
There are many signs that a person has a fear of intimacy. Here are 3 from WebMD that you can look out for:
Short relationships
Some people might have a history of short relationships with others, be it romantic or platonic. They may go on a few dates and shortly lose interest in the person and end the relationship. Regarding friendships, they may have many friends but none who actually know them.
Perfectionism
Perfectionists often find it difficult to form intimate relationships as they demand a lot of themselves and sometimes of others. Perfectionists also have an extreme concern about how others perceive them. Thus, the person may see their partner as holding impossible relationship expectations. This could then lead to anger and conflict.
Sabotaging relationships
A person with a fear of intimacy may sabotage their relationship with others. They may do this by avoiding maintaining relationships, pulling back from conflicts or stopping themselves from being emotionally close to the other person. On the other hand, others may react to certain situations with intensity. For example, they may be overly critical and controlling, hurt their partner through guilt or be clingy.
