Fear Thesaurus Entry: Being Physically Touched

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Flaws That May Emerge
Abrasive, Antisocial, Compulsive, Disrespectful, Fussy, Hostile, Obsessive, Tactless, Temperamental, Timid, Withdrawn

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Having just a small circle of friends or loved ones
Having panic attacks at the thought of being touched sexually
Constantly feeling “othered” because people think the character is weird
Not being able to hug their children, parents, or other loved ones
Suffering through medical difficulties because the character won’t see a doctor
Being constantly misunderstood because others assume the character is standoffish or unfriendly
Enduring daily physical discomfort

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Getting into a relationship with someone whose love language is physical touch
Having to visit a doctor
Getting caught in a crowd
An unwanted sexual advance
Being attacked or assaulted
Another character becoming offended when their attempts at affection are rebuffed
Family members expecting a hug or kiss
Being given an opportunity that requires the character to step out of their physical comfort zone

Other Fear Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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