Entomophobia Scared out of our wits
Dragonfly		Entomophobia, or the phobia of insects, is the irrational and exaggerated fear of insects. At the mere sight of a dragonfly, an entomophobic person will scream, run away or freeze on the spot. His heartbeat rate speeds up, he perspires profusely and may have difficulty in breathing, shake all over, even feel a numbness in certain limbs. Psychologically, his fear can reach different intensities, ranging from minor anxiety to a state of panic. To avoid exoeriencing these reactions, over which they have no control, entomophobics tend to avoid any situations, actvities or places, in which they might encounter an insect. A day in the country is out of the question.

Causes of entomophobia
Entomophobia is acquired in early childhood and is usually a result of Çtraumatic conditiongÈ, i.e. an unpleasant experience, such a painful sting or of acquired conditioning. Indeed, the child who sees his parents react violently at the sight of an insect, will automatically associate that insect with the state of fear. In the scientific literature, the hypothesis is raised that the humans may be more predisposed to entomophobia than any other type of phobia because early man was exposed to a great many dangerous insects and developed a highly effective flight reflex in order to defend himself. This predisposition would therefore be ingrained, programmed in our genes.		Child fondling an insect.