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Triskaidecaphobia (phobia of the number 13): symptoms, causes and treatment

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Triskaidekaphobia is the phobia of the number thirteen; the subject who suffers from it feels such intense and irrational fear before this number that he avoids it at all costs.

In this article we will talk about triskaidekaphobia, and we will see how this phobia is defined, what is its relationship with superstition and what examples are linked to it.

  • Related article: "What are phobias? Understanding this type of anxiety disorder"

What is triskaidekaphobia?

Triskaidekaphobia or phobia of the number thirteen is an intense and irrational fear of the number 13. If we look at the etymology of the term “treis” it is translated as three and “deca” ten being able to translate “triscaideca” as thirteen. To consider fear as a phobia, we must verify that it is excessive, that it generates a discomfort or alteration of the functionality of the subject, that is, it affects her life.

To see the scope of the negative assessment of the number thirteen, it should be noted that 10% of the general population refers to prefer not to be associated with this number, despite the fact that the percentage of subjects who can receive the diagnosis of phobia.

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Symptoms

The Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DMS 5) classifies phobias within the category of anxiety disorder. Specific phobias are defined as an intense fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation, observing this fear almost always in a disproportionate way and producing avoidance of the stimulus phobic As with most anxiety disorders, symptoms must be present for at least 6 months.

phobia of thirteen

Triskaidecaphobia is classified as a type of specific phobia because it does not match any of the specific specifiers. Given the impact that phobic symptomatology has on the person's life psychotherapy will be necessary.

We must bear in mind that in order to meet the criteria and, therefore, to be able to make a diagnosis and consider it a phobia, discomfort or deterioration in quality of life must be observed; therefore, intervention will be essential to recover functionality.

  • Related article: "What is fear? Characteristics of this emotion"

Avoidance of the number thirteen

We also see how the use of the number 13 is avoided in different places or professions. Some skyscrapers do not have the thirteenth floor, they go directly to the fourteenth. This avoidance is also observed in streets, house numbers, airplane rows, jumping directly from twelve to fourteen or even in hotel room number.

The national identity document, the DNI, does not contain the number thirteen either. The famous writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, in his book The Hobbit, recounts how the dwarves ask to find one more to join them on the journey to avoid being thirteen. Likewise, singers and songwriters have avoided using the number thirteen to number their songs.

We also see this avoidance in sports such as motor racing or motorcycling, where its participants refuse to wear number thirteen. This relationship of thirteen with bad luck in superstitious beliefs is also reinforced when, instead of avoiding this number, it is used, since it is done with the purpose of dissociating it from the bad luck that has been attributed to it at a social level.

Triskaidekaphobia and superstition

Triskaidekaphobia has been linked to superstitions. We understand superstition as an irrational belief, contrary to reason, which we could explain as magical thinking without a scientific basis, that is, we cannot prove it objectively. Although these types of beliefs may seem harmless, it is possible that they affect the subject and end up for having repercussions on their day to day life if they cannot carry out certain activities due to said superstitions.

These superstitions have their origin in cultural or social learning, which means that they do not appear innately in the subject, they learn it by cultural influence of their environment. This belief of appearance makes sense, since we realize that different superstitions arise in different cultures and subjects of the same culture can show similar superstitions.

From the field of Psychology has tried to explain the appearance of superstitious behavior. Psychologist Frederick Skinner observed in an experiment with pigeons that by randomly presenting a reinforcement, the animals associated it with a behavior carried out prior to its appearance, repeating it in this way to obtain the reinforcement. These behaviors were described as superstitious.

Later, psychologist Michael Mahoney noted that the superstitious behaviors were not those carried out before, but after receiving the reinforcement, being valued as prejudices, cognitive distortions of perception and assessment of reality.

In this way, we could consider triscaidekaphobia as a superstition, an irrational belief and without scientific foundation. Subjects perform specific behaviors to try to avoid or neutralize the effects produced by the number thirteen.

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Treatment

The technique that has shown better results and greater efficacy to treat specific phobias is in vivo exposure, which consists of directly exposing the subject to the phobic stimulus. Regarding triscaidekaphobia, we will expose the patient to the number thirteen.

The exposure mode can vary depending on the intensity and duration of the exposure, we will try to expose to the maximum intensity that the subject can withstand and gradually increase. The duration should be long enough for anxiety to decrease.

Examples of triskaidekaphobia

As we have already seen, triskaidekaphobia is the intense fear of the prime number thirteen. The thirteen has been related to different facts or events, being currently a number linked to bad luck that many try to avoid for fear that an event may happen catastrophic. This relationship with negative events is perceived in different cultures and at different historical moments.. So let's see what examples and references of rejection or fear of the number thirteen exist.

We will divide them into different categories depending on whether they are linked to death, religion, historical events or avoidance behavior.

1. linked with death

The number thirteen has been linked with death. Egyptian culture considered life as a cycle divided into different phases, with phase thirteen coinciding with death.. On the other hand, in the deck of tarot cards, used to predict the future, card number thirteen coincides with death. In both cases, death is not understood as something negative, since the Egyptians believed that after death a new life began. better life and the death card of the tarot expresses that the subject will experience a change, a transformation, and this may be positive.

2. Related to religion

Another field that has associated thirteen with bad luck or described it as a number to avoid is religion. The Christian religion refers to the fact that at the last supper there were thirteen people, the twelve apostles and Jesus, this happening shortly before Jesus was betrayed and executed. In addition, Chapter 13 of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, the sacred book of Christianity, is dedicated to the Antichrist, as his name indicates, a figure contrary to Christ, to God.

The Vikings believed that Loki, a god in Norse mythology, considered the god of fraud and trickery, was the thirteenth god in the pantheon. Similarly, Christians reconnected thirteen with evil by pointing out that Satan, who is associated with sin, was the thirteenth angel.

3. Historical events

The number thirteen has also been related to historical events that have reinforced the bad luck that this number entails and the link with negative events.

Friday thirteen

Friday the thirteenth is considered a day of bad luck in different Western cultures, since different negative events occurred on this date. This irrational fear of Friday the thirteenth is also considered a type of phobia called parascevedecatriaphobia. Negative events that took place on a Friday the thirteenth: one of the most notable events was the capture and conviction of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307. More recently, on December 13, 1939 in Victoria, Australia, one of the worst fires in human history took place.

Later, on Friday, October 13, 1972, a Uruguayan Air Force plane crashed. On Friday, November 13, 1992, one of the best-known crimes in Spain took place, that of "the girls of Alcàsser". Twenty years ago, on Friday, January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship collided with a rock, killing some of its passengers. One of the most recent events, on Friday, November 13, 2015, the first terrorist attack took place in Paris, France.

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