What is “gamophobia” and why it can bother even those who feel secure in love

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Popularized on social networks, the concept attracts attention, but according to doctor and therapist João Borzino, it hides something deeper and older, which refers to the difficulty of managing emotional and affective responsibility.

“‘Gamophobia’? No. What we have here is not a diagnosable clinical phobia. Rather, it is another one of those modern nomenclatures invented to pathologize traits that, deep down, reveal deep emotional and relational immaturity,” he explains.

The expert points out that the term functions more as a convenient label to describe an increasingly frequent phenomenon, which consists of a conscious refusal to make commitments that require effort, renunciation and constant negotiation.

“Today’s generation has been conditioned to shy away from anything that involves sacrifice, structure and duty, especially in relationships. Commitment requires a willingness to carry the burden of life with another person. But when one is educated to believe that everything must be light, reversible and without discomfort, any lasting connection becomes a threat to fragile emotional autonomy,” he says.

He asserts that, far from being an illness, “gamophobia” is the result of a culture that has infantilized love. Affections have become disposable experiences, and the other, often, an object to be abandoned in the face of a deeper demand.

“There is no phobia here. What there is is a culture that has infantilized love. It has transformed affection into consumption and the other into an object to be thrown away when the bond is too demanding. Relationships are not amusement parks, they are ethical pacts. And this fear that disguises itself as a phobia is in fact a childish refusal to grow up,” adds Borzino.