Metathesiophobia

Metathesiophobia or metaphobia (from Greek meta, "change") is the fear of changes. Sufferer of this fear may not want anything different than what they already have. These individuals may have a comfort zone that they do not wish to disrupt by bringing anything unfamiliar into their lives.

The fear is developed due to emotional distress, like the death of a family member or someone close, divorce, job termination, or moving to a new residence can become overwhelming and can cause anxiety and panic. If an individual grew up in the home of someone who had this fear, then that person may likely develop this fear as well.

Individuals with this fear may have severe social anxiety because they will enjoy the company of lifelong friends and may not wish to be introduced to any potentially new friends. They are not looking to replace items they currently own, and even the sight of new buildings may be troublesome to them.

An empathetic therapist may be helpful in guiding a metathesiophobe through the difficulties they encounter in the midst of change. This is important because this phobic personality may not be interested in getting help simply because it means a need to change, or in other words even relieving metaphobia is a change.