Irrational Fears

One of the ways to make your character more interesting is to give him or her an irrational fear, otherwise known as a phobia.

I believe that Chrometophobia is totally irrational, for it is a fear of money. One needs money to buy food, clothing, and other necessities with. Money is what is used to pay our bills.

Why would someone be afraid of handling money? I’m reaching a bit here, but they could possibly be afraid of mismanaging it. According to I Timothy 6:10, the love of money is a root of all evils (amplified). A person could misunderstand that part of the verse and actually believe that money itself, not the love of it, is the root of evil. Also, a person could be afraid that because of how many different people have handled the money that it is full of germs and too dirty to be handled.

A character with this phobia would most likely insist on using a credit card or check for any and all purchases. He would also only accept payment for an item with a check or credit card. That way he wouldn’t be required to touch actual money.

Your character is afflicted with Chrometophobia. He goes to sleep and wakes up in a society where there are no credit cards or checks. Every financial transaction must be done with real money. Describe what a typical day in this new society is like for him.

Ergophobia is the fear of work. My first thought when I saw this was that my ex-son-in-law must have been afflicted with this phobia. Upon reading more about it, though, I discovered that a person with this condition may be afraid of failure at work, may feel like he is destined to fail, or may be afraid of speaking in front of groups of the individuals with whom he works. This condition could put him under a lot of stress while at his job and may actually cause him to lose the job.

A character with Ergophobia would not hold any job for very long. He definitely would want a job that placed him in a position of power, for he would not have the ability to lead. Make this character even more interesting and combine the phobia of Chrometophobia with the Ergophobia. Now make him the only son of a very successful multi-millionaire who is embarrassed by his son’s fears. His father unexpectedly dies and the son inherits everything. How will he manage?

Someone who suffers from Lachanophobia would not be a vegetarian. Why not? Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables. Is it possible that this fear develops from childhood, possibly when a child is made to eat his vegetables? Just a thought. I could not find any rational explanation for this phobia, so it is up to you to decide what would cause it.

Your character, one who is still a child at heart, is afflicted with Lachanophobia. He is a detective and tries not to let this interfere with his work. He just simply avoids being around vegetables. One day he goes to work and finds there is a need for him to go undercover. His boss wants him to work as a farmhand on a vegetable farm because the farmer is suspected of selling drugs along with his vegetables. How does your character handle this situation?