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This paper is intended as a contribution to the psychopathology of blushing and erythrophobia. The essence of data on hand may be found summarized in Fenichel's classic work (1). For his material, he drew on articles by E. Bergler, M. Eisler, S. Feldmann, T. Benedek, and E. Weiss. Certain key points in Fenichel's book are the following: Some people blush as a sign of sexual excitement in response to a sexual hint, even the slightest reference to a sexual subject. Habitual blushing as a rule expresses conflicts around exhibitionism. Some people with erythrophobia are unconsciously influenced by the fear that their masturbation may be discovered. At times the fear relates to sexual aggressive strivings. In erythrophobia the idea of being judged by others supplants the idea of sexual contact with others.
The data in this paper pertain to the hypnoanalytic study of a 36-year-old unmarried woman. She worked as a secretary. Pathological blushing and anxiety started two and a half years prior to treatment. They began when she was taking dictation from an employer and became intensified and spread so that she feared blushing when alone with men. Her erythrophobia became so strong that it also gradually encompassed areas involving women in both business and social relationships. She found it difficult to relax, became forgetful of instructions, and was so confused that she referred to herself as “scatterbrained”. She had been in psychiatric treatment previously which had dealt with several sexual implications of her blushing. She said that the issue of exhibitionism had been aired but to no avail.
The patient was reared in a southern community. Home environment was modest but rigid with sexual references and information taboo, and with emphasis on religious training. After her schooling she worked for awhile near home and then broke away from her family environment by obtaining a position on the West Coast. She began to lead an active social life and had sexual