Peniaphobia is still a little-known phobia

Peniaphobia among young people

Between the economic crisis, job insecurity, soaring the cost of living and difficult access to housing, many young people are growing up with a feeling of permanent financial insecurity. Even those who have never lacked anything can develop a visceral fear of “falling”, regressing socially, or missing their lives. The willingness to do better than one’s parents can feed peniaphobia, especially if one has grown up in a context of lack. This pressure of success creates a deep fear of financial failure and a return to precariousness.

The influence of social networks

It is impossible to ignore the role that social networks play today in building the self-image of young people. Between the thunderous “success stories” videos, luxury travel publications, or the advice of 18-year-old investors who have become millionaires, young people are bombarded with idealized representations of financial success. On Instagram, TikTok or even LinkedIn, we show not everyday reality but a filtered version of life. This creates often unattainable expectations: having a high lifestyle before you even start your career becomes an implicit norm. A young student or employee may feel like he has “wired his life” simply because he does not have the external signs of visible wealth online: luxury watches, cars, travel, passive cash inflows.

The causes of peniaphobia

Growing up in a home facing financial difficulties, unemployment, or food insecurity can leave a lasting footprint. The child, who has become a young adult, incorporates the idea that poverty is a constant threat and develops hypervigilance in the face of everything related to money. A sudden event such as family failure, early school leaving, professional failure, or dismissal of a parent can trigger a deep fear of losing control of their financial life.

The Extreme Fear of “Burning Ball”

It is the fear of losing everything and finding oneself on the street (id. under a bridge). This anguish, often formulated as the fear of “final trampling,” reflects a catastrophic vision of the future. It is not only about fear of lack of money, but more deeply about fear of social exclusion, rejection, total loss of status, and dignity. The gaze of others then becomes a permanent source of stress, sometimes pushing some people back in on themselves to avoid being judged. This social withdrawal only deepens their ill-being, reinforcing the feeling of being in danger of "going out of the system". In fact, this fear of exclusion is intimately linked to a fundamental need for recognition and belonging.

Another worrying sign is on professional or school investment. Work tirelessly, multiply projects or hours of classes, refuse to take a rest... not out of passion or ambition, but out of irrational fear not of doing enough to avoid falling. This frantic pace often leads to exhaustion, especially as rest is perceived as a dangerous luxury.

Peniaphobia also results in anxiety symptoms: permanent nervousness, sleep disorders, anxiety attacks at losing a source of income or failing to take an examination. The future is perceived as a constant threat, with the irrational fear of “ending to the streets” even when the real situation does not justify such panic.

Finally, one of the most discreet, but also the most painful, signals is social withdrawal. The young person avoids outings, leisure, free activities but deemed “non-productive”. He turns inward, loses a taste for pleasure, and constantly devalues himself by comparing himself to others who seem to be more successful financially.

Peniaphobia, this intense fear of running out of money, does not disappear overnight. It is not a disorder that is 'healed', but an anguish that must be learned to tame. Gradually, thanks to experience, a form of resilience can emerge: one that makes it possible to no longer allow this fear to dictate each decision. Some people do this by streamlining it, others by putting in place strategies to secure their sources of income.