Paranoia is the feeling that you're being threatened in some way, such as people watching you or acting against you, even though there's no proof that it's true. It happens to a lot of people at some point. Even when you know that your concerns aren't based in reality, they can be troubling if they happen too often.
IPA guide. Other forms: voyeurs. Make sure you close the curtains at night, just in case there's a voyeur in the neighborhood. A voyeur is someone who likes to watch people without them knowing.
looker, spectator, viewer, watcher, witness. a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
watch looking and paying attention
If you watch someone or something, you look at them, usually for a period of time, and pay attention to what is happening. The man was standing in his doorway watching him.
observant. / (əbˈzɜːvənt) / adjective. paying close attention to detail; watchful or heedful. adhering strictly to rituals, ceremonies, laws, etc.
Scopophobia is a persistent fear of being watched or stared at. While many people may feel some level of anxiety when they are the center of attention, these feelings are exaggerated and out of proportion to the situation for people with scopophobia.
This feeling of being watched arises from insecurity and fear. Maybe your loved ones correct or warn you too much unnecessarily. Maybe there are things in life you must face but you are procrastinating or avoiding. Maybe you feel suppression and you haven't voiced yourself enough and you feel things are imposed on you.
The biological phenomenon is known as “gaze detection” or “gaze perception.” Neurological studies have found that the brain cells that initiate this response are very precise. If someone turns their gaze off of you by turning just a few degrees to their left or right, that eerie feeling quickly fades.
Some studies have found that up to 94% of people report that they have experienced the feeling of eyes upon them and turned around to find out they were indeed being watched.
Sometimes this can be the result of being watched way too much, when you were way too young. Because when you're younger, people pay more attention to you and you payed attention to that, so you felt you always had to be good. So, as you grow older, you still will feel that way.
Scopophobia is an exaggerated fear of being looked at or watched. People with scopophobia typically feel highly self-conscious and often avoid social situations. Some don't even like to make eye contact with other people.
Social anxiety disorder is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and other daily activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends. The good news is social anxiety disorder is treatable.
Some beliefs and behaviors of individuals with symptoms of paranoia include mistrust, hypervigilance (constantly looking for threats), difficulty with forgiveness, defensive attitude in response to imagined criticism, preoccupation with hidden motives, fear of being tricked or taken advantage of, trouble relaxing, or ...
Paranoid personality disorder
Is not willing to trust others. Hesitates to confide in others for fear that others will use that information against them. Takes innocent remarks or situations that are not threatening as personal insults or attacks. Becomes angry or hostile to what are believed to be slights or insults.
Scopophobia or Scoptophobia is the fear of being watched or stared at. It originates from the Greek word 'skopein' which means “to look or to examine” and phobos meaning “deep dread or aversion”.
Some of the most obvious signs you are being spied on include: Someone seems to always be “bumping into you” in public. As if they always know when and where to find you. During divorce or separation, your ex-partner knows more details than they should about your activities, finances, or other details.
Being alone might cause you to hallucinate
If you take a healthy person with no history of mental health disorders and put them under great stress, their cortisol levels (the stress hormone) would be astronomical, affecting their ability to psychologically interpret stimuli.
The sensations accompanying this phenomenon can sometimes feel almost paranormal —it's as if you can physically feel the eyes of others boring into you, even without looking, or like you have a second pair of eyes on the back of your head.
In fact, your brain is wired to inform you that someone is looking at you — even when they're not. “Far from being ESP, the perception originates from a system in the brain that's devoted to detecting where others are looking,” writes social psychologist Ilan Shrira.
“Felt presence” is a phenomenon where you feel that someone or some entity is near you, sometimes accompanied by an actual hallucination of some form. The phenomenon occurs in sleep paralysis (see this blog post) but also in certain neurological conditions. It can even be induced in healthy people while they're awake.