Many sources describe ergophobia as "fear of work." To me, this is not quite accurate.
If ergophobia was simply "fear of work," the sufferer would not do much of anything, and they would fear purposeful activities in general. This might be seen as laziness or being amotivational.
If ergophobia was the "fear of work," would the person with ergophobia mow their lawn, get their dishes done, do their laundry, wash the dog, or make home repairs? These activities are work, aren't they?
I submit that ergophobia is more precisely defined as "fear of employment", or "fear of the workplace."
I don't have much anxiety associated with home chores or things required for personal maintenance. It's employment, especially paid employment, that generates the anxiety, brings forth the bad memories, and messes with my self-esteem.
Now, there may be some overlap with ergophobia and other mental health challenges such as social anxiety, agoraphobia and the like. These conditions indeed may impact one's ability to go shopping, wash the dog, etc.
In general, however, I believe that ergophobia is "fear of the workplace." It's a complex constellation of fear around the kinds of situations and experiences that are associated with employment, jobs, and workplaces.
