The fear of commitment often stems from the fear of being hurt again. Often people that are fearful of committing to a relationship were hurt in the past and are afraid of letting that happen again. The trauma of such strong emotion sticks with them and makes them believe that another relationship will not be worth the pain and suffering they went through previously. Many times this occurs when someone is in a rebound relationship or has just gone through a painful divorce. They are longing for the comfort of a connection, but once things start getting serious they get scared and run in the other direction.
Another reason that someone may have this fear is that they enjoy their freedom and believe that being in a relationship will suffocate them and take away their space. They are not willing to give into any type of limitations that come with being in a relationship. Commitment to them is sacrificing all of these things and they are interested in living their life how they want and not answer to anyone else. Someone that values their freedom is not ready to be with someone all the time and is not willing to make any change to please someone else. Someone with these views equate the fear of commitment with settling down.
How can someone overcome the fear of commitment? It is fairly easy to overcome the fear of commitment. Assessing what you want out of a relationship is the first step. Remember that just because you have been hurt once in a relationship does not mean that you will be hurt again in the same way. Everyone involved must make sacrifices for the relationship to work and for you to be happy with yourself and your decisions. Sometimes overcoming this type of fear may require some outside help. Seeing a counselor to help you pinpoint the cause of your insecurity can assist you in overcoming it.
The causes behind the fear of commitment can be many. These causes vary from previous emotional trauma to unwillingness to give up freedom for a serious relationship. All is not lost however, and these issues can be overcome with patience and recognition of the problem causing the fear of commitment.