Characteristic of having a morbid fear of being in a confined or restricted space or a small area: "There are claustrophobic anxieties which start when some people feel they are trapped and can't get out of crowded places or away from enclosed places; such as, in elevators or very small rooms."

"Bob apparently developed claustrophobic anxieties when he was a small boy and he accidentally threw his baseball through a window of his house, and then he was locked inside a closet for a few hours as punishment which had an impact on his psychological development."