fear

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noun

Great agitation and anxiety caused by the expectation or the realization of danger: affright, alarm, apprehension, dread, fearfulness, fright, funk, horror, panic, terror, trepidation. Slang cold feet. Idioms: fear and trembling. See fear/courage.

verb

To be afraid of: dread. Idioms: have one's heart in one's mouth. See fear/courage.

Definition: alarm, apprehension
Antonyms: bravery, courage, fearlessness, heroism, unconcern

v

Definition: feel alarm; be scared of
Antonyms: brave

Definition

Fear is an intense aversion to or apprehension of a person, place, activity, event, or object that causes emotional distress and often avoidance behavior. Fears are common in childhood.

Description

More than 50 percent of children experience normal phobias, which is the fear of a specific object, or more general worries, called anxieties, before they are 18 years old. For adults it may be helpful to distinguish between rational fears, such as fear of snakes or guns, which are survival mechanisms and serve to protect a person from danger; and irrational fears, or phobias, which cannot be traced to any reasonable cause.

Most children have some fears. Fears are normal, and can be a good thing. For example, children need to know they should not run into a street. They need to know not to play with knives. A little fear is good, but too much fear is a problem. So is too little fear. A child with too much fear may not want to leave the house. A child with not enough fear may get into a stranger's car. Children's personalities also will influence their fears. One child may be scared of more things than another child. Some children are braver, while others are more shy and fearful.

Many childhood fears fall somewhere between the rational and irrational, occurring in phases as the child or adolescent is exposed to new experiences and as both cognitive reasoning and the capacity for imagination develop. Whether a child's fear is considered normal generally depends on his or her age, background, and most importantly on how much it interferes with his or her normal daily activities. Fear of water may be considered normal in a child who has never learned how to swim, but it might be considered abnormal in the adolescent son of a coastal fisherman.

The most significant factors in overcoming fear are identifying the fear, developing a sense of control over the feared environment, and envisioning alternatives to the feared negative outcomes. Forcing children to perform activities they are afraid to do destroys, rather than builds, autonomy and self-confidence. If a child refuses to do something or explicitly voices fear, those feelings should be taken seriously and explored through questions and discussion. Parents can ask the child or adolescent what change can be made to accommodate the fear in order to make him or her feel more in control.

Some research suggests that reading scary picture books functions as a courage-building tool for children and helps them face their fears in a controlled environment; they are free to turn the page or to remind themselves that the monster is not real. Horror stories or movies may serve the same purpose for teens but not for children who cannot exercise the same level of choice by leaving the theater and should not be exposed to disturbing movies.

Infancy

Babies fear falling, being dropped, and loud noises. A fear of strangers is also common in infants starting at the age of seven to nine months and lasting until about 18 months, when it begins to decrease. Fear symptoms in infants are primarily crying, stiffening, and sometimes shaking.

Toddlerhood

Fears among toddlers include strangers, animals, bugs, storms, sirens, large objects, dark colors, darkness, people with masks, monsters, and "bad" people, such as burglars. Children at this age also commonly fear being separated from their parents. Fear symptoms in toddlers include crying and avoidance of the feared person or object.

Preschool

Preschoolers fear being separated from parents, being left alone or sleeping alone, and imaginary figures, such as ghosts, monsters, and supernatural beings. Symptoms may be physical, such as a stomachache or headache.

School Age

In younger school-age children, fears include separation anxiety; death; violence, such as in war or murder; kidnapping and physical injury; natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and tornados; and anxiety about academic achievement and other forms of school performance. Children at age seven often have a fear of not being liked while children ages eight and nine may worry about personal inabilities.

In older adolescents, common fears include anxiety about school achievement, social rejection and related worries, and sexual anxieties, including dating and sexually transmitted diseases, especially human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Symptoms in adolescents and teens include anger, avoidance, and denial of the fear, and panic reactions, such as sweating, trembling, fast heartbeat, and rapid breathing.

Nearly all fears have a scientific name, such as triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13. In the classic Christmas television special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie Brown had pantophobia, the fear of everything. Other common fears include:

• ailurophobia (fear of cats)
• didaskaleinophobia (fear of going to school)
• entomophobia (fear of insects)
• glossophobia (fear of speaking)
• myctophobia (fear of darkness)
• ophidiaphobia (fear of snakes)
• xenophobia (fear of strangers or foreigners)
• zoophobia (fear of animals)

Common Problems

Research shows that most children report having several fears at any given age. Some research shows that 90 percent of children ages two to 14 have at least one specific fear. If the fear does not interfere with the child's daily life, such as sleeping, going to school, and engaging in social activities, then professional help is generally not needed.

Phobias belong to a large group of mental problems known as anxiety disorders and can be divided into three specific types: specific phobias (formerly called simple phobias), social phobias, and agoraphobia.

A specific phobia is the fear of a particular situation or object, including anything from airplane travel to dentists. Found in one out of every ten Americans, specific phobias seem to run in families and are roughly twice as likely to appear in women. If the person rarely encounters the feared object, the phobia does not cause much harm. However, if the feared object or situation is common, it can seriously disrupt everyday life. Common examples of specific phobias, which can begin at any age, are fear of snakes, flying, dogs, escalators, elevators, high places, or open spaces.

People with social phobia have deep fears of being watched or judged by others and of being embarrassed in public. Common social phobias in children include reading aloud in front of a class; participating in a musical, drama, or athletic event; starting or joining in a conversation; talking to adults; attending social events, such as dances and parties; taking tests; attending physical education class; using school or public bathrooms; and asking a teacher for help.

Social phobia is not the same as shyness. Shy people may feel uncomfortable with others, but they do not experience severe anxiety, they do not worry excessively about social situations beforehand, and they do not avoid events that make them feel self-conscious. On the other hand, people with social phobia may not be shy; they may feel perfectly comfortable with people except in a public place. This feeling usually begins about age 15 and affects three times as many women as men.

An episode of spontaneous panic is usually the initial trigger for the development of agoraphobia. After an initial panic attack, the person becomes afraid of experiencing a second one. Patients literally "fear the fear," and worry incessantly about when and where the next attack may occur. As they begin to avoid the places or situations in which the panic attack occurred, their fear generalizes. Eventually the person completely avoids public places. In severe cases, people with agoraphobia can no longer leave their homes for fear of experiencing a panic attack.

Agoraphobia is the intense fear of feeling trapped and having a panic attack in specific situations. Social phobias may be only mildly irritating, or they may significantly interfere with daily life. It is not unusual for people with social phobia to turn down job offers or avoid relationships because of their fears.

Parental Concerns

While normal fears tend to be experienced in phases and tend to be outgrown by adulthood, abnormal fears are those that are persistent and recurrent or fears that interfere with daily activities for at least a month. Abnormal fears, including extreme separation anxiety, being afraid to go to school, or extreme social fears, may indicate an anxiety disorder.

When to Call the Doctor

When children's fears persist beyond the age when they are appropriate, they can begin to interfere with their daily lives. Typically, children who experience this type of irrational fear, or phobia, should get treatment from a psychologist.

The most popular and effective treatment for phobias is behavior therapy, which approaches the phobia as an undesirable behavior to be unlearned. Most often it takes the form of desensitization, a technique by which the fearful person is exposed to the feared stimulus in an extremely mild form and then with gradually increasing degrees of intensity. For example, a child who fears dogs may first be asked to look at pictures of dogs, then perhaps play with a stuffed dog or view a dog from afar, ultimately getting to the point when she is able to pet and play with dogs.

Phobias also respond to treatment by medication, including anti-anxiety drugs such as Xanax and BuSpar and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft. Medication is especially helpful for social phobia, where it can help the child overcome her aversion to social interaction sufficiently to work with a therapist. When agoraphobia accompanies panic attacks, it also responds to cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder, often in conjunction with anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications similar to those prescribed for other phobias.

Before, during, and after exposure to the source of fear, the child can begin to imagine controlling the environment and his own reactions in other ways. Creative visualization, for example, imagining a switch the child can use to control his fear when visiting the doctor or dentist, can sometimes be effective. A comforting ritual, a familiar object, or thoughts of a beloved person can be used as a good luck charm before embarking on a scary trip or performing a task such as speaking in class or sleeping alone. Relaxation techniques can also be taught to older children.

Resources

Books

Chansky, Tamar E. Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child'sFears, Worries, and Phobias. New York: Broadway Books, 2004.

Foxman, Paul. The Worried Child: Recognizing Anxiety in Children and Helping Them Heal. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 2004.

Ollendick, Thomas H., and John S. March. Phobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Clinician's Guide to Effective Psychosocial and Pharmacological Interventions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Spencer, Elizabeth DuPont, et al. The Anxiety Cure for Kids: A Guide for Parents. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003.

Periodicals

Dragon, Natalie. "Behind the Headlines: Could TB Pill Help Banish Phobias?" GP (December 15, 2003): 39.

Epstein, Randi Hutter. "Experts Try Fast-Track Fix for Children with Phobias." The New York Times (January 20, 2004): F5.

London, Robert T. "Conquering Phobias." Clinical Psychiatry News (May 2004): 43.

Purvis, Patty. "Fear of Talking (Selective Mutism)." Clinical Reference Systems (Annual 2002): 1261.

Travis, John. "Fear Not: Scientists Are Learning How People Can Unlearn Fear." Science News (January 17, 2004): 42–4.

Tucker, Libby. "Fear Factors: Everyone Reacts to Fear Differently. Scientists Are Beginning to Understand Why." Science World (February 7, 2003): 14–15.

Organizations

Anxiety Disorders Association of America. 8730 Georgia Ave., Suite 600, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Web site: www.adaa.org.

Mood and Anxiety Disorders Institute. Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114. Web site: www.mghmadi.org.

Web Sites

"The Anxious Child." American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, December 2000. Available online at www.aacap.org/publications/factsFam/anxious.htm (accessed December 10, 2004).

"Helping Your Child Deal with Fears & Phobias." Child Development Institute, March 25, 2004. Available online at www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/disorders/fears.htm (accessed December 10, 2004).

[Article by: Ken R. Wells]

An emotion characterized by unpleasant feelings of tension evoked by a specific situation or object. Physiological changes associated with fear include increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating. Behavioural changes can include an overwhelming desire to avoid the fear-evoking situation.

The term fear, whose metapsychological status remains uncertain, was used by Freud, in contrast to anxiety, to refer to the reaction to some real danger. In several works Freud discussed the semantic relationship between the terms Angst (anxiety), Furcht (apprehension, fear), and Schreck (fright). For Freud the distinction between anxiety and fear relates primarily to its object, a distinction found in his earliest writings. In an article from 1895, which discusses the distinguishing characteristics of phobias and obsessions, he differentiates phobias "according to the object of the fear," while anxiety refers to the emotional state experienced by the subject, without reference to a specific object (1895c [1894]). Similarly, in 1916, in his Introduction to Psychoanalysis (1916-1917a [1915-1917]), Freud, referring to the use of these terms in popular speech, indicated that "anxiety is related to a state with no direct allusion to an object, while in fear the person's attention is precisely focused on the object."

In 1920, in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920g), Freud emphasized the difference between fear and anxiety in terms of their relation to danger: Anxiety is a state characterized by the expectation and preparation for a danger, "even if unknown," while fear implies a determinate object. In Inhibitions, Symptoms, and Anxiety (1926d [1925]), he further insisted on the association of anxiety with a state of expectancy and the use of the term fear—"in keeping with current usage"—to represent the situation when anxiety has found an object.

We see that the term fear is quoted with reference primarily to contemporary language. According to Catherine Cyssau, fear has no means of representation and its object does not conform to the criteria for repression. Although the status of anxiety, as an affect, occurs early in the development of Freudian theory, fear is more uncertain and seems to fall mostly within the context of behavioral description. Moreover, the opposition between fear and anxiety is hardly ever mentioned in Freud's later writings, especially in the New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis (1933a [1932]), where the theory of anxiety is again discussed.

In fact, another concept appeared in 1916 in Freud's writings, that of "Realangst," which can be translated as "realistic anxiety" or "anxiety in the face of a real danger," and which is contrasted with neurotic anxiety or the anxiety of desire. In the Introduction to Psychoanalysis, Freud emphasized the rational and comprehensive nature of realistic anxiety, triggered by the perception of an external danger, that is, under conditions that can give rise to fear. From then on the fundamental question, to which he would frequently return, was that of the conditions required for the emergence of anxiety, a signal triggered by an external or internal danger.

In post-Freudian work the concept of fear is essentially used to characterize certain infantile manifestations of anxiety. Anna Freud, in particular, insisted on the structural differentiation between archaic, or primitive, fears and the phobias. It is important to remember that the "fear of the stranger's face," which, as described by René Spitz, arises in the infant when it is between six and eight months old, raises the question of determining if this reaction should be interpreted as a realistic anxiety responding to an external danger—the face perceived as unknown—or if it is an expression of unpleasure and the internal threat caused by the absence of the maternal object.

Fright, or Schreck, which is associated in several Freudian texts with traumatic neurosis, corresponds to the effects of a danger for which the subject "is not prepared by an earlier state of anxiety" (1916-1917a [1915-1917]). Freud goes on to say that anxiety contains "something that protects against fright" (1920g).

Roger Dorey has remarked that Freud, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900a), described, in contrast to the "primary experience of satisfaction," an "experience of fright whose origin is external" and which leaves behind a painful memory trace that the primitive psychic apparatus tries to avoid. This flight before the memory of the present pain, is, according to Freud, the "model and first example of psychic repression." Thus, the prototype of fright is nothing but the experience of object loss, an experience that submerges the primitive psychic apparatus in excitations it is unable to control. For Dorey this "painful memory image" of the absent object forms a representation that contributes to the formation of the primal unconscious.

Bibliography

Cyssau, Catherine. (1997). La peur et les phobies: des név-roses d'angoisse à l'hystérie d'angoisse. In A. Fine, A. Le Guen, A. Oppenheimer (Eds.), Peurs et phobies. Paris: P.U.F.

Dorey, Roger. (1988). Le Désir de savoir. Paris: Denoël.

Freud, Sigmund. (1895a [1894]). (1916-1917a [1915-1917]). Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis (Parts I and II). SE, 15-16.

——. (1920g). Beyond the pleasure principle. SE, 18: 1-64.

—CLAUDE BURSZTEJN

A natural, helpful reaction that sharpens your senses
There is an element of danger in boating that cannot be eradicated. Consequently, there is always something for boaters to fear— which happens to be a good thing.If you spend sufficient time afloat, sooner or later you will experience fear; but, if you understand that fact and accept it before you set out, you will deal with the fear-provoking situation more easily when it arises.Fear is often greater when you’re alone and forced to fall back on your own resources. It seems to be a perfectly natural part of single-handed sailing, no matter how macho you might feel before or afterward. According to research done by solo sailor, Dr. David Lewis, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council in Great Britain, four out of five contestants in the first single-handed transatlantic race experienced not only fear, but acute fear.Lewis discovered, however, that they did not afterward recall the extent of their fear. They remembered that they were scared but couldn’t say how badly. Lewis deduced that “observations noted at the time are the only valid ones. I honestly forgot that I had been frightened at all during one gale until I looked up my notes.”In general, there are two types of fear. The first includes those generalized tensions and anxieties familiar to everyone when we move to a new house, change jobs, get married, or take an exam. Fortunately, this kind of fear mostly disappears after a few days: once we adapt to the new circumstances, they become less frightening.The second type of fear is more specific: an approaching storm, a risky feat of navigation, a collision with a balk of timber, and so on.“As long as fear is the response to actual danger, it is a natural and even useful phenomenon,” says Dr. Michael Stadler in The Psychology of Sailing. He adds that fear in an ample (but not excessive) degree can sharpen your senses and improve your capacity to anticipate and assess the risks inherent in certain situations.Seasoned sailors, therefore, experience anxiety before the danger arrives and are in a better position to deal with or even avoid it. Inexperienced sailors may wander blindly into danger and then become incapacitated with fear when it’s too late.Richard Henderson, the well-known American sailor and author, believes the best weapon against fear is self-confidence, built up by “careful preparation, attention to one’s health, seeing that the boat is sound and well equipped, learning all one can about the proposed route and weather conditions, preparing for all possible emergencies, and gradually building experience.”See also Single-Handed Sailing.

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Quotes:

"Action conquers fear." - Peter Nivio Zarlenga

"Less base the fear of death than fear of life." - Edward Young

"A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemies." - William Wrigley Jr.

"Fear God and you need not fear anyone else." - Woodrow T. Wilson

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

"To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity." - Edward Weeks

See more famous quotes about Fear

A normal emotional response to consciously recognized external sources of danger such as those often associated with loud noises, threatening gestures, strange people and thunderstorms; it is manifested in animals by flight, by attack or by cringing.

An emotion, generally considered negative and unpleasant, that is a reaction to a real or threatened danger; fright. Fear is distinguished from anxiety, which is a reaction to an unreal or imagined danger.

For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation).

A scared child shows fear in an uncertain environment.

An iconic work of art depicting fear.

Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. Fear is apparently a universal emotion; all persons, consciously or unconsciously, have fear in some sort.^[1] In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger leading to an urge to confront it or flee from it (also known as the fight-or-flight response) but in extreme cases of fear (horror and terror) a freeze or paralysis response is possible."Fear is the basic condition ... the job that we're here to do is to learn how to live in a way that we're not terrified all the time."- Luc Sante "The Heroic Nerd", 2006.^[2] Some psychologists such as John B. Watson, Robert Plutchik, and Paul Ekman have suggested that fear belongs to a small set of basic or innate emotions. This set also includes such emotions as joy, sadness, and anger. Fear should be distinguished from the related emotional state of anxiety, which typically occurs without any certain or immediate external threat.

Additionally, fear is frequently related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.^[3] It is worth noting that fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Fear can also be an instant reaction to something presently happening. All people have an instinctual response to potential danger. This emotion is described as fear and is inherent in all people.^[4] Fear, whatever its source, can become a controlling factor in a person’s life.^[5] Fear can channel one’s energies away from areas of perceived threats and into directions that seem safe.^[6]

Contents 1 Common fears 1.1 Fear of the unknown 2 Causes 3 Diagnosing Fear 4 The absence of fear 5 Fears in culture 6 Fear of death 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

Common fears

According to surveys, some of the most common fears are of ghosts, the existence of evil powers, cockroaches, spiders, snakes, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels, bridges, needles, social rejection, failure, examinations and public speaking. A person may also be apprehensive and having second thoughts about committing suicide. In an innovative test of what people fear the most, Bill Tancer analyzed the most frequent online search queries that involved the phrase, "fear of...". This follows the assumption that people tend to seek information on the issues that concern them the most. His top ten list of fears consisted of flying, heights, clowns, intimacy, death, rejection, people, snakes, failure, and driving.^[7]

One of the most common fears is the fear of public speaking. People may be comfortable speaking inside a room but when it becomes public speaking, fear enters in the form of suspicion that whether the words uttered are correct or incorrect because there are many to judge it. Another common fear can be of pain, or of someone damaging a person. Fear of pain in a plausible situation brings flinching, or cringing.

In a 2005 Gallup poll (U.S.A.), a national sample of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 were asked what they feared the most. The question was open ended and participants were able to say whatever they wanted. The top ten fears were, in order: terrorist attacks, spiders, death, being a failure, war, heights, criminal or gang violence, being alone, the future, and nuclear war.^[8]

Fear of the unknown

Attempting something new can be risky and can therefore be a potential source of stress.^[9] For example, a high school teacher that moves up to become a professor may be fearful of all the new things that are now required of him/her. They may see the "safest" parts of a university environment as the teacher and service aspects. The research component that comes with being a professor will be completely new to them and thus they may be overwhelmed by it and become "fearful" of it. ^[10]

Causes

Acrophobia

Though most arachnids are harmless, a person with arachnophobia may still panic or feel uneasy around one. Sometimes, even an object resembling a spider can trigger a panic attack in an arachnophobic individual. The above cartoon is a depiction of the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet", in which the title character is "frightened away" by a spider.

People develop specific fears as a result of learning. This has been studied in psychology as fear conditioning, beginning with John B. Watson's Little Albert experiment in 1920, which was inspired after observing a child with an irrational fear of dogs.^[11] In this study, an 11-month-old boy was conditioned to fear a white rat in the laboratory. The fear became generalized to include other white, furry objects, such as a rabbit, dog, and even a ball of cotton.^[11] In the real world, fear can be acquired by a frightening traumatic accident. For example, if a child falls into a well and struggles to get out, he or she may develop a fear of wells, heights (acrophobia), enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), or water (aquaphobia). There are studies looking at areas of the brain that are affected in relation to fear. When looking at these areas (amygdala), it was proposed that a person learns to fear regardless of whether they themselves have experienced trauma, or if they have observed the fear in others. In a study completed by Andreas Olsson, Katherine I. Nearing and Elizabeth A. Phelps the amygdala were affected both when subjects observed someone else being submitted to an aversive event, knowing that the same treatment awaited themselves, and when subjects were subsequently placed in a fear-provoking situation.^[12] This suggests that fear can develop in both conditions, not just simply from personal history.

The experience of fear is affected by historical and cultural influences. For example, in the early 20th century, many Americans feared polio, a disease that cripples the body part it affects, leaving that body part immobilized for the rest of one's life. There are also consistent cross-cultural differences in how people respond to fear. Display rules affect how likely people are to show the facial expression of fear and other emotions.

Although fear is learned, the capacity to fear is part of human nature. Many studies have found that certain fears (e.g. animals, heights) are much more common than others (e.g. flowers, clouds). These fears are also easier to induce in the laboratory. This phenomenon is known as preparedness. Because early humans that were quick to fear dangerous situations were more likely to survive and reproduce, preparedness is theorized to be a genetic effect that is the result of natural selection.

From an evolutionary psychology perspective, different fears may be different adaptations that have been useful in our evolutionary past. They may have developed during different time periods. Some fears, such as fear of heights, may be common to all mammals and developed during the mesozoic period. Other fears, such as fear of snakes, may be common to all simians and developed during the cenozoic time period. Still others, such as fear of mice and insects, may be unique to humans and developed during the paleolithic and neolithic time periods (when mice and insects become important carriers of infectious diseases and harmful for crops and stored foods).^[13]

Fear is high only if the observed risk and seriousness both are high and is low if one or the other of the seen risk or seriousness is low.^[14]

Diagnosing Fear

Fear can affect us on our daily lives if it gets out of control in one's consciousness. Anxiety-it's what is known as future-oriented fear because we cannot control what will happen next. Panic- When one is intimidated of a certain thing that reminds them of their fear, and experiencing an alarm response.^[15] There can be many physiological changes in the body associated with fear, these changes can be summarized by the "fight or flight" response. This is our innate response for coping with danger, it works by accelerating the heart rate, dilating the blood vessels, increasing muscle tension and breathing rate. As the name suggests, this primitive mechanism helps an organism survive by either running away or fight off the danger. After the series of physiological changes, only then does the consciousness realize an emotion of fear. ^[16]

The absence of fear

Although fear is one of the crucial evolutionary mechanisms for individual survival, in certain situations psychologically normal humans can behave without feeling fear, with a total neglect of potentially lethal risk. A classical situation is when a child is attacked by a predatory animal (or an armed human), and a parent starts an all-out fight against the much stronger attacker, totally neglecting his or her personal safety. This mechanism is present among many species, most notably when a mother behaves fearlessly towards much stronger opposition in order to save her offspring. Jordania uses the term aphobia for the temporary loss of fear, induced by the release of neurochemicals in the brain which leads to a specific altered state of consciousness. Jordania calls this state the battle trance.^[17] According to him, aphobia supersedes the individual's instinctive fear for selfish survival and well-being, when more evolutionarily important subjects than that individual's own life are in danger. These can be the life of a child, family members, or members of a soldier's unit. Sometimes saving unknown humans or animals can also trigger the temporary loss of fear. Strong religious feelings can also induce aphobia (for example, when martyrs sacrifice themselves without the feeling of fear or pain). Jordania suggested that battle trance and associated loss of fear and pain (known as analgesia) were designed in the course of evolution by forces of natural selection as a survival mechanism, as individual hominids were too weak to stand against the formidable African ground predators after they descended from the relatively safe trees to the ground. The state of battle trance, which can be induced by rhythmic drumming, singing, dancing, body painting, and the use of certain substances, allowed them to lose their individuality, obtain collective identity, and to fight together as a unit without feeling fear and pain, neglecting their personal safety for the evolutionarily more important reason. Unlike the feel of pain, which can be fully absent in some human conditions, there is no such condition as congenital absence of fear (although psychopaths are known to have a much lessened feeling of fear).^[18]

Fears in culture

The awareness of the end and its existence is in other words the fear of death. The fear of death ritualized the lives of our ancestors. These rituals were designed to reduce that fear; they helped collect the cultural ideas that we now have in the present. These rituals also helped preserve the cultural ideas. The results and methods of human existence had been changing at the same time that social formation was changing. One can say that the formation of communities happened because people lived in fear. The result of this fear forced people to unite to fight dangers together rather than fight alone.

If one were to look into religion, they would find that it is filled with different fears that humans have had throughout many centuries. The fears don’t just go on the metaphysical levels (including the problems of life and death) but move onto moral dimensions as well. Death was a boundary to people that is seen as a transition to another world. This world would always be different depending on how each individual lived their lives. The origin of this intangible fear comes from other sources that are not found in the present world. In a sense we can assume that fear was a big influence on things such as morality.

Our fears are portrayed through sources such as books, movies. For example, many horror movies and books include characters who fear the antagonist of the plot. Fear is also found in mythological folklore and folklore superstitions. One of the important characteristics of historical and mythical heroes across the cultures is to be fearless in the face of big and often lethal danger.

Suppression of amygdala activity can also be achieved by pathogens. Rats infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite become less fearful of cats, sometimes even seeking out their urine-marked areas. This behavior often leads to them being eaten by cats. The parasite then reproduces within the body of the cat. There is evidence that the parasite concentrates itself in the amygdala of infected rats.^[19] In a separate experiment, rats with lesions in the amygdala did not express fear or anxiety towards unwanted stimuli. These rats pulled on levers supplying food that sometimes sent out electrical shocks. While they learned to avoid pressing on them, they did not distance themselves away from these shock-inducing levers.^[20]

Several brain structures other than the amygdala have also been observed to be activated when individuals are presented with fearful vs. neutral faces, namely the occipitocerebellar regions including the fusiform gyrus and the inferior parietal / superior temporal gyri.^[21] Interestingly, fearful eyes, brows and mouth seem to separately reproduce these brain responses.^[21] Scientist from Zurich studies show that the hormone oxytocin related to stress and sex reduces activity in your brain fear center^[22] Process of fear -The thalamus collects sensory data from the senses -Sensory cortex receives data from thalamus and interprets it -Sensory cortex organizes information for dissemination to hypothalamus (fight or flight), amygdala (fear), hippocampus (memory)

Fear of death

Psychologists have addressed the hypothesis that fear of death motivates religious commitment, and that it may be alleviated by assurances about an afterlife. Empirical research on this topic has been equivocal.^{[citation needed]} According to Kahoe and Dunn, people who are most firm in their faith and attend religious services weekly are the least afraid of dying. A survey of people in various Christian denominations showed a negative correlation between fear of death and religious concern.^[23]

In another study, data from a sample of white, Christian men and women were used to test the hypothesis that traditional, church-centered religiousness and de-institutionalized spiritual seeking are distinct ways of approaching fear of death in old age. Both religiousness and spirituality were related to positive psychosocial functioning, but only church-centered religiousness protected subjects against the fear of death.^[24]

Fear of death is also known as death anxiety. This may be a more accurate label because, like other anxieties, the emotional state in question is long lasting and not typically linked to a specific stimulus. The analysis of fear of death, death anxiety, and concerns over mortality is an important feature of existentialism and terror management theory. Fear of death most likely has its roots in fear of the unknown, as what happens beyond cannot be proven by those still living.^[25]

Fear of death is also known as Thanatophobia.^[25]

One famous psychological theory of this topic is Terror Management Theory. More details in http://www.psych-it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=74

Shelly Kagan exames the philosophical background of whether fear of death make sense (not about the actual kind of emotional reaction). In this context he states in one of his lectures, that there are certain conditions to fear in general to make sense:^[26]

• fear requires something bad, as the object of fear and
• there's got to be a nonnegligible chance of the bad state of affairs happening

See also

• Anxiety
• Anxiety attack
• Anxiety disorder
• Appeal to fear
• Culture of fear
• Fear mongering
• Fight-or-flight response
• Horror and terror
• Hysteria
• Night terror
• Nightmare
• Ontogenetic parade
• Panic
• Panic attack
• Paranoia
• Phobia
• Psychological trauma
• Shock
• Social anxiety disorder
• Social anxiety

References

1. ^ Burnham,H.(1932)
2. ^ Matthews. (2012)
3. ^ Öhman, A. (2000). Fear and anxiety: Evolutionary, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.). Handbook of emotions. (pp.573–593). New York: The Guilford Press.
4. ^ "What is fear & the cause of fear-ways of overcoming fear naturally". Native Remedies. http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/overcoming-fears-info.html. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 
5. ^ Burton, L. D. Fear. (p.113)
6. ^ Burton, Larry D. (May 2011). "Fear". journal of research on christian education v. 20 (2): 113–14. 
7. ^ Tancer, B. (2008). Click: What millions of people are doing online and why it matters. New York: Hyperion.
8. ^ Gallup Poll: What Frightens America's Youth, March 29, 2005 Retrieved November 24, 2008.
9. ^ Burton.(2011)
10. ^ Burton, L. (2011). Fear. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 20, 113-116. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/10656219.2011.592801
11. ^ ^{a b} Bellows, Alan. "Doctor Watson's Phobia Factory". Damn Interesting. Alan Bellows. http://www.damninteresting.com/doctor-watsons-phobia-factory/#more-970. Retrieved 10 April 2012. 
12. ^ Andreas Olsson, Katherine I. Nearing, Elizabeth A. Phelps, Learning fears by observing others: the neural systems of social fear transmission: http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2007/03/15/scan.nsm005.full.pdf+html
13. ^ Bracha, H. (2006). "Human brain evolution and the "Neuroevolutionary Time-depth Principle:" Implications for the Reclassification of fear-circuitry-related traits in DSM-V and for studying resilience to warzone-related posttraumatic stress disorder". Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 30 (5): 827–853. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2006.01.008. PMID 16563589.  edit
14. ^ M. Warr, M.Stafford. (1984). Fear of victimization: A look at the proximate causes. Social forces 61(4), 1033-1043.
15. ^ "Fear". Native Remedies, LLC.. http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/overcoming-fears-info.html#question2. Retrieved 1 December 2011. 
16. ^ Edmundson, Laurel Duphiney. "The Neurobiology of Fear". Serendip. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro00/web2/Edmundson.html. Retrieved 9 April 2012. 
17. ^ Joseph Jordania, Why do Humans Sing? Music in Human Evolution, Logos, 2011
18. ^ Robert Hare. 1999. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. The Guilford Press
19. ^ Berdoy M, Webster J, Macdonald D (2000). Fatal Attraction in Rats Infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B267:1591–1594. doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.1182 PMID 11007336
20. ^ Larkin, M. (1997). Amygdala differentiates fear response. The Lancet, 350, 268. Retrieved from http://journals1.scholarsportal.info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/tmp/8923111508641667557.pdf
21. ^ ^{a b} Radua, Joaquim; Phillips, Mary L.; Russell, Tamara; Lawrence, Natalia; Marshall, Nicolette; Kalidindi, Sridevi; El-Hage, Wissam; McDonald, Colm et al (2010). "Neural response to specific components of fearful faces in healthy and schizophrenic adults". NeuroImage 49 (1): 939–946. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.08.030. PMID 19699306. 
22. ^ Fear not." Ski Mar.-Apr. 2009: 15. Gale Canada In Context. Web. 29 Sep. 2011
23. ^ Kahoe, R. D., & Dunn, R. F. (1976). "The fear of death and religious attitudes and behavior". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 14 (4): 379–382. doi:10.2307/1384409. JSTOR 1384409. 
24. ^ Wink, P. (2006). "Who is afraid of death? Religiousness, spirituality, and death anxiety in late adulthood". Journal of Religion, Spirituality, & Aging 18 (2): 93–110. doi:10.1300/J496v18n02_08. 
25. ^ ^{a b} Phobias.about.com
26. ^ Lecture 22 - Fear of Death in PHIL 176: Death Yale Open Course

• Hinton, D. E., Lewis-Fernadex, R., and Pollack, M. H.. (2009). A Model of the Generation of Ataque de Nervios: The Role of Fear of Negative Affect and Fear of Arousal Symptoms. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. 15(3): 264-275.
• Mears, D. P. and Stewart, E. A.. (2010). Interracial Contact and Fear of Crime. Journal of Criminal Justice. 38(1): 34-41.
• Sanders, M. J., Stevens, S. and Boeh, H.. (2010). Stress Enhancement of Fear Learning in Mice is Dependent Upon Stressor Type: Effects of Sex and Ovarian Hormones. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 94(2): 254-262.
• Burton, L. D. Fear. Journal of Research on Christian Education v. 20 no. 2 (May 2011) p. 113-16

Gower, Paul L. (2004). Psychology of Fear. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. p. 24. </ref>

• Burnham, W. H. (1932). Fear and the personality. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/psycinfo/docview/621159734/135B01017AB9E3D43A/8?accountid=14771
• Burton, L. D. (2011, July 28). Fear. Retrieved from http://simplelink.library.utoronto.ca/url.cfm/264569
• Matthews, A. (2012, Winter). Fear. Retrieved from http://simplelink.library.utoronto.ca/url.cfm/264575
• Bryner, J. (2006, October 23). Fear factors. Retrieved from http://simplelink.library.utoronto.ca/url.cfm/264578
• Bellows, A. (2008). Doctor Watson's Phobia Factory. Damn Interesting. Retrieved from http://www.damninteresting.com/doctor-watsons-phobia-factory/

Further reading

• Bourke, Joanna (2005). Fear: a cultural history. Virago. ISBN 1-59376-113-9. 
• Robin, Corey (2004). Fear: the history of a political idea. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515702-8. 
• Duenwald, Mary (January 2005). "The Physiology of ... Facial Expressions". Discover 26 (1). http://discovermagazine.com/2005/jan/physiology-of-facial-expressions/?searchterm=duenwald. 
• Gardner, Dan (2008). Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear. Random House, Inc. ISBN 0-7710-3299-4. 
• Jiddu, Krishnamurti (1995). On Fear. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-251014-2. 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Fear

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fear

Look up fear in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Traversing the realm of Fear
• How Stuff Works – Fear
• The Scent of Fear, a Research Study
• Catholic Encyclopedia "Fear (from a Moral Standpoint)"
• Lecture 22 - Fear of Death – Open Yale Courses lecture by Shelly Kagan

v t e Emotions (list) Emotions Adoration Affection Agony Awe Amusement Anger Anguish Annoyance Anxiety Arousal Attraction Caring Compassion Contempt Contentment Defeat Dejection Depression Desire Despair Disappointment Disgust Ecstasy Embarrassment Empathy Enthrallment Enthusiasm Envy Euphoria Excitement Fear Frustration Grief Guilt Happiness Hatred Homesickness Hope Horror Hostility Humiliation Hysteria Infatuation Insecurity Insult Interest Irritation Isolation Jealousy Loneliness Longing Love Lust Melancholy Neglect Optimism Panic Passion Pity Pleasure Pride Rage Regret Rejection Remorse Resentment Sadness Sentimentality Shame Shock Sorrow Spite Suffering Surprise Sympathy Tenseness Thrill Revenge Wonder Worry Diligence Zest Worldviews Compatibilism Existentialism Fatalism Incompatibilism Metaphysics Nihilism Optimism Pessimism Reclusion Social justice Weltschmerz Source: Parrott, W. (2001), Emotions in Social Psychology, Psychology Press, Philadelphia.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - frygt, skræk, ængstelse
v. tr. - nære ærefrygt for, skræmme
v. intr. - frygte, være bange

idioms:

• fear for    nære ængstelse for
• fear not    frygt ej
• for fear    af frygt for
• in fear of    i frygt for
• No fear    du skal ikke være bange!
• put the fear of God into    sætte en skræk i livet på

Nederlands (Dutch)
vrees, angst, bangheid, bezorgdheid, gevaar, vrezen, bang zijn (voor)

Français (French)
n. - angoisse, peur, crainte, danger
v. tr. - craindre, avoir peur
v. intr. - craindre pour qch/qn

idioms:

• fear for    craindre pour
• fear not    n'ayez crainte
• for fear of    de crainte de
• for fear that    de crainte que
• in fear of    (avoir) peur de
• No fear    pas de danger (excl), jamais de la vie (excl)
• put the fear of God into    faire à (qn) une semonce dont il se souviendra longtemps

Deutsch (German)
v. - (sich) fürchten
n. - Angst, Furcht, Scheu, Befürchtung

idioms:

• fear for    Sorge um
• fear not    fürchte nicht
• for fear of    aus Angst vor...
• for fear that    aus Angst vor ...
• in fear of    Angst haben um
• No fear    keine Bange
• put the fear of God into    jmdn. fürchterlich erschrecken

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - φοβάμαι, τρέμω
n. - φόβος, τρόμος

idioms:

• fear for    ανησυχώ για
• fear not    μη φοβάσαι!
• for fear    φοβούμενος, με το φόβο
• in fear of    από φόβο για
• No fear    Κανένα πρόβλημα!
• put the fear of God into    τρομοκρατώ

Italiano (Italian)
temere, apprensione, paura, timore

idioms:

• fear for    temere per
• fear not    non aver paura
• for fear    per timore
• in fear of    in timore di
• No fear!    Mai paura!
• put the fear of God into    fare una paura del diavolo a

Português (Portuguese)
v. - temer
n. - temor (m)

idioms:

• fear for    temer
• fear not    não tema
• for fear    por medo de
• in fear of    recear por
• No fear!    Não há o que temer!
• put the fear of God into    intimidar

Русский (Russian)
бояться, пугаться, опасаться, сожалеть, страх, боязнь, опасение

idioms:

• fear for    опасаться за
• fear not    не пугайтесь, не бойтесь
• for fear    в тревоге
• in fear of    боясь чего-либо
• No fear!    Ничего не бойтесь!
• put the fear of God into    нагнать страх

Español (Spanish)
n. - temor, miedo, ansiedad, fobia, temor reverente
v. tr. - temer, temer a, tener un temor reverente, experimentar temor
v. intr. - temer, temer a, tener miedo

idioms:

• fear for    temer por
• fear not    no tema
• for fear of    por miedo de
• for fear that    por miedo de que
• in fear of    temer por
• No fear    ¡ni pensarlo!, ¡ni loco!, sin miedo
• put the fear of God into    darle un susto mortal

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - frukta, vara rädd för, befara, vara rädd
n. - fruktan, farhåga, fara

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
恐怖, 担心, 害怕, 畏惧, 恐怕, 猜想, 感到忧虑

idioms:

• fear for    为...而担心, 为...而害怕
• fear not    天不怕地不怕
• for fear    由于害怕, 以免
• in fear of    害怕...
• No fear    别怕, 没问题
• put the fear of God into    恫吓某人..., 恐吓某人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 恐怖, 擔心, 害怕
v. tr. - 害怕, 畏懼, 恐怕, 擔心, 猜想
v. intr. - 害怕, 感到憂慮

idioms:

• fear for    為...而擔心, 為...而害怕
• fear not    天不怕地不怕
• for fear    由於害怕, 以免
• in fear of    害怕...
• No fear    別怕, 沒問題
• put the fear of God into    恫嚇某人..., 恐嚇某人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 공포, 무서움, 근심
v. tr. - 무서워 하다, 걱정하다
v. intr. - 걱정하다

idioms:

• fear for    ~을 하지 않도록, ~이 두려워
• in fear of    ~을 무서워하여, ~을 걱정하여
• put the fear of God into    ~을 겁주다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 恐れ, 恐怖, 不安, 心配, 可能性, 畏怖, 畏れ
v. - 恐れる, 怖がる, 心配する, 畏れる, 気遣う

idioms:

• fear for    気づかう
• fear not    どうも怪しい
• for fear    …しないように
• in fear of    恐れて, 気づかって
• put the fear of God into    縮み上がらせるほど叱る

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يخشى , يخاف (الاسم) خشيه , خوف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חשש, פחד‬
v. tr. - ‮חשש, פחד, היסס, התחלחל‬
v. intr. - ‮חשש, פחד, חרד‬

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