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Fear and its effects
Fear and its effects
Short essay on overcoming fear
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John was a victim of a prank conducted by his fellow classmates, where they placed the class gerbil in John's lunchbox moments before lunch break. Upon opening his lunchbox, John reacted intensely in discovering the gerbil and having his finger bitten; while the gerbil attempted to escape. The classmates laughed in amusement; but John was sent home early, because he could not calm done his anxiety. In the following days, the wariness he felt for animals had developed into a phobia. John could not visit his aunt's house, because she had a cat; and he would immediately walk the other direction if he heard a dog bark (Newby 198). In John's case, his phobia was invoked by an unexpected event which lead to the fear of all fury animals. People with phobias are greatly misunderstood, and most have yet to build the courage to face their known, irrational fears; consequently, phobias have a significant impact on their development of personalities and lifestyles. The source of phobias are still being evaluated and debated, while new methods of treatment are progressively reducing and controlling the anxiety of phobics.
Phobias are real fears that most people encounter on a daily basis; but it is the over exaggerated reaction to the feared object or situation that distinguishes it from regular fears. Fear is a natural feeling, in which our minds tell us what is dangerous and to stay away from certain things. As stated by Dr. Ronald M. Rapee and et al in the Guide for Parents, “There is no such thing as an ‘abnormal fear.’ All fears are normal- some are simply more
Cortes 2 intense or extensive than others” (Rapee, et al 17). Some fears may be more common at certain ages; for example, children the ages of three-five will be afraid of the...
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...ears, the reason they are scared, and visualize and challenge irrational beliefs. Exposure therapy is when people diagnosed with a phobia are exposed little by little their fears. "Dr. Whiteside [from the Mayo Clinic] also developed a mobile app, the Anxiety Coach, which helps patients learn about anxiety , manage symptoms, and make lists of activities to help them face their fears" (Landro 2).
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Those who have been diagnosed as phobics had their lives altered by submitting to the overpowering urge to avoid their fears at all costs. Facing one's fear is not the easiest thing to do, but there are newer, safer, and easier methods to tear down the false fear an object or situation has over someone. Phobias, that come from unknown origins, have a tremendous influence over the growth processes of personalities and the creation of an individual's lifestyle.
The Dangers of Fear Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worst attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point where they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were.
“At the University of California at Irvine, experiments in rats indicate that the brain’s hormonal reaction to fear can be inhibited, softening the formation of memories and the emotions they evoke” (Baard).
Just imagine for a moment that you have a cynophobia or the fear of dogs, would this be how you would feel. Driving down the road the oil light comes on. "I must stop the car to add more oil or I will damage the car engine. This looks like a good place to pull over. I'll just stop in front of this house. The oil is in the trunk, so I'll pop the top first, then get the oil out of the trunk. OK, I have the oil, but what if there is a dog at this house. Hurry, I have to hurry. A dog might come running out and bark at me any minute. Just get the oil in the engine. I can't my hands are shaking. Don't worry, there is no dog. Just get the oil in the engine. I don't care if I spill it, just get some in the engine. Take another look around, is there a dog anywhere. OK, the oils in, now hurry get back in the car. I can't breath. I'm safely back in the car, now just take a minute and breath. When will my hands stop shaking." This is how a person with a phobia of dogs might feel. There is no dog around anywhere in sight, but the thought of a dog running at them barking is enough to cause a panic attack. In "Exploring Psychology" David G. Myers defines phobia as "an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation" (432). This paper will explore the history, causes, effects, and treatment of Phobias.
A simple definition of the human psyche is the embodiment of the human spirit. However, when one takes a more in-depth look, it becomes much more complex than the tidy little package that the definition would infer. The psyche has a direct link to thoughts, emotions, reactions and consequences. Of these components, emotions have the most significant impact on the human essence. The way in which humans view and react to the world around them is directly linked to the conscious and subconscious feelings associated with a particular activating event. The human psyche is driven by a wide variety of emotions ranging from love, hate, anger, happiness, fear, and courage to name but only a few. Of these, fear has the power to disrupt the body and spirit in profound ways as it encompasses all emotions. Therefore, it is the strongest emotion associated with the human condition.
Fear is a potent emotional response developed by the intrinsic need to learn in order for one to better their means of self-preservation. Though often overlooked, fear is a mental construct which presents great importance in understanding an individual’s thoughts and mannerisms. Children can help scientists to better recognize how these fears emerge. The early years of life can be considered the most daunting; everything in the environment surrounding a child is fairly new, strange, and unfamiliar. In the psychological community, it is widely accepted that fears are determined from two main constituents: biological and environmental factors. Both factors play an essential role in defining fear as well as the determination of what a child may
Conquering phobias is a specialty of hypnotherapists. A phobia is a compulsive fear of a specified situation or object (Knight 2). A few types of phobias are fear of open spaces, fear of snow, fear of the cold, fear of marriage, fear of insanity, fear of being alone, fear of darkness, fear of disease, fear of beards, fear of birds, fear of being stared at, fear of bein...
Have you ever had something ever get to you or make you you scared? That is called fear and tons an tons of people have different fears. Fear is an emotion that makes you feel afraid or something is frighten. Some fears many include spiders, clowns and even death. ‘’Fear Prompts Teens To Act Impulsively’’ by Laura Sanders, ‘’Stress for Success’’ by Alison Pearce, and ‘’And Uncomfortable Bed’’ By Guy Maupassant all explain the idea of fear.
Phobias have been in existence for many years. As humans we fear things that are life threatening and unnatural. Someone who has an irrational fear of something is considered a phobia, which is an extreme illogical fear or dislike of something. Fear is a very common emotion which distinguishes from phobia regarding the severe distress someone with a phobia goes through. Fear is a rationalized and instinctive emotion that comes in response to a threatening situation. The reaction caused by fear can be managed. Phobias can hinder someone’s life. People who struggle with phobias constantly avoid the object of fear, and will do anything required not to see it. It’s hard to directly to clearly figure out the cause regarding
Phobias are considered a part of anxiety disorders, a phobia is an intense and irrational fear of a certain thing or situation. Some examples of phobias include fear of heights, insects, and even talking in front of a large crowd. The intensity of phobias differ from patient to patient but the severity of phobia...
...6. Generalization from the original phobic stimulus to stimuli of a similar nature will occur; 7. Noxious experiences which occur under conditions of excessive confinement are more likely to produce phobic reactions; 8. Neutral stimuli which are associated with a noxious experience, may develop motivating properties. This acquired drive is termed the fear drive; 9. Responses (such as avoidance) which reduce the fear drive are reinforced; 10. Phobic reactions can be acquired vicariously (Rachman 31). These theories are used to identify how people obtain phobias and other situations that may occur with phobias.
One of the characteristics of a phobia is a feeling that is greater than the fear of a situation or object with an exaggeration of the danger associated with the said situation or even object. This persistent fear often leads to an anxiety disorder that leads an individual to develop mechanisms that ensure one avoids the object or situation that triggers the occurrence of the phobia. Phobias can have highly debilitating effects on an individual including the development of depression, isolation, substance abuse, and even suicide. Many people take phobia for granted however, it is clear that it has the potential to impair the quality of life for both the affected and the people around them. The fact that many of the phobias are manageable using
Psychologists both now and in years past have investigated the concept of fear and its different forms, as well as its reason for existence. Some discovered that experiences, nurture, and nature create the emotion within people. Each of the five divisions of fear includes loss. Every human experiences fear of extinction, mutilation, loss of autonomy, separation, and ego-death yet encounter these emotions at various rates to assorted extents. Death remains the most horrifying thought among (mentally healthy) people on Earth.
A phobia is defined in the dictionary as ‘a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.’ In psychology, there is a theory that was proposed by Orval Mowrer, called the two-factor theory of learning, which seeks to explain how anxiety, fears and phobias develop within individuals. Mowrer’s theory attempted to use both of the classical and operant conditioning principles to explain the avoidance behaviours that are such prominent symptoms and characteristics of majority of the anxiety disorders. All behaviours, adaptive and maladaptive, have been viewed by behaviourists in accordance with the same principles of classical and operant conditioning. Watson & Raynor conducted
Exposure therapy is an evidenced-based intervention that is used in treating social anxiety disorder. In exposure therapy, individuals must face their fears directly instead of using avoidant behaviors. It is grounded in the idea that once the individual faces their fears, they will be able to change their behaviors and reduce their symptoms (Rodebaugh, Holaway, & Heimberg, 2004). There are various types of exposure therapy that may be used in treating a client. In vivo exposure includes the client directly exposing themselves to the source of their fear. For social anxiety, the client may attend a social gathering where he may be around strangers. Imaginal exposure is when the client imagines the source of their anxiety or fear. For instance,
This paper is focused on how fear as a subject is being perceived by many as a dominant and primitive human emotion. An uncontrollable energy that’s exists and created within every individual, which is directed towards an object or a given situation that does not present an actual danger. The individual then analyzes that the fear is contradictory and thus cannot help the reaction. Gradually, the phobia aims to build up and aggravate as the fear of fear response takes hold. Eventually they distinguish their fear responses as negative, and go out of their way to avoid those reactions. ‘Fear is derived as a basic feeling and therefore created by us – it is not something we have, but something we do. The principle of fear is to keep us safe.’