The Necessity of Fear

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A tall man in a long black coat is seen walking past the window of an elementary school with a large brief case. That sentence is enough to make almost any American’s skin crawl for a moment. Change the word man to woman, and all of those uncomfortable feelings change to normal and nothing out of the ordinary. How can this be? Everyone has experienced that unpleasant sensation of fear creeping into their bodies at least one time in their life. Maybe it was watching a horror movie or walking through an unfamiliar part of town at night, but this sensation is unlike any other feeling that humans can produce. It can become the most important survival instinct that a person can rely on. Although, in our day and age, as Dr. Karl Albrecht states, "Fear seems to have gotten a bad rap amongst most human beings." Fear is certainly not the most popular feeling and emotion that occurs in humans. People today view fear as a nuisance, and it tends to be regarded as a quality of the weak and helpless. With the education of knowing that fear is essential, people would discover that fear can quickly become any human’s most valuable resource. An analysis of fear, and recognizing its importance, confirms why fear is still needed in humans for survival today.
To the uneducated eye, fear may seem uncontrollable, and is usually explained by seeing, hearing, or feeling something “scary” or “creepy”. In reality, it is a very complicated biological process that starts a chain reaction throughout the entire body. The brain begins a cascade of multiple events that allows chemicals to be released in order to start the fight-or-flight response (Layton). The brain is very complex and it is constantly transmitting information subconsciously, therefore, fear is...

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...Association for Psychological Science RSS. Association for Psychological Science, 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/fear-of-holes-may-ste m-from-evolutionary-survival-response.html Stone, Mark H. "Alfred Adler On The Dynamics Of Fear." Journal Of Individual Psychology 69.1 (2013): 55-65. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.cccneb.idm.oclc.org/ehost/d etail?sid=3663c7be-d810-4394-aed3-8dc710ee73d7%40sessionmgr113&vid=6&hid=124&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=89171190 Yong, Ed. "Scared To Death." New Scientist 218.2919 (2013): 36-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.cccneb.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail?sid=634015a8-e076-4c86-a402-4afd
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