 |
The Word: Fear
Author: Pedro Gondim  | Posted: 30-04-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 44 | Rating: (52) (?)
Myrmecophobia, phalacrophobia, hobophobia, acrophobia, pentheraphobia, hypengyophobia, venustraphobia, ailurophobia, gamophobia, ophidiophobia, arachnophobia, hydrophobia, alektorophobia, philophobia, logophobia and testophobia*. Do you have these symptoms for any of these? If you do, you are likely to be a normal human.
Fear is a common and dictating aspect of human behaviour. It is such a common reality to be afraid, that we have literally hundreds of words describing a particular fear which someone has reported suffering from. There are enough words to create a Phobia Dictionary. In this article, we will analyse the underpinnings of fear, an impressive (and often disconcerting) human emotion.
What is Fear?
Fear is mainly a physical response. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system in the human brain is loaded with dopamine and adrenaline, which are chemical messengers from the body. In a 'danger situation', the HPA releases these messengers along with a hormone (cortisol) which in turn activates the amygdala (an area of the brain responsible for emotional responses, including fear conditioning). This reaction results in increased blood pressure, sugar availability, and an energy boost that allows humans to perform quite amazing displays of strength, reaction, and awareness in confrontational situations.
Because these chemical reactions occur before we have had the opportunity to consciously interpret the event, at times it can negatively impact upon our life. For instance, you may be walking in a dark street at night, and hear a loud noise. Before you actually evaluate the situation and assess the danger, your brain will access data from the hippocampus (brain area responsible for memory) and determine instant readiness to the situation. In this scenario, you may take an impulsive move, or make a bad decision. Thus, fear is seen (particularly by males) as a sign of weakness and a negative trait.
The Foundations of Fear
The causes of fear can vary to a surprising extent. They may be originated from a stress response which is related to a traumatic event from the individual's past; it can be a socially-motivated fear; or it can be a biologically-induced one. An example of a traumatic event would include a stressor, which is mainly a noise or image associated to an event that has incurred a personal trauma. Thus, people who are afraid of snakes will usually react with fear when they hear a noise which resembles a snake (naturally this interpretation will depend on the context).
A socially-motivated fear can be caused by a relationship between an event and its outcome. For instance, during the 19th Century in Britain, dying poor and helpless, was considered one of the most common fears. Early in the 20th Century, this shifted to the fear of being buried alive. During the 1st World War, bombs were much more 'scary' than during the 2nd World War.
Finally, biologically-induced fear refers to predispositions in our genes, due to evolution, which makes us prone to fear something. There have been studies which relate xenophobia and racism to behaviour from the Stone Age period, explaining why people naturally tend to shun outsiders.
Fear Counselling
As we've previously stated, fear seems to be a negative trait perceived from the eyes of common sense. But is it really? Although we cannot change the way our body physically responds to a threat, we can change the way we emotionally respond to our body. This becomes a strategy to avoid trauma, distress and bad decision-making when faced with the adrenalin pump that fear creates.
The basis of exploring the positive side of fear is changing conditioned behaviour. The inability to react positively in a state of fear is due to a memory associative process, in which the individual cannot see past negative outcomes which could occur. For example, a person who has a fear of heights will not be able to climb a tree because they will constantly enforce the idea of free-falling and getting badly hurt (or even dying). The problem is not in the sensation of fear, but in the association of the emotion and a negative outcome.
Cognitive restructuring techniques such as Thought Stopping and Rational Emotive Therapy are common methods used by counsellors to alleviate fears and barriers. Creating awareness and willingness to change is a crucial part of the counselling process, and can determine the turning point for the client - the moment of surpassing fears, and approaching success.
* Fear of... ants, becoming old, beggars, heights, mother-in-law, responsibility, beautiful women, cats, marriage, snakes, spiders, water, chickens, falling in love, words and taking tests.
Subscribe to our FREE eZine.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/the-word-fear-139866.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means to drive traffic to your website and promote yourself and your business. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
Narrative Therapy: Concepts and Applications By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology Your life is a narrative, counted and recounted from many different perspectives, and by diverse people. There are settings, themes, characters and plots – just like in any movie, book, historical account or legendary fable. In this article we review the approach of Narrative Therapy and how it can be effectively used by counsellors to assist individuals improve their lives.
Coping With Change - Strategies and Approaches By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Self Improvement Change is a certainty in everyone's life. The manner in which people deal with change also changes. Through learning and life experience, individuals develop varied levels of flexibility towards transition, and these levels commonly dictate the person's ability to productively cope with life's challenges. Thus, readiness and ability to change are popular topics in therapeutic contexts such as counseling, life coaching and mentoring.
Tips and Strategies to Build Rapport With Clients By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology In previous we’ve discussed the 'business-side' of counselling: marketing tips and business guidelines which can help counsellors build a successful practice. Most therapists possess an innate desire to help others, and because of this emotional involvement, sometimes it can be challenging to convert the potential into practical results.
Self-disclosure: Underpinnings and Applications By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology Are you a very important person? Sure you are. The reason for this answer is the same to almost everyone in this planet: we like talking about ourselves, we enjoy being listened, we praise our achievements, and we are very much into introspection. Although we are ultimately social beings, most humans are both consciously and subconsciously determined to improve themselves...
The Parent Farm By: Jason D McDonald | 19/01/2008 | Parenting There are many parents today that are literally letting their kids waste away, by tuning into their requests and demonstrating how to be a better role model will they make their children into great adults. Stop for moment to see if you are one of those parents that needs to invest in your greatest life asset, you kids.
Am I a Controlling Person? By: Jason D McDonald | 10/12/2007 | Divorce Quite often the controlling person is unaware of their behavior or traits that drives the ones nearest and dearest further away, this may lead to divorce, bitterness and unhappiness. Identify the patterns and see if you fit this type of person and seek out help before it is too late.
The 35 Plus Male By: Jason D McDonald | 18/12/2007 | Men's Health Many males reach that magic 35 year old age bracket and can often feel confused or challenged to decide what will keep them going more so in their career. This is quite common yet as males there is help to understand this feeling, and to know you are not alone. Your life purpose may just be behind the door, learn how to start unlocking your purpose and live the life you have always dreamed of.
How to Identify your Life Lessons By: Jason D McDonald | 03/12/2007 | Mysticism Many will go through life encountering pain and frustration regularly if only they took a moment to read the signs. Our life purpose alerts us in many ways so we can easily learn to meet the challenges and to teach us how to overcome them.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HIV still active in cremated ashes?
By: GlennChez | 16-10-2008
Is HIV still active in cremated ashes?
How do I catch my bunny after hes been playing ...
By: AudreyLynne | 13-10-2008
How do I catch my bunny after hes been playing around the house??? I have his oversized cage open so she can just hop on in.....I put a bunch of alfalfa in his pen...but he just won't go in...and I had to leave today with the bunny out of his cage......we couldn't get him...so the bunny stayed with my two cats....well....luckily, as i thought, everything turned out ok...but now I need a trick to get the bunny in her cage as soon as possible!!!
we've had DJBunBun for about 2 weeks and she/he is very sweet and loving...but right now my 14 daughter (its her bunny, I just play with it......) is trying to catch the bunny .......please answer ASAP !!!! THANK YOU
Marriage outside of Religion.... what do I do?
By: dreadlocks | 12-10-2008
I am dating this guy and I was sure that it was just for fun at the beginning. I thought that it wouldn't be a big deal that I am Jewish and he is not. Now that things are getting more serious, I really have no idea what to do. I'm really lost and confused, and scared of what my family and friends are going to think about the situation. What should I do?
Sensory defensiviness
By: Libbie | 10-10-2008
webmd.com Can you tell me about sensory defensiviness? My grandaughter has just been diagnoised with this disorder.
Can a human scabie mite temporarily live in the ...
By: KamikazeeDove | 10-10-2008
Can a human scabie mite temporarily live in the fur of a pet? I have just been treated for scabies - can i become reinfested through this manner?
What problems can you see with socialization ...
By: Cami-Ann | 09-10-2008
What problems can you see with socialization practices?
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Psychology Articles
What Do You Do When Your Spouse Goes to Jail? By: Jennifer Baxt | 11/11/2008 Are you dealing with your spouse going to jail? How do you cope? Find out how to get help through online counseling if you are struggling with this issue.
Everybody Can Turn Into a Monster By: David Evangelisti | 11/11/2008 Good people make bad things. We have learnt it by the studies of Zimbardo, Milgram, Bandura and Staub
Viewing Aura Colors Through Biofeedback By: Temp | 10/11/2008 Many people hear the term "aura cameras" and assume that the technology is false. After all, for years, auras were relegated to the visions of psychics who claimed to be able to see auras around people. This was subject to much criticism from skeptics who were quick to ask for scientific proof that could not be provided by those who had this ability.
Got Persuasion? By: H. Bernard Wechsler | 10/11/2008 If you discover the difference between Negative and
Positive Feedback, you will double the number of folks
you persuade, influence and convince.
Adolescent Childbearing Factors as Determinant of Safe Motherhood in Abeokuta Metropolis of Ogun State, Nigeria By: OLADEJI DAVID | 09/11/2008 This study examined the influence of adolescent childbearing factors and safe motherhood in Abeokuta Metropolis, Nigeria.
What the Egyptian Sorcerers Said to Pharaoh Before He Has Killed Them? By: Safaa Abdel-Aziz | 06/11/2008 the Egyptian sorcerers said to Pharaoh just before he has killed them:
You are vindictive, spiteful, towards us, you are censuring and punishing us, only because we have believed in the signs of Allah, Our Lord, when they came to us.
A Blind Doctor? By: Thomas Greenslade | 04/11/2008 Even the most brilliant or practical of men make many grave errors because they are in spiritual darkness. They cannot see what is right in front of them. They make fundamental errors and go in completely the wrong direction because they are in darkness. Few people are really helped by their psychological or spiritual counsel. They may be helped just a little, just enough to keep them trusting, and be misled, and even be destroyed because the person they trusted was blind.
The Power of not Accepting What You Experience as Reality By: Broderick Boyd | 02/11/2008 Not accepting what you are experiencing as reality is a valuable tool because it will help you to discover what you really want in your life and how to get it, it will boost your faith in perusing your goal, and lastly it will make it more difficult for other people and external circumstances to influence you against your will.
More from Pedro Gondim
Ethical Situations in Counselling By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology A prominent aspect of counsellor training involves the analysis of ethical situations. Counsellors need to be malleable to the variety of situations in which the client's personality traits and environmental circumstances are prominent barriers to the relationship's progress.
Coping With Change - Strategies and Approaches By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Self Improvement Change is a certainty in everyone's life. The manner in which people deal with change also changes. Through learning and life experience, individuals develop varied levels of flexibility towards transition, and these levels commonly dictate the person's ability to productively cope with life's challenges. Thus, readiness and ability to change are popular topics in therapeutic contexts such as counseling, life coaching and mentoring.
Neuroscience: What is Brain Plasticity? By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Science Neuroscience has changed considerably in the past 20 years. An example of change over period is the concept of brain plasticity. Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to rewire itself, relocating information processing functions to different brain areas and/or neural networks. Two decades ago, it was believed that brain networks were static after its initial formation period. Now that belief has changed...
Tips and Strategies to Build Rapport With Clients By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology In previous we’ve discussed the 'business-side' of counselling: marketing tips and business guidelines which can help counsellors build a successful practice. Most therapists possess an innate desire to help others, and because of this emotional involvement, sometimes it can be challenging to convert the potential into practical results.
Building a Successful Counselling Business: Tips and Guidelines By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Small Business In a previous article we discussed the importance and applications of marketing in counselling. There was a particular focus on the initiation of a counselling practice. Although marketing has an important, and often overlooked, role in developing a counselling business, there are several other fundamentals that are just as important to build a successful practice.
Marketing in Counselling: Tips for a Successful Practice By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Small Business Professionals in the health and allied industries, including doctors, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, etc, often work from their own self-employed businesses. In Australia, a considerable section of the industry is self-employed, whilst many other professional counsellors who have not yet become their own bosses, aspire to do so. In this article, we discuss one the most critical aspects of starting and perpetuating a business: marketing.
Narrative Therapy: Concepts and Applications By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology Your life is a narrative, counted and recounted from many different perspectives, and by diverse people. There are settings, themes, characters and plots – just like in any movie, book, historical account or legendary fable. In this article we review the approach of Narrative Therapy and how it can be effectively used by counsellors to assist individuals improve their lives.
Self-disclosure: Underpinnings and Applications By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology Are you a very important person? Sure you are. The reason for this answer is the same to almost everyone in this planet: we like talking about ourselves, we enjoy being listened, we praise our achievements, and we are very much into introspection. Although we are ultimately social beings, most humans are both consciously and subconsciously determined to improve themselves...
|
 |