Nothing to fear, but fear itself

[Yoshikkko]

Everyone fears something or has phobias, and they can be for the most illogical or surreal things too.

This thread is not about which ones you got or what you fear, but why you think people have them in the first place. Is it psychological (and do you think that therefore we can surpress them) or is it something to make the body and senses more alert? There is also a great difference between phobias and fears - while they are mostly classified as the same - what do you think that is?

 

[Livewire]

Some things, like a fear of the dark, are what's known as a Primal fear. It hails from a time when we were hunter gatherers who feared the nocturnal lions, wolves, etc, that used to hunt US, not the other way around. A lot of seemingly irrational fears are like that.

 

[Overlord Drakow]

This thread is not about which ones you got or what you fear, but why you think people have them in the first place. Is it psychological (and do you think that therefore we can surpress them) or is it something to make the body and senses more alert?

Primarily, I think fear is a defensive mechanism against a threat. It tells you that something is dangerous and you should get the hell outta there or take precautionary action. Unfortunately at times it is a double edged weapon if one cannot respond efficiently to the fear. I refer to when one "freezes up" due to it. Let's say someone pulls a knife on you and your fear kicks in. One of three things will most likely happen as a response to that fear.

- You try and flee from the attacker (I recommend this one).

- You engage and attempt to fight off the attacker (I don't recommend this unless you have no other choice).

- You freeze up and are at the mercy of the attacker (God help you if this occurs).

A lot of people think of fear in a negative sense but I believe it is a form of protection.

 

[Ivysaur]

I think that one of the biggest problems of the human race is being afraid of the unknown. Most people don't want to know if it's good or not, they are just scared they can't predict the outcome, and that fact usually paralyzes people and resources, and can end up causing actual damages if not controlled.

I can understand being afraid of something you know that has caused you a real problem (and still, overcoming your fears is a key part in personal evolution), but being afraid of the unknown is highly pointless.

 

[Zeffy]

Everyone has fear. Those who deny to say that they do are much more afraid of the unknown than someone who admits it. In the long run, being afraid might actually help you. Just look at Drakow's example. When we're afraid, we become active and our senses are heightened. I suppose that it is a human instinct that is important for humans for us to be able to survive.

 

[Nihilego]

Fear is pretty usable as a defence mechanism. If I condense what Drakow said a bit, it basically puts us into "Fight or Flight" mode (click) by releasing a load of adrenaline, as far as I know. That's quite a primeval response, but it's still hardwired into people and still works today.

Although that doesn't cover all fears. You can't run from or fight the dark, for example, but we still sometimes fear the dark. In fact, I believe to an extent, that we all fear the dark; there's a reason why horror movies are usually in dark settings, for example. That's probably something equally primeval; the inability to see predators or danger or whatever. No big deal today but it's still there from a long time ago.

Then obviously some fears are just passed down through families. Your mother and father being scared of spiders is likely to make you scared of spiders. Same with a lot of things.

 

[Broken_Arrow]

first of all..i fear loss...and i fear dogs actually i have a phobia of dogs as soon as i see one i find myself moving away if not running...

a way from that...i fear talking..sometimes i feel so bad inside and like i need someone to listen but i fear misunderstanding maybe or bothering ori don't know....but that make me feel worse..every time i feel bad..i try to find someone to talk to and when i do..i find myself pretending feeling happy which disappoint me from myself too cuz i can't talk..wish i can cuz it's hard and bad and make you feel like the whole world neglecting you :(

 

[Ayutac]

I think that one of the biggest problems of the human race is being afraid of the unknown. […] being afraid of the unknown is highly pointless.

I can't actually think of why this fear developed. And yes, it's very troublesome, because e.g. it leads to misunderstandings and racism.

 

[wumbology]

I can't actually think of why this fear developed. And yes, it's very troublesome, because e.g. it leads to misunderstandings and racism.

It's a primal fear that developed from being very weak. What could have been hiding in the unknown darkness stuck with us. We've very comfortable in our little state of mind nowadays, so even slight change such as skin colour or sexuality can scare (some of) us.

 

[Ayutac]

It's a primal fear that developed from being very weak. What could have been hiding in the unknown darkness stuck with us. We've very comfortable in our little state of mind nowadays, so even slight change such as skin colour or sexuality can scare (some of) us.

So you think since our mind doesn't have to care about big issues, it concentrates on the small ones? How troublesome…