From birth to death, a person periodically experiences a feeling of fear. Someone is subject to it to a greater extent, someone to a lesser extent, but there are no people on Earth who would not be afraid of anything at all. Sometimes this feeling is quite understandable and natural, and in some cases its nature is unknown. What are the causes of fear and how to get rid of it?
What is fear?
Fear is a negative state of the human psyche, provoked by a real or imaginary threat. Everyone has experienced this feeling many times in their lives in different situations. Even the bravest and bravest person can be afraid of something deep down.
In psychology, fear is one of the basic emotional processes inherent in a person from birth. It mobilizes the body's defense systems, preparing it to fight the threat or to flee.
Fear is a kind of signaling of danger, contributing to the realization of the instinct of self-preservation. Under the influence of fear, a person can perform such actions that he is not normally capable of. For example, run at great speed, jump over high obstacles, show amazingquick wits and resourcefulness.
The nature of human fear
Fear was born along with humanity itself. Its roots go back to the distant past, when its main function was to preserve the life of our ancestors. Fear is inherent in man by nature in order to quickly and accurately recognize danger.
Ancient people used to be afraid of everything unknown and incomprehensible. They were horrified by any unfamiliar sounds, natural elements, previously unseen animals. With the development of science, man gained knowledge about many phenomena that he used to be afraid of.
Today, fear no longer carries the function of the struggle for survival. The exception is those cases when a person finds himself in emergency, extreme situations. However, in the modern world, all sorts of social phobias have replaced the fear of real danger. This is due to the fact that at the moment it is very important for people to be recognized by society, to inspire respect for their person.
Is fear a feeling or an emotion?
Psychology interprets fear as a human emotion that has a bright negative connotation. At the same time, some sources consider this concept as a human condition. So what is fear? Is it a feeling or an emotion?
The word "fear" people in everyday life used to call both a feeling and an emotion. In fact, there is no clear boundary between these concepts. On the one hand, fear is more related to emotions, since it is most often of a short-term nature and is intended toactivate the protective functions of the human body. And on the other?
If it does not stop for a long time, transforms, periodically repeats, takes on new forms, then we can say that fear is a feeling. In this case, it no longer serves to save, but, on the contrary, has a destructive effect on the body. The feeling of fear is not an instant reaction to some irritant, but a product of human consciousness.
Types of fear
There are quite a lot of different classifications of fear. It all depends on what caused this oppressive feeling. So, real, existential and social fears are distinguished. Let's briefly dwell on each of them.
Real or biological fear is a fear associated with an immediate threat to human life or he alth. In this situation, something represents a potential danger to the individual. For example, a huge dog trying to attack a person, or natural disasters such as tsunamis or earthquakes.
Existential fear is an unreasonable fear of something that does not pose a real danger to a person. Such fears lurk in the depths of the subconscious of people and cannot be fully explained. This group includes fear of darkness, death, aging, closed space.
Social fears are a relatively new group of human phobias that did not exist before. They cannot cause real harm, but carry only a symbolic threat. This includes fear of superiors, responsibility, public speaking, failure, being hit onpride. Fears of this type are the most common in the modern world, cause psychological discomfort to a person and lead to a lot of problems.
Children's fears and their causes
Children's fears most often have no real basis, they are far-fetched and exaggerated. The imagination of babies is so rich that even a simple thing can seem sinister to them. For example, the shadow of a toy may seem like a scary monster to a child.
In addition, children do not have enough information about our world, which can also give rise to some kind of fear. It is good if a child shares his fears with adults, asks for help and protection. Parents should try to explain to the baby the nature of the phenomena that frighten him, calm him down and give rise to a sense of security in the baby.
But in some cases, children's fears are caused by real events that made a huge impression on them. This can happen if, for example, a passer-by was hit by a car in front of a child, or a dog bit him. Such phobias can stay with a person for life, although they will weaken over time.
Fear of death
Some people practically do not think about the fact that they will not live forever, for others, the fear of dying becomes a real phobia. Fear of death is one of the strongest emotions, it is basic for a person. It is quite logical to be afraid to die, because everyone fears for their life, strives to preserve and extend it.
There are many reasons to be afraid of death. This andthe frightening uncertainty of what will happen after, and the inability to imagine one's non-existence, and the fear of pain and suffering before leaving for another world.
People who previously did not think about death, getting into situations that really threaten their lives, begin to experience real fear. This can happen, for example, if a person was almost hit by a car, or a plane miraculously avoided a crash. At such moments, everyone begins to appreciate their life and think about the fact that we are all not eternal.
Fear of failure in love
Many people, having been disappointed in a partner at least once, are afraid to build new relationships. For them, love is the fear that negative emotions and suffering will be repeated again. Now it is difficult for them to believe a person, open their heart to him and start trusting.
Fear of new failures in love makes people withdrawn, closed to communication and new acquaintances. Very often, it takes many years to overcome this feeling, and some never cope with their phobia throughout their lives.
In such situations, it is important to understand that there are very few people in the world who have never experienced a love failure. Having made a mistake once, you should not consider all men or all women the same. It is important to believe that you will definitely be able to find a person who will make you happy and help you forget previous troubles.
How to get rid of fears?
Fear is an emotion that overcomes every person from time to time. People are afraid of absolutely different things, thereforethere can be no single recipe for getting rid of our phobias.
First, you should try to understand what exactly causes your fear. Sometimes it is very difficult to do this, since the fear of certain things is hidden deep in our subconscious. Having found out the source of your phobia, you need to think about whether your fear is really a life in a constant nightmare and experiences, or, in principle, it does not cause you any particular inconvenience. As a rule, fear as a short-term emotion does not require much struggle, but if it begins to develop into a phobia, then you need to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Next, you need to understand yourself, analyze at what moments you start to be afraid the most. Try to minimize stressful situations in which you feel discomfort, anxiety and fear.
In dealing with your phobias, you need to learn to switch your attention to something positive and kind as soon as you feel that fear has begun to creep up on you. If you yourself cannot cope with the problem, do not hesitate to seek help from specialists.
