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Recommended: Fear and its effects
Just as easily as we can tap into our DNA to find out what diseases we are more susceptible to scientists can find out where and why our fears came about and maybe provide insight to why people have fears they can not explain. Fear is not just a feeling, it is a behavior passed down from generation to generation. Fear is something that has always been present in human beings. From the very day we are conceived to our birth we have and develop fears. Some of these fears include those of the unknown, the dark, animals, sounds. These are all examples of phobias that can not be explained in infants and small children. Scientists explain that in earlier times people had a better reason to be afraid of the dark due to the fact of today's advanced technology. Some people are afraid of animals (dogs and cats) in earlier times people lived in tribes that were not heavily protected, most were only surrounded by twigs and sharp branches, yet this did not always keep the predators out. In that age humans were the prey and warriors would give their lives to protect the only home the tribe people have. This fear of animals may also go along with the fear of the dark because when man lost natural light they had nothing to protect themselves with. The predators came out to feed at night, on animals or humans, it did not matter which as long as the animal could make a kill. With much research and experiment science may provide an answer to these draining questions.
Most of these are not learned fears, a person must be born with such feelings. This causes for scientific intervention and much question on the rest of the worlds part. Scientists suggest that memories are passed down from ancestors through genetic switches, sortve like how a child g...
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...ll of cherry blossom and virtually all of the pups showed a profound fear of the smell. This trait showed itself in the next generation and the next. This profound and interesting information provides the researchers with more information about why humans fears and can not explain.Through all of this the scientists and researchers have been provided with important information that can help them find the answers for the reason we as humans fear.
Works Cited
"The Family Tree Of Phobia." Medical Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
"Phobias May Be Memories Passed down in Genes from Ancestors." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 31 May 2001. Web. 28 May 20
"Scientists Prove That Fears and Memories Can Be Inherited via Sperm | ExtremeTech." ExtremeTech. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
People become scared in their own minds because of paranoia and their own imagination. For instance, say you’re home alone and don’t have any animals and you hear a noise--your first emotion is most likely fear. Although you didn’t go check what made the sound or why it was made, you get scared and stay in one area until someone gets home or you call someone, it’s human nature. We make ourselves scared when there (usually) isn’t anything to be scared about. On the other hand, we purposely make ourselves scared sometimes by going to haunted houses, watching thriller movies, reading scary books, or watching horror shows.
Human's fears should not be taken lightly. Fear could do anything to one's minds, though without fear, man can be as savage as animals. In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding presented fear of the unknown to be a powerful force in a man's mind. Fear of the unknown is a powerful force, which can turn to either insight or hysteria. The kids feared of not being rescued off of the island, so they made signal fires on top of the mountain. Then, there and gone, Roger's fear of the old rules he abided to. Also, there were the fears of the beast which confused and isolated the kids from the top of the mountain.
Fear has controlled the world and shaped humans into what they are now. New technologies have been created, because of the fear humans have. Over time new fears have evolved, and illnesses occurred due to anxiety and depression from these fears. The terror that runs through each individual is different. Without fear there would be no evolution or protection.
“When you say 'fear of the unknown', that is the definition of fear; fear is the unknown, fear is what you do not know, and it's genetically within us so that we feel safe. We feel scared of the woods because we're not familiar with it, and that keeps you safe.” – M. Night Shyamalan
...ear or phobia because they acquired them from their genes. Nurture also plays a part in developing fears. Children are usually taught to fear certain objects such as snakes and spiders. However, everyone is unique and the way through which humans acquire fears differs greatly.
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
In The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “…fear is simply the consequence of every lie.” Dostoevsky is stating how people are afraid of what will happen when their lie(s) is/are put out in the open. Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. This line suggests that people are afraid of the truth, which inevitably is the consequence of every lie. Even though this quote was written by a 19th century author it can still relate to texts that were made centuries prior. Both Sophocles and Shakespeare’s plays support Dostoevky because both plays deal with the act of lying and its consequences as a major motif.
The first area to explore is the history of Phobias. The word phobia was not used in medical literature until the late eighteenth century. Phobia comes from the Greek word phobos, which means "fear, terror, panic, and flight." In Greek mythology, Phobos was a Greek god who caused fear and panic in his enem...
Aristotle once said, “Men are swayed more by fear than by reverence.” It’s generally known that fear is quite a motivator in any given situation. This is apparent in many real life situations such as the Red Scare or the Salem Witch Trials of 1962. Arthur Miller was a playwright victimized by McCarthyism in the Second Red Scare who related his experience to the Salem Witch trials. He was oppressed because he had Communist sympathies. In the midst of this oppression, he looked into the Salem Witch Trials and saw similarities to the Red Scare. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows his belief that humanity is driven by fear and self-preservation, often resulting in people abandoning their morals.
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.
Classical conditioning refers to a type of learning in which a previously neutral stimuli took on the ability to stimulate a conditioned response in an individual (Gormezano & Moore, 1966). To prove that environment was more impactful than genetics, Watson conducted an experiment on an infant, little Albert. Initially, Albert showed little fear towards rats. When Watson repeatedly exposed Albert to the rat accompanied by a loud noise, the latter began to develop fear towards not just the rat but also other furry animals. Watson successfully showed that the acquisition of a phobia can be explained by classical conditioning (Watson & Watson, 1921). Regardless of their genes, the associations of the right stimuli can result in the development of a new behaviour in any individual.
In the words of Bertrand Russell, “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” (Russell). Fear causes many problems in our lives. Fear influences many of a person’s actions and decisions. However, people usually regret the decisions or actions they made out of fear. Also, these actions and decisions can cause problems for those people in their future. Fear is a harmful emotion, for it clouds people’s judgement, disables them from taking action, and causes them to make decisions that they will regret later.
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.’
Death it is something we all must face at one point in our lives or another. It is either a death of a loved one, friend or co-worker. Sometimes it’s the devastation from a natural disaster. No matter what makes us face the idea of death it is how we handle this realization that truly matters. When Gilgamesh is faced with the horrendous loss of his dear friend and comrade Enkidu he begins to fear death. In Gilgamesh’s youth he is proud without fear of death, it is not until he watches his friend die that his own mortality becomes a fear.
...Deepest fears may be blast from our evolutionary past. The Dallas Morning News. p. 7D.