The Involvement Of Fear: William James And Charles Darwin

Fearful situations make the brain release chemicals like dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins. In Allegra Ringo’s “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?”, an interview with Dr. Margee Kerr, who earned her PhD in sociology at The University of Pittsburgh, and wrote Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, explaining the psychological process in

Fear is a common emotion that humans feel when something that they don’t understand occurs.

William James believes that our emotions are caused by bodily reactions in which then promotes the mental feeling of the emotion. For example, James says that we feel sad because we cry, rather than we crying because we feel said (65). Too, James states that we are not born to be afraid, sad or anything, but as life progresses, humans and animals eventually discover these feelings toward a particular situation or object (68). It also occurs that even if a person does not express their emotion externally, their body tends to act in a way regardless of how the person expresses their emotions externally. An example of this is what James says when an individual is depressed, “the flexors tend to prevail” (69). Of course, In William James’ time,

Albert’s baseline reactions to the stimuli were noted. He showed no fear when presented with a rat, a rabbit, a dog, a monkey, a mask with hair, or cotton wool. When Albert was 11 months old the experiments started.

After several combined events of the white rat and the loud noise, Watson and Rayner also tested if other furry animals such as a rabbit and a dog also elicited a fear response. They discovered that in fact, they did. Even a fur coat, cotton, and a Santa Claus mask caused “Little Albert” distress. This study revealed that if a child is conditioned to be afraid of an animal, this fear can shift to other animals without the distinct conditioning for each animal (Jones, 1960). This concept is known as generalization, which is the

Fear is an instinctive emotion which can be triggered by many different stimuli. Since every person feels fear as it is an evolutionary trait meant for preserving the survival of mankind, each person’s actions and reaction in the face of fear are different. Fear is a response to danger, and there is no right or wrong way to respond to danger. As long as the response to fear ensures survival, there is no right or wrong way to respond to it, as proven by Golding and Lamia. Understanding the role fear plays on humans can be extremely beneficial in understanding human nature. If our early primal ancestors did not feel the emotion of fear, it is hard to say whether or not our human race could have survived for as long as it has. Thus, understanding the role of fear in our lives is crucial to understanding human nature as a whole and the nature of our survival as a race for so long. After all, in the words of author Veronica Roth, “fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.” Roth’s words echo exactly what Golding and Lumia tells us about the place of fear in our lives through their works too, stating that fear is crucial to our

After all, being able to perceive danger in the facial expressions and body language of others is what has kept humans at the top of the food chain for centuries.

Almost all psychology students learn at some point that a Watson and Rayner tried to condition an infant (11 months) called “Albert B” to fear a white lab rat. They realized that the infants fear was transferred to other furry like objects like rabbits and dogs, and even a Santa Claus mask. (Fridlund, Alan J)

Another experiment by psychologist Robert Miller and his colleagues was designed to see if a monkey was able to interpret another monkey’s facial expression. The researchers trained rhesus monkeys to pull a lever to avoid getting shocked after a

Fear is something every single human being has at some point in their life. When you are in dangerous, threatening, or scary situations, fear is what your body will feel. It is the ability to identify danger and make a choice to either confront that fear or flee from the situation like for example, if you were to break a vase, you would hide from your parents. That choice is completely up to the victim, and depends on the person. Although fear is handled differently by every person, it is a common emotion that everyone feels. Some seek out to overcome their fears, and seek the feeling of adrenaline they get from overcoming. Others flee the situation and don't think twice about trying to overcome their fear. In worst case scenarios people freeze

This emotional response to all furry objects suggested that the number of transfers from a conditioned emotional response may be very large. This experiment, as a whole, showed that over time conditioned emotional responses persist for longer than a month. Although, the intensity of the fear response lessens over time. The researchers generalized that these emotional responses can modify personality throughout a person’s life.

Science of Fear Fear effects everyone, regardless of if you want it to or not. Whether it’s fueling the strength to protect yourself and run from a dangerous situation or making you react unnecessarily to something as safe as a balloon popping, the brain fires hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to make sure you are ready to face a situation. Reacting to a Stimulus In coming across something stressful, the brain sends the information from the senses to reach the thalamus where it is connected to both the reptilian brain (which still relies on animal-like instinct) and the advanced conscious brain (a far more developed section of the brain). The sensory information is processed in the cortex and labelled accordingly.

If a parent shows a fear of a person or situation their child may also pick up and internalize this same fear. This also happens with animals. I had a cat once who became afraid of people after she had a frightening encounter with a stranger. From that time on she ran and hid every time the doorbell rang or she heard a voice she was unfamiliar in the house.

Chapter 1 explains the work of a Harvard psychologist named William James. William published the article “What is an Emotion?” in a philosophical journal entitled Mind in 1884. His paper is an argument for the primacy and necessity of bodily systems in producing emotional feelings. James-Lange theory states that physiological arousal instigates the experience of emotion. A Harvard physiologist, Walter Cannon, roundly criticized James’ theory, claiming that, according to the Cannon Bard theory, physiological changes follow emotional expression.

According to my dictionary, Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. When the word "fear" comes to my mind, I think of an emotion that's caused by a bad situation. There are many things in this world that put fear in me. My greatest fears are computer viruses, thugs, sick people, and clowns. Each of these fears make me very scared and give me goosebumps.