preview

What Is Fear? By Harry Swan

Good Essays

What is Fear?
By Harry Swan

Introduction

Over the vast history of the human race, fear has protected us from possible threats. Whether it be rational or irrational, fear is always present and active in our minds. Over hundreds of years, many studies and tests have been performed to narrow down on the essence or meaning of fear, and today, we can be relatively certain of most aspects.
Within this document, the outline or our basic knowledge of fear will be clarified. To explain this, I will attempt to explain different areas of the topic separately. These areas of the subject will include: what fear is (in both a physical and psychological sense), how our brain reacts when we get scared, and why our brains are specifically wired around fear and fear responses. This information will provide a solid understanding of how fear works.

Different categories of fear

Basic Fears
Within our minds, fear, stress, and anxiety are built up of only 5 basic types of fear, each activated by different things:
1) Fear of death – Probably the most influential of the five, this form of fear is activated by an imminent or direct threat to our existence, such as heights or dangerous animals.
2) Fear of physical pain or anatomical destruction – This fear’s purpose is to stop us from losing the function or ability to use body parts such as our internal organs, arms, feet, or even our fingers.
3) Fear of losing control – Usually influenced by physical events or situations (but commonly social

Get Access