essay on fear free learning

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

A Plus Topper

Improve your Grades

Fear Essay | Essay on Fear for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Fear Essay:  Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive emotion experienced by humans, usually triggered by an unpleasant perception of danger that is either real or imaginary—fear causes psychological and, ultimately, behavioral changes in people.

Human beings experience fear as a response to a specific stimulus that occurs either in the present or in expectation or anticipation of a future threat that might be a risk to themselves. Response to any kind of fear varies from person to person.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Fear for Students and Kids in English

We are providing students with samples of a long essay of 500 words on the topic Fear and a short essay of 150 words on the topic Fear for reference.

Long Essay on Fear 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Fear is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Fear, the quintessential human emotion, is an utterly unavoidable human emotion. The extent and range of fear from different things vary from person to person, but the emotion is the same. Fear is capable of causing psychological changes and, ultimately, behavioral changes in a person.

Humans experience fear as a response to a specific stimulus to a situation occurring in the present or an anticipated future threat that is a risk to oneself. The response to fear arises from the recognition of danger, leading to the confrontation of the situation or escaping the fear or avoiding the situation – also known as fight or flight response.

We all humans are programmed in a manner to recognize fear to avoid or reduce being harmed. Learning from the past about what can protect one in dangerous situations makes people capable of doing many things that one wouldn’t typically be able to or willing to respond to the threat.

Fear is broadly classified into two types, innate fears, and identity fears. Innate fears are the fears that every individual has on some level, and humans are born with these fears, which also serve as a kind of survival instinct. Humans develop identity fears as they evolve.

Apart from this, many people also fear love and connection. These fears are a subset of identity fears. As humans grow in their lives, they tend to grow connections with people, and these bonds become of great value to the person. Losing these bonds is one of the biggest fears of many.

Sometimes fear originates from real threats, but it can also originate from imagined danger – which makes fear experienced by people either rational or irrational. Rational fear is the fear of something that is real – occurring from something entirely possible or will occur. Fear of mortality is an example of a rational fear as we humans are immortal. However, irrational fears are necessarily implausible, but the fear arises from a real place in the psyche.

In some people, fear is also a response to mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, panic attacks, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Phobia is an irrational or extreme or aversion of something. An aspect of anxiety disorder can be the tendency to develop a fear of fear.

Many people confuse fear of phobias. Fears are typical responses to objects or events. Still, fear becomes a phobia when the fear interferes with functioning correctly and maintains a consistent quality of life. Fear in humans involves a biochemical response to the situation as well as a high individual emotional response.

Fear is an emotion experienced in the mind, but it triggers some strong physical reaction in one’s body. As soon as one’s body recognizes fear, the brain starts working, alerting the nervous system, which sets the body’s response to fear into motion. The human brain releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, increasing blood pressure, and adrenaline. One starts breathing faster, and blood flow in the body changes – blood flows away from the heart into the limbs.

Short Essay on Fear 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Fear is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experience by humans all over the world. Any fear arises with the threat of harm, physical, emotional, or psychological – from a real or imaginary situation.

Usually perceived as a negative emotion, fear can also be positive and healthy. Fear serves as a survival instinct helping humans in recognizing situations that can be harmful or dangerous.

Fear makes one foggy and makes it impossible to think clearly or make the correct decision. However, some people enjoy fear and gain pleasure due to the adrenaline rush experienced in some situations.

Fear will hold one back from achieving victories and significant accomplishments. Everything that one does in life will strike a little bit of fear in their hearts; however, overcoming the fear and giving one’s best is the most satisfying feeling. Don’t let your fears stop you from fulfilling your dreams.

10 Lines on Fear Essay in English

1. Researches have shown that humans can smell others’ fear and react to each other’s scents. 2. One can inherit fear from their parents or grandparents just like any other genetic trait. 3. We humans aren’t born with most of the fears; fear is often learned from knowledge and experience. 4. Fear is the opposite of love as the brain releases chemical oxytocin when in love, which helps overcome learned fears. 5. Sleep offers a unique state in which selected fears can be eliminated. 6. One big scary event in one’s life is not what causes fear; instead, it is a mixture of environment and genetics. 7. Fear can become extinct by associating non-fearful memories with the event. 8. Stress hormones released by humans helps in enhancing the extinction of fear. 9. Some people associate fears with pleasure – the thrill of the experience doesn’t end with the process’s end. 10. Fear can make one foggy making it difficult to make the right decision or think clearly.

FAQ’s on Fear Essay

Question 1.  Why do we experience fear?

Answer: Fear is an unavoidable feeling that is experienced by all. Fear is programmed into humans’ nervous system, and it works like a response to the perception of danger.

Question 2. Is it necessary to experience fear?

Answer: Fear helps in protecting us. Humans are equipped with survival and instinct, which is a response to the sense of danger or an unsafe feeling.

Question 3.  How can fear be avoided?

Answer: Talking about your fear, imagining the worst that could happen, distracting oneself with happy thoughts, and clearing out the mind by taking time in understanding what is causing the fear and anxiety.

Question 4. What are a few most common fears of humans?

Answer: Fear of height, fear of the dark, fear of closed spaces, fear of insects, fear of blood, fear of the violent weather, fear of dying are a few most common types of fear experienced by people.

• Picture Dictionary
• English Speech
• English Slogans
• English Letter Writing
• English Essay Writing
• English Textbook Answers
• Types of Certificates
• ICSE Solutions
• Selina ICSE Solutions
• ML Aggarwal Solutions
• HSSLive Plus One
• HSSLive Plus Two
• Kerala SSLC
• Distance Education

How effective is fear as a teaching tool? How and what do we learn when we are scared?

Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education and Community, University of Canberra

Disclosure statement

Deborah Pino Pasternak has previously received funding from The Australian Research Council.

University of Canberra provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

View all partners

Many of us remember vividly being yelled at or feeling threatened by a family member, a teacher, or a boss.

Terrifying experiences often get imprinted in our memory; remembering frightening events is essential to avoid them in future. It is a normal reaction that promotes our survival .

This strong connection between fear and memory may lead us to think fear can be an effective learning tool. Research shows, however, fear can have long-term negative consequences for children and adults alike – and can actually make it harder to learn in meaningful ways.

Here’s what the research says about how and what we learn when we are scared.

Read more: Stand back and avoid saying 'be careful!': how to help your child take risks at the park

How fear affects children’s learning

Fear is designed to protect us from current and future danger .

If children are faced with experiences that trigger fear, they learn to avoid new experiences – as opposed to exploring, engaging, and approaching the unknown with curiosity.

Consistent exposure to fear changes how the brain reacts to the outside world. Fear triggers a stress response in the brain and puts it in a state of alert; we become hyper ready to react swiftly and decisively to incoming threats.

This may be appropriate if, for example, you are confronted by an aggressive stranger. But such high levels of reactivity are not productive in learning environments like school, where we are asked to be open to new experiences and create innovative solutions.

In fact, the areas of the brain activated when we’re scared are different to those we use when thinking carefully how to address a tricky problem . Research has shown the more primitive parts of the brain take over the activity of the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s “control centre”, when we’re in a state of fear.

This means planning, making sound decisions and using our existing knowledge becomes very difficult if we feel threatened or afraid.

Children learn fear from the adults in their lives

Adults play a critical role in the healthy development of fear responses by modelling reactions to unknown situations. They also provide (or fail to provide) safe environments that promote children’s exploration.

Fear can be easily learned from significant adults. Studies have shown both toddlers and school-aged children learn to avoid new experiences if their parents communicate or show signs of fear in reference to them.

Think, for instance, about how a child can learn to fear animals by seeing how their parents react to them. Or, for example, the way constant warnings to “ be careful! ” may end up making a child too anxious to climb trees or take risks as they use play equipment.

Adult behaviours also affect the degree to which children feel safe to be themselves and explore the world with confidence.

Studies investigating the behaviours of parents have consistently shown harsh parenting (involving physical and verbal aggression) is related to poorer outcomes in children including academic underachievement, higher levels of aggression and anxiety and poor peer relationships.

The opposite is the case for parents who, while providing structure and reasons for boundaries, are warm and encourage autonomy.

Teachers also play a pivotal role in the development of fear responses. Students are more likely to be motivated and function well in classrooms if teachers are “ autonomy-supportive ”.

This means teachers:

have a curious and open attitude towards students’ interests

seek their perspective and offer choices

invite their thoughts, and

accept a range of emotions (from frustration, anger and reticence to playfulness, joy and curiosity).

How fear affects learning in adult life

Many people who experience anxiety in adulthood have been exposed in their childhood to environments where they have felt consistently threatened .

These adults may end up avoiding taking on new tasks, considering multiple viewpoints, and responding to questions. These are all skills employers usually value.

Work environments that induce fear can also be counterproductive and stressful.

Research suggests when employees perceive their work environments as unsafe, they are more likely to experience burnout, anxiety and stress . Stressful situations can also interfere with our ability to apply what we know flexibly to new situations .

On the flip side, researchers argue that a trusting relationship between employees and their managers can affect workers’ willingness to show vulnerability and take on tasks that involve uncertainty .

Researchers have also found positive relationships at work can encourage to creativity in the workplace , which makes work more interesting and enjoyable.

So, what do we learn when we are scared?

Yes, we learn from fear. The question is: what do we learn?

In response to threats and hostility, we learn to avoid challenge and comply with external rules (instead of wondering how systems can be improved). We protect our feelings and restrict our thoughts to what is safe.

Is this the kind of learning that allows us to grow and develop?

More than ever, children and adults are required to collaborate in creative ways to address difficult problems.

This means dealing with uncertainty and accepting that sometimes we make mistakes or fail.

That requires safe and nurturing environments – not home, school or work settings that are ruled by fear.

• Early childhood
• Fight-or-flight response
• Fight or flight
• Verbal abuse
• early childhood trauma
• Toxic workplace
• Workplace abuse

Manager, Centre Policy and Translation

Finance Business Partner - FBE/MLS/EDUCN

Newsletter and Deputy Social Media Producer

College Director and Principal | Curtin College

Head of School: Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences

Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Effects of fear

How to overcome fear.

Webster’s dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger” or “anxious concern” Fear is a feeling that causes agitation and anxiety mostly caused by presence or imminence of danger. It is a state or condition marked by feeling of agitation or anxiety. It can also be described as a feeling of disquiet. Fear is an abstract concept and may have different meanings. Holder (2007) adds that fear is more pervasive when there is lack of faith that we have greater significance in the universe than what we own or how others perceive us.

Fear is manifested in many ways in human beings. It may manifest as showing signs of withdrawing or by cowering. But the most profound manifestation of fear is anger and hatred. People acts out their insecurity as anger which shows that they are the most fearful people.

Effects of fear have been documented in many studies. Fear has been documented to case mind paralyses, heart attacks and closure of fallopian tube due to fear of pain during child birth (Jim Rohn, 2004), describes fear, indifference, indecision, doubt, worry and timidness as the five greatest enemies within us which can destroy our lives completely. Fear may manifest itself in physical short term effects or affect your whole life. It will affect both he physiology of the body and the brain. Fear generates stress which manifests itself physically in many signs physically and emotionally. It causes judgmental errors and affects our reasoning that most of time when we are in a fearful situation; we tend to take the wrong action.

According to Sidney B., (1988), fear is a great paralyzer. It will keep you from making positive changes in your life and thus retard your recovery from depression. He continues to argue that fear persuades you to set easier goals and do less than your capability. It will also cause internal defense system fooling you that you have good reasons not to change. Fear of failure reduces the available alternatives you can pursue because you cannot stand by the outcome of what you do. You always feel that you cannot succeed in anything you try. It will keep you away from seeking help because you don’t want others to see you as a failure. Fear has been identified by psychologist as what causes people to give up when they are one step short to their goal. It will keep you stuck or make you develop unhealthy habits and behavior problems. Most of all fear keeps many people from taking risks.

Rim Rohn, (2004), argues that we are not born with courage, neither are we born with fear. He argues that some of our fears are brought on by our own experiences by what someone has told us or what we read in papers and books. Sri Swami Sivananda, (2007), describes fear as an illusion that cannot live. He suggests that to overcome fear we should always feel the presence of a Supreme Being watching us, by meditating and developing positive thoughts all the time. We should devote ourselves to eradicating fear. Since we have seen that fear is developed within our minds, it can also be eradicated within our mind and hence it is just a matter of reconditioning our minds that will help us overcome fear. It is also suggesting that we should share with others our fears. In this way they will help us find solutions to the cause of fears. President Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but the fear itself” hence fearing fear starts and ends with us.

Holder P. (2007): FEAR… YOUR WORST ENEMY . Web.

Rohn, J., (2004). Build courage to face the enemies within. Web.

Sidney S., (1998). Getting Unstuck: Breaking through Your Barriers to Change . Web.

Sri Sivanand, S. (2007). The Divine Life Society: How to overcome fear. Web.

• "Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson Review
• Perspective on the Dealing Techniques in Psychology
• Management of Police Department
• Webster Company: Performance Appraisal System
• Governance Competence Exhibited by Sidney Waters
• Personality Theory of Abraham Maslow Critique
• Postmodern Psychology and Counseling
• Philosophy: The Most Ancient Discipline of Knowledge
• Ethical Dilemma in the Psychologists Career
• Martin Seligman's "Flourish" and Modern Psychology
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, September 3). Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fear-definition-effects-and-overcoming/

"Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming." IvyPanda , 3 Sept. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/fear-definition-effects-and-overcoming/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming'. 3 September.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming." September 3, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fear-definition-effects-and-overcoming/.

1. IvyPanda . "Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming." September 3, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fear-definition-effects-and-overcoming/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming." September 3, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fear-definition-effects-and-overcoming/.

Essay on Fear

Introduction to Fear

Fear, a primal emotion ingrained in the human psyche, is a protective instinct and a formidable adversary. Defined as the emotional response to perceived threats, fear has evolved as a crucial survival mechanism throughout human history. Take, for instance, the fear of heights—a phobia known as acrophobia. When confronted with a precipice, individuals experiencing acrophobia may exhibit intense anxiety and physical symptoms, highlighting the intricate interplay between the mind and body in response to fear. This introduction sets the stage for exploring fear’s multifaceted nature, delving into its neurological underpinnings, cultural influences, and paradoxical role in our lives.

Evolutionary Purpose of Fear

Fear has been essential to our species ‘ survival, a necessary emotion with a long evolutionary history in humans. Its primary purpose is to prepare the body and mind to respond to potential environmental threats or dangers. Several key aspects help in understanding the evolutionary significance of fear:

Watch our Demo Courses and Videos

Valuation, Hadoop, Excel, Mobile Apps, Web Development & many more.

• Adaptive Response to Danger: Fear triggers the “fight-or-flight” response, a physiological reaction to prepare the individual to confront or escape a perceived threat. This heightened state of arousal enhances physical abilities, such as increased heart rate, alertness, and a surge in adrenaline, enabling a rapid and effective response to danger.
• Survival Advantage: Early humans faced numerous environmental threats, ranging from predatory animals to hostile tribes. Fear acted as a survival mechanism, encouraging people to steer clear of or address any threats, which improved their odds of surviving and procreating.
• Memory Formation and Learning: Fearful experiences leave a lasting impact on memory formation. The brain prioritizes storing fear-related information, facilitating learning from past encounters. This adaptive mechanism allows individuals to recognize and respond more efficiently to similar threats in the future.
• Social Cohesion and Communication: Fear is a vital component of social dynamics and is not only an individual sensation. In group settings, shared fears can strengthen social bonds and cooperation. Communicating fear signals within a community helps alert others to potential dangers, fostering collective protection and group survival.
• Selective Pressures and Evolutionary Fitness: Individuals with a well-developed fear response were likelier to avoid life-threatening situations, contributing to their longevity and reproductive success. Over generations, the prevalence of genes associated with an effective fear response increased, reinforcing this adaptive trait within the human population .

Role of Fear in Human Survival

The role of fear in human survival is multifaceted, deeply ingrained in our evolutionary history, and integral to the intricate interplay between the mind and body. Several key aspects highlight the significance of fear in ensuring the survival of the human species:

• Early Warning System: Fear is a susceptible early warning system alerting individuals to potential environmental threats. This acute awareness enables rapid responses to dangers, contributing to avoiding harm and preserving life.
• Activation of the Fight-or-Flight Response: Fear sets off the widely recognized “fight-or-flight” response. This physiological reaction primes the body to either confront or escape perceived threats. Increased heart rate, heightened alertness, and the release of adrenaline are adaptive responses that enhance physical capabilities, ensuring a quick and efficient reaction to danger.
• Avoidance of Harmful Situations: Fear motivates individuals to avoid situations threatening their safety. This avoidance behavior is crucial in preventing injuries, reducing exposure to potential predators, and minimizing the likelihood of encountering harmful environmental elements.
• Learned Responses and Adaptation: Fear facilitates learning from experience. Traumatic or fear-inducing events impact memory, allowing individuals to adapt and modify their behavior based on past encounters. This learning capacity enhances the ability to navigate the environment more safely over time.
• Survival of the Fittest: The ones who were better able to sense fear and react to dangers were more likely to live and pass on their genes to the next generation. This natural selection process has led to the prevalence of fear-related traits, ensuring the transmission of adaptive behaviors that enhance survival.
• Social Dynamics and Cooperation: Fear is not limited to individual experiences; it also plays a crucial role in social groups. Shared fears can foster cooperation and collective protection within communities. The ability to communicate fear signals aids in forming cohesive social units, increasing the overall survival chances of the group.
• Stress Response and Immune Function: While chronic fear can have negative health implications, acute fear responses can temporarily boost the immune system. This heightened state of alertness prepares the body to respond to physical threats and potential sources of infection, contributing to overall health and well-being.

Neurobiology of Fear

The neurobiology of fear involves a complex interplay of neural circuits, neurotransmitters, and hormonal responses that collectively shape the intricate emotional and physiological reactions associated with fear. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying fear is crucial for unraveling the mysteries of this primal emotion. The key components of the neurobiology of fear include:

• Amygdala: The amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure deep within the brain, primarily controls fear processing. It is essential for processing sensory information from the surroundings and evaluating its emotional significance. The amygdala is mainly involved in the rapid detection of potential threats and the initiation of fear responses.
• Hippocampus: The hippocampus, another important brain structure, forms and stores memories. In the context of fear, the hippocampus plays a role in encoding and retrieving fear-related memories. This interaction between the amygdala and the hippocampus contributes to the learned aspect of fear responses.
• Hypothalamus: An essential regulator of the endocrine and autonomic nerve systems is the hypothalamus. In response to fear, the hypothalamus activates the “fight-or-flight” response by signaling the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. This prepares the body for immediate action in the face of danger.
• Prefrontal Cortex: The medial prefrontal cortex controls emotional reactions and decision-making. It plays a crucial role in modulating fear by exerting inhibitory control over the amygdala. Dysregulation in this process implicates anxiety disorders.
• Neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitters, such as glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are pivotal in transmitting signals associated with fear within neural circuits. Anxiety disorders may arise as a result of these neurotransmitter imbalances.
• Endocannabinoid System: The endocannabinoid system, which includes receptors in the brain and throughout the body, also influences fear responses. The modulation of this system has implicated the regulation of emotional processes, including fear and anxiety.
• Neuroplasticity: Fear learning is a clear example of the brain’s neuroplasticity—the capacity to change and rearrange. Changes in synaptic strength and connectivity within neural circuits contribute to forming and consolidating fear memories.

Types of Fear

Fear manifests in various forms, reflecting the diverse range of situations and stimuli that can evoke this powerful emotion. Understanding the different types of fear is crucial for comprehending the complexity of human emotional experiences. Here are two broad categories of fear:

• Rational Fear:

Rational fears are responses to real and tangible threats or dangers. These fears have a basis in reality and are often adaptive, serving as a protective mechanism. Common examples include:

• Fear of Physical Harm: The fear of injury or death in the face of immediate danger, such as a car accident or a physical assault.
• Fear of Animals: A natural fear response to potentially harmful animals, such as snakes, spiders, or aggressive mammals.
• Fear of Heights (Acrophobia): A rational fear of falling from elevated places, often related to the potential for injury.
• Irrational Fear:

Irrational fears, also known as phobias or anxiety disorders, involve an intense and persistent fear of situations, objects, or activities that do not pose a realistic threat. These fears are disproportionate to the actual level of danger and can significantly impact daily life. Examples include:

• Phobias: Specific phobias involve an excessive fear of a particular object or situation, such as fear of flying (aviophobia), fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), or fear of public speaking (glossophobia).
• Social Anxiety Disorder: A widespread fear of social circumstances and interactions causes people to avoid social gatherings and the risk of scrutiny.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Persistent and excessive anxiety and fear about numerous parts of life, typically without a specific trigger.

Cultural and Social Influences on Fear

Cultural and social influences significantly shape perceptions, expressions, and management of fear within societies. How individuals experience and respond to fear is often influenced by cultural norms, societal expectations, and shared narratives. Here are key aspects of how culture and social factors impact fear:

• Cultural Taboos and Beliefs: Cultural norms and taboos contribute to forming specific fears within a community. Cultural considerations may deem certain actions, behaviors, or objects as taboo, fostering a shared fear or aversion toward them. Violating these cultural norms may evoke fear of social consequences or supernatural repercussions.
• Media and Fear Perception: Mass media, including news, films, and social media, can shape collective perceptions of fear. Sensationalized or fear-inducing media coverage can amplify anxieties, influencing public opinion and individual fears. The portrayal of specific events or groups can contribute to the amplification of societal fears.
• Cultural Phobias and Folklore: Cultural phobias may emerge based on shared stories, folklore, or historical events. Cultural narratives, myths, and legends can contribute to developing specific fears ingrained in the collective consciousness. For example, superstitions or tales of supernatural entities may elicit fear within a cultural context.
• Collective Trauma: Societal experiences of collective trauma, such as wars, natural disasters, or epidemics, can have a profound impact on the collective psyche. Fear stemming from these events may persist across generations, influencing cultural attitudes, behaviors, and responses to similar threats.
• Socialization and Peer Influence: Socialization within a cultural context involves learning societal norms and values. Peer influence and social expectations contribute to the adoption of shared fears. Individuals may conform to cultural expectations, adopting fears prevalent within their social circles.
• Religious and Spiritual Influences: Religious beliefs and spiritual practices can shape perceptions of fear by providing frameworks for understanding and coping with existential anxieties. Cultural and religious teachings may influence fear of divine punishment, the afterlife, or spiritual entities.
• Cultural Differences in Expressing Fear: Cultural variations exist in how individuals express and manage fear. Some cultures may encourage the open expression of fear, while others may emphasize stoicism or avoidance of outward displays of vulnerability.
• Social Stigma and Fear of Judgement: Social norms regarding mental health and emotional expression can influence how individuals cope with and express fear. Fear of social judgment or stigma may impact one’s willingness to seek help for fear-related issues.

Overcoming Fear

Overcoming fear is a challenging but essential aspect of personal growth and well-being. Individuals can employ various strategies to confront and manage their fears, whether rooted in rational concerns or irrational anxieties. Here are some approaches to overcoming fear:

• Cognitive Restructuring: Challenge and reframe negative thought patterns associated with fear. Determine whatever beliefs are irrational, then replace them with more sensible and positive thoughts. Cognitive restructuring helps change the way individuals interpret and respond to fear-inducing situations.
• Exposure Therapy: People can become less sensitive to their anxieties by gradually and methodically being exposed to fearful stimuli or events in safe environments. This evidence-based therapeutic approach helps individuals confront and overcome their anxieties through repeated exposure.
• Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Deep breathing exercises and other mindfulness techniques can assist people in controlling the emotional and physiological components of fear. Cultivating mindfulness allows individuals to stay present and reduce the intensity of fear responses.
• Educational Approaches: Knowledge and understanding can demystify fears. Learning more about the object or situation causing fear, its actual risks, and coping strategies can empower individuals to face their fears with greater control.
• Therapeutic Interventions: Seeking professional help from therapists or counselors can provide valuable support in overcoming fear. Therapeutic approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) offer tangible solutions to dealing with fear-related problems.
• Gradual Desensitization: Incremental exposure to the source of fear in small, manageable steps can help build tolerance and resilience. Gradual desensitization involves progressively increasing the intensity or proximity of the fear-inducing stimulus over time.
• Social Support: Sharing fears with friends, family, or support groups can provide emotional reassurance and practical assistance. Social support fosters a sense of connectedness and can be a powerful motivator in overcoming fears.
• Goal Setting and Positive Reinforcement: Establishing achievable goals for overcoming fears provides a structured approach to progress. Building confidence and reinforcing excellent behaviors are achieved by celebrating tiny triumphs.
• Visualization and Imagery Techniques: Visualization involves mentally rehearsing successful encounters with feared situations. Positive imagery can help individuals create a mental framework for managing fear and boosting self-efficacy.
• Self-Compassion Practices: Being nice and understanding to oneself is a necessary part of developing self-compassion. Recognizing that fear is a universal human experience and approaching oneself with compassion can alleviate the emotional burden associated with fear.
• Physical Exercise: Frequent exercise has been demonstrated to reduce anxiety and elevate mood. Endorphins are naturally occurring mood enhancers and stress relievers released during exercise.

Confronting Fear in Society

Confronting fear in society involves addressing collective anxieties, dispelling misconceptions, and fostering resilience on both individual and communal levels. Tackling societal fears requires a multifaceted approach incorporating education, empathy, and proactive measures. Here are key strategies for confronting fear in society:

• Education and Awareness Campaigns: Develop targeted educational programs to disseminate accurate information about issues that generate fear. Providing factual knowledge helps dispel misconceptions and empowers individuals to make informed decisions.
• Media Literacy Programs: Promote media literacy initiatives to enhance the public’s critical thinking skills. Educate individuals on how media framing, sensationalism, and biases can contribute to the amplification of fears. Encourage a discerning approach to media consumption.
• Community Dialogue and Engagement: Foster open and constructive conversations within communities. Establish forums for dialogue where individuals can express their fears, share perspectives, and collaboratively work towards understanding and resolution.
• Mental Health Awareness and Support: Destigmatize mental health issues and encourage open discussions about fear, anxiety, and related concerns. Encourage providing support services and resources for mental health in local areas.
• Crisis Preparedness and Communication: Develop clear communication strategies for addressing potential crises or emergencies. Transparent and timely communication helps mitigate unnecessary fear and panic, fostering a sense of trust and confidence in authorities.
• Cultural Competence and Inclusion: Encourage cultural competence and inclusivity to address fears rooted in cultural differences. Encourage empathy and understanding of other points of view to create a more unified and compassionate society.
• Legislation and Policy Initiatives: Implement policies that address the root causes of societal fears and ensure the protection of vulnerable populations. Legislation can provide a framework for promoting safety, equality, and justice.
• Community Resilience Programs: Create community resilience initiatives that provide people with the tools and resources to overcome obstacles and adjust to changing circumstances. Building resilience helps communities withstand and recover from adverse events.
• Leadership and Role Modeling: Leaders, whether in government, community organizations, or influential positions, play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions. Responsible and empathetic leadership can set positive examples and contribute to a sense of security within society.
• Arts & Culture as a Medium of Expression: Utilize arts and culture to express and explore societal fears. Literature, film, and visual arts can provide a platform for dialogue, reflection, and processing of collective anxieties.
• Public Health Initiatives: Implement public health campaigns that address health-related fears, providing accurate information about diseases, prevention measures, and vaccination. Public health initiatives can contribute to a more informed and proactive society.
• Empowerment through Knowledge and Skills: Empower individuals by providing them with the knowledge and skills to address potential threats. Training programs, workshops, and community initiatives can enhance individuals’ sense of agency in the face of fear.

Fear in the Modern World

Fear in the modern world is a complex and pervasive phenomenon influenced by many factors, including technological advancements, globalization , and rapid change. In today’s society, various sources contribute to the experience of fear, shaping individuals’ perceptions and responses to the world around them. Here are key aspects of fear in the modern world:

• Information Overload and Media Influence: Anxiety levels may rise due to the continual onslaught of information from various media platforms, social media, and news sources. Sensationalized reporting and the rapid spread of information, whether accurate or not, can amplify anxieties and contribute to fear-driven narratives.
• Global Threats and Uncertainties: Modern society faces global challenges like pandemics, climate change, and geopolitical tensions. The interconnected nature of the world can make these threats seem more immediate and widespread, contributing to a sense of collective fear and uncertainty.
• Technological Advances and Ethical Concerns: The rapid development of technology, including artificial intelligence , biotechnology, and surveillance systems, raises ethical concerns and fears about the potential consequences of unchecked innovation. Privacy issues, job displacement, and the misuse of technology contribute to societal unease.
• Social Comparison and Identity Fears: Social media sites can encourage a culture of comparison, which can give rise to anxieties about one’s accomplishments, appearance, and social standing. The curated nature of online personas can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and fear of social judgment.
• Cybersecurity Threats: The increasing reliance on digital technologies exposes individuals and organizations to cybersecurity threats. Fear of identity theft, cyberattacks , and data breaches can impact individuals’ trust in online systems and their sense of personal security.
• Economic Instability and Job Insecurity: Economic uncertainties, including job insecurity and financial instability, contribute to fears about the future. Rapid technological advancements and globalization can lead to concerns about job displacement and the changing nature of work.
• Environmental Concerns: Climate change and environmental degradation evoke fears about the planet’s future. The potential impact of extreme weather events, natural disasters, and the loss of biodiversity contributes to eco-anxiety and fear for the well-being of future generations.
• Political Polarization and Social Division: Political and social divisions within societies can foster fear of “the other” and contribute to a climate of hostility and distrust. Fear of political instability, social unrest, and the erosion of democratic values can be prevalent in polarized environments.
• Health-Related Fears: Emerging infectious diseases, public health crises, and spreading misinformation about vaccines contribute to health-related fears. The global nature of these threats can amplify concerns about personal and community well-being.
• Existential Concerns and the Human Condition: Modernity has brought about existential concerns related to the purpose of life, the meaning of existence, and the impact of individual actions on a global scale. These existential fears can contribute to a sense of vulnerability and anxiety.

Fear, with its dual nature as a protective instinct and a potential hindrance, is an intricate facet of the human experience. While essential for survival, unchecked fears can stifle personal growth and limit opportunities. Understanding the paradox of fear requires a delicate balance—acknowledging its adaptive role while actively addressing irrational anxieties. Confronting and overcoming fear through education, mindfulness, and social support empowers individuals to navigate life’s challenges more resiliently. Accepting fear as a driving force for change promotes a better awareness of oneself and the outside world, eventually leading to a more meaningful and purposeful life.

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

Valuation, Hadoop, Excel, Web Development & many more.

Forgot Password?

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Explore 1000+ varieties of Mock tests View more

Submit Next Question

🚀 Limited Time Offer! - 🎁 ENROLL NOW

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Life

Essay Samples on Fear

Is fear always a harmful emotion: the complex nature of fear.

Is fear always a harmful emotion? Fear is a primal human emotion that has evolved to protect us from danger. While fear is often associated with negative outcomes, it is essential to recognize that fear serves an important purpose in our lives. In this essay,...

The Pervasive and Paralyzing Power of Fear in The Crucible

Introduction In Arthur Miller's seminal play "The Crucible," fear operates as a lethal and pervasive force that drives the action and defines the lives of key characters. Set against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials, the play is not merely a recounting of historical...

• The Crucible

Overcoming the Fear Of Failure and Reaching Goals

Fear of failure is when we let that fear to stop us from achieving our goals and objectives, but is very important to learn how to overcome it. This kind of fear is most of the time irrational and continuous. People should find a way...

• Fear of Failure

Coping With Loss: Kubler-Ross And Mitford'S Articles

The moral of Jessica Mitford's article, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”, is to expose the process of what occurs have someone dies. She also exposes all of the procedures that undergo the deceased body in order to be displayed at the funeral. In comparison to Ross’s...

• On The Fear of Death

Attitudes Towards Death In Mitford'S And Kubler-Ross'S Articles

Death is inevitable and unexplainable which is why people fear death. Nobody wants to die leaving behind all the memories of family and friends behind. “Behind the formaldehyde curtains” by Mitford and “On the fear of death” by Ross both share the same view on...

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

The Variation of Horror Genre and Its Examples

When I was a kid, I used to hate horror films, as the matter of fact, I refuse to watch them as I didn’t fathom why would anyone purposely scare themselves. For many people, horror movies are a horrendous experience. They hate to see graphic...

The Debate About the Horror Genre as Appropriate to Children

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Everyone remembers the iconic 1980s movie Beetlejuice. This classic horror movie has been enjoyed by many kids and adults for years now. Beetlejuice is not the only iconic horror movie that is enjoyed by all age ranges. Gremlins another class favorite is...

Edgar Allan Poe's Horror Works: The Pit and The Pendulum

Edgar Allan Poe is an expert when it comes to writing horror. He holds over 60 short stories to his name. Poe has a very distinct style of writing. Because of his uniqueness, his stories share many attributes. Poe is obsessed with the macabre and...

• The Pit and The Pendulum

Conquering Personal Fear of Roller Coaster

As I sit at the front seat of the roller coaster train, fear and anxiety infiltrate my mind. The red color of the train makes me think of the rushing blood in my body. The tension in my mind causes me to think that I...

• Roller Coaster

The Atomic Age Feasted On Fear

The unknown outcome of the Atomic Age plagued American society with fear. The public was influenced by the use of what some may call propaganda and tales of doom. Sources such as Duck and Cover by the Office of Civil Defence, Atomic War! by Ace...

• Nuclear War

Reality of Fighting With Fear In 'A Separate Peace'

Everyone experiences the reality of internal and external conflicts at one time or another (and often create their own psychological enemies). Internal conflicts refer to one’s inner struggles, feelings like doubt, guilt or shame become the source of someone’s actions. Whereas external conflicts are created...

• A Separate Peace

Fear Conditioning Under Social Stress

Introduction In the study of psychology, research has always looked at emotions and the role they play in everyday behaviour as well as in pathological behaviour. Several studies have shown that emotionally charged stimuli attract human attention quicker and have an advantage in information processing....

What Is Courage And Why Need It In Our Life

The ability to do something that frightens you, having strength while facing grief or pain, and the ability to act on your beliefs despite danger or disapproval are all definitions of courage. Courage is something that isn't always easy to have, but those who are...

Struggle of Persistance and Overcoming the Fear of Religious Faith

Faith can be influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, the religions we grew up with, particular things we believe in, and all of them define us based on the degree of our confidence in faith. Founded on all these fragments of our life...

Dealing with the Fear of Failure

If failure does not lead to a new product, process, or discovery, it should lead to some type of learning. Leaders with developed character regarding failure have the poise to accept it without condemning themselves. Like a good football coach looking at the game films...

An Account of Fear of Failure: Fear of Driving 

As a young teen, one of our greatest moments growing up is learning how to drive. Driving is a rite of passage that signifies freedom through the ability of being able to maneuver a vehicle and get from one point to another. Learning to drive...

The Value of Failure and Challenging the Fear of It

Failure is like a puzzle, you cannot see the bigger and beautiful picture until every piece is put in place. Puzzles are time-consuming and often leave one in a state of tedium as to where they believe their task of completing the puzzle cannot be...

Understanding and Breaking Down the Fear of Public Speaking

Communicating your ideas publicly is an essential part of many aspects of life. Weather your doing a school presentation, or presenting your ideas to your fellow co-workers, public speaking is an important aspect that many people are afraid of. Public speaking can lead to many...

• Communication Skills
• Public Speaking

You Should Define Your Fears Instead Of Your Goals

What we most fear doing, asking, saying are very often exactly what we most need to do. How can we overcome self-paralysis and take action? We all know goal setting exercise. What about Fear setting exercise? What should we define our FEAR or our GOALS?...

The Path to Success: How Failure Is A Blessing In Disguise

Failure, a single word that strikes fear into the hearts of many. We all know failure as not being able to achieve that one thing you’ve been dreaming of for so many years. Failure, reaching for success but falling hard, hitting the ground hard, having...

My Relationship with Water: a Journey of Triumph Over Aquaphobia

Since I was a little girl I’d been afraid of the ocean, hair prickling all over my body, afraid. I could feel the sensation of my heart palpitating. I stood paralyzed, traumatized for life as the dolphin passed by the small circled window to greet...

Public Speaking as My Biggest Fear

As a student one of my biggest fears is public speaking. Fear in public speaking or glosopobia is frequently but incorrectly cited as a people's biggest fear, and it is very common in students like us,it happens when reporting,roleplaying, and reciting. This is not just...

• Personal Life

You Should Never Let Fear Overcome You

The story starts with a picture that was taken in a classroom with three of my friends in my high school during our Christmas program. It was taken to memorialize the first time that we, as performers, attended the school’s program by performing a Christian...

The Need For Investigation Of The Fear Relation To Anxiety Disorders

Fear has been characterized as separate from Anxiety. Fear is “a basic emotion that is an adaptive response to threat marked by quick, automatic onset, brief duration, and sympathetic arousal” whereas Anxiety is a “future-focused cognitive association that connects basic emotions (such as fear) to...

• Anxiety Disorder

A Prerequisite to Growth: Why People Fear Change

Different situations have different effect on us. Changes are the reason for thrill in our lives, but many people fear CHANGE. No matter how small a change is, sometimes it is hard for people to accept. Change in a relation due to distance can be...

Best topics on Fear

1. Is Fear Always a Harmful Emotion: The Complex Nature of Fear

2. The Pervasive and Paralyzing Power of Fear in The Crucible

3. Overcoming the Fear Of Failure and Reaching Goals

4. Coping With Loss: Kubler-Ross And Mitford’S Articles

5. Attitudes Towards Death In Mitford’S And Kubler-Ross’S Articles

6. The Variation of Horror Genre and Its Examples

7. The Debate About the Horror Genre as Appropriate to Children

8. Edgar Allan Poe’s Horror Works: The Pit and The Pendulum

9. Conquering Personal Fear of Roller Coaster

10. The Atomic Age Feasted On Fear

11. Reality of Fighting With Fear In ‘A Separate Peace’

12. Fear Conditioning Under Social Stress

13. What Is Courage And Why Need It In Our Life

14. Struggle of Persistance and Overcoming the Fear of Religious Faith

15. Dealing with the Fear of Failure

• Perseverance
• Personal Experience
• Career Goals
• Personality
• Bad Memories
• Personal Growth and Development

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

Essay on Fear

If people fail to fear, they will not manage to protect themselves from genuine threats. Fear is an important reaction to emotional and physical danger that has been fundamental in human evolution. Fear is a biological and natural condition experienced by everyone. People must experience fear since it ensures people maintain safety. Fear is a complicated human emotion that can be healthy and positive; also, it has negative impacts. If fear affects one’s life in inconvenient and negative ways, it is important to seek treatment. Fear is conceived in the mind though it causes a strong physical response in the body.

Fear is a primitive, powerful, and natural human emotion. Psychology research claims that fear entails a general biochemical reaction and a high personal emotional response. Fear prepares people for imminent danger or the risk of harm, regardless of whether the danger is psychological or physical. In some instance, fears come from actual threats, but a time it stems from imagined dangers. Whereas fear is a normal response to certain situations, it can also result in disruption and distress when extreme or unproportional to the real threat.

Should People be Exposed to Elements of Horror

Everyone has a craving; sometimes, it can be sweets or snacks; one always desires something. These cravings drive people to read scary fiction and expose themselves to horror elements ( DiSalvo) . People crave to watch horror movies to get rid of the negative emotions inside them. Some people enjoy seeing others being killed or terrorized in horror movies. The enjoyment comes from the excitement and thrill one gets after watching horror movies. However, it is not essentially true that people enjoy seeing others suffer since the human condition is not immoral.

People like the abrupt excitement of seeing a horror movie. Horror movies keep people glued to their screens and make them absorbed with the overstimulation of the events. Watching horror films is like riding a rollercoaster, whereby people aim to show their capabilities and prove that they are not fearful. The analogy between a rollercoaster and watching horror movies is that people celebrate emotions that scare them. For instance, people love riding roller coasters due to the rush and the excitement associated with them; this is the same in horror movies.

Who Should be Exposed to Horror Movies

Some people can never get enough of horror movies. On the other hand, others cannot stand scarier scenes in a film to the point they can feel unsettled for a while (Vinall). As such, some people should be exposed to horror movies, and others should not be exposed. One of the reasons that make people watch horror movies is to experience stimulation. Some people are stimulated physically and mentally by watching terrifying acts or even anticipating these acts. On the other hand, some people are affected negatively by horror movies in the form of anxiety and fear. Watching a horror movie instantaneously activates both forms of stimulation, whereby the greatest enjoyment is experienced during the most dreadful moment.

Notably, horror movies should be exposed to those who get heightened sensations and heaving energy after watching the movies and not to those who become afraid and anxious (Vinall). Horror should be exposed to those people looking forward to gaining new experiences. For instance, Apocalypse horror movies enable people to experience alternative realities like outbreaks of zombies to infestations of aliens. Notably, some new experiences can result in the sense of triumph, for instance, visiting an infamous haunted house. Further, being adventurous to the point of watching horror movies can make one feel more daring and worldly and have bragging rights.

In addition, horror movies should be exposed to those seeking to satisfy their curiosity regarding the dark aspect of the human psyche (Vinall). In real life, people may never get to see a Hannibal Lecter. Human beings are naturally curious species, and most people are fascinated by knowing their capabilities. Watching or reading storylines whereby actors antagonize the nastiest part of themselves act as virtual characters to explore the dark aspects of the human condition.

However, some people should not be exposed to horror movies. Horror movies elicit emotions like shock, stress, fear, and tension (Vinall). Such can lead to the release of hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine from the autonomic nervous system. These hormones can have an adverse impact on sleep. For instance, adrenaline results in the general experience of the film, but higher amounts can cause sleep deprivation. Having good sleep is very crucial for both mental and physical health.

Further, exposing some people to horror makes them suffer sleep loss, which negatively impacts how the brain processes emotions after watching a horror movie and can strengthen negative emotions (Vinall). Poor sleep is strongly correlated to mental health problems. Lack of sleep among grown-ups increases the probability of death by committing suicide. Further, after several sleepless nights, perceptual hallucinations, delusions, and distortions can occur. This means that watching horror movies can cause nightmares and cause poor quality or disrupted sleep. Some people suffer from anxiety after watching horror movies. Chronic anxiety raises the sensitivity to startle-eliciting impetuses, making anxious and stressed people likely to react negatively to horror movies. As such, people who respond negatively to horror movies should not be exposed to scary episodes.

Healthy and Unhealthy Fears

Fear can be healthy and unhealthy, depending on the outcomes. Healthy fear is programmed in the nervous system and provides survival instincts for someone to stay away from danger (“Fighting Your Fears”). On the other hand, unhealthy fear makes a person more watchful than required to keep safe and prevents them from doing the things they love. Fear is a crucial human emotion since it ensures protection from danger and prepares one to take action. However, the same fear can result in long-term anxiety feelings. There are healthy fears, for instance, fears that prompt someone to run for their safety after seeing a dangerous animal. Such fear is necessary for keeping safe.

Contrarily, unhealthy fear is not necessary. For instance, one can be afraid of meeting new people because they don’t want to feel intimidated. However, meeting these people does to pose any threat to their safety. Such fear is unhealthy since one fails to do what they are supposed to do. Knowing the difference between healthy and unhealthy fears is vital to know which fears are necessary and which are not and embark on working on the unnecessary ones to lead a healthy life.

Works Cited

“Fighting Your Fears.”  Better Health Channel – Better Health Channel , www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Fighting-your-fears.

DiSalvo, David. Forbes , www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2018/10/28/why-do-we-crave-scary-movies-science-suggests-its-a-head-trip-with-surprising-benefits/?sh=442d820e644a.

Vinall, Marnie. “Are Horror Movies Bad for Your Mental Health?”  Healthline , www.healthline.com/health/how-do-horror-movies-affect-your-mental-health.

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Related Essays

The ease of approaching hospitals and the exorbitant cost of insurance in our nation, current trend in corrections system, failures of humanitarian intervention in congo, public speaking fear and social phobia in college students, exploring language and literacy development in a preschool setting: a drdp-k 2015 observational analysis, top three key areas to focus on when negotiating sap contracts, popular essay topics.

• American Dream
• Artificial Intelligence
• Black Lives Matter
• Bullying Essay
• Career Goals Essay
• Causes of the Civil War
• Child Abusing
• Civil Rights Movement
• Community Service
• Cultural Identity
• Cyber Bullying
• Death Penalty
• Depression Essay
• Domestic Violence
• Freedom of Speech
• Global Warming
• Gun Control
• Human Trafficking
• I Believe Essay
• Immigration
• Importance of Education
• Israel and Palestine Conflict
• Leadership Essay
• Legalizing Marijuanas
• Mental Health
• National Honor Society
• Police Brutality
• Pollution Essay
• Racism Essay
• Romeo and Juliet
• Same Sex Marriages
• Social Media
• The Great Gatsby
• The Yellow Wallpaper
• Time Management
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Violent Video Games
• What Makes You Unique
• Why I Want to Be a Nurse
• Send us an e-mail

Learning to Fear

• Social Psychology

Like most people, Elizabeth Phelps is afraid of sharks, and rightly so — some species like the Great White (Carcharodon carcharias) are aggressive and will attack without provocation. But many of us have never come in contact with a shark in the wild, and visiting the aquar-ium is as close as we will ever get to a live one. How then, do we develop a fear of something without ever having experienced it?

This is one of many questions that Phelps, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, is trying to answer in her research. Phelps studies the cognitive neuroscience of emotion, learning, and memory, and she is particularly interested in the mechanisms underlying fear learning and fear extinction. In a talk at Emory University entitled “Social Learning of Fear” she discussed the role of the amygdala in the social learning of fear, how the mechanisms of fear are influenced by social groups, and how fears can be diminished once they have been learned.

“Fear is a universal survival mechanism,” Phelps said in her talk. “Some of the most important things we can learn in life are what situations and events represent danger or threat. In humans, this type of information is often communicated through social interaction.”

Fear Factors Fear can be learned through direct experience with a threat, but it can also be learned via social means such as verbal warnings or observ-ing others. Phelps’s research has shown that the expression of socially learned fears shares neural mechanisms with fears that have been acquired through direct experience.

This topic has been extensively studied in animals such as rats, using a paradigm known as fear conditioning. In fear conditioning, a neutral stimulus such as a tone is paired with an aversive event like a shock; after a few trials the rats will exhibit an emotional response to the tone. APS Fellow Michael Davis, a Robert W. Woodruff professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory, and other research-ers have shown that when the amygdala is damaged, the rats will no longer exhibit a fear response to the tone.

Phelps has adapted this paradigm to study human fear conditioning and has demonstrated that the amygdala is critical for the physical expression of a fear response in humans as well as animals. She also has taken this one step further and shown that the amygdala responds when people exhibit fear learning through instruction (i.e., “the shock will follow the blue square, but not the yellow square”) or through observation of someone else receiving the shock in a fear-conditioning paradigm. These findings demonstrate that the amygdala is in-volved in learning fear even without direct experience with the aversive event.

“This suggests that the cognitive and social means of fear learning may take advantage of phylogenetically older mechanisms of fear conditioning,” said Phelps.

These same mechanisms also seem to be present in certain social-group biases, when these biases are assessed explicitly (consciously) as compared to implicitly (unconsciously). To assess whether or not the amygdala plays a role in race bias, Phelps conducted a study in which white males were shown pictures of unfamiliar white and black male faces while their brains were being scanned. Subjects with higher levels of implicit bias showed greater activity in their amygdala when they viewed faces of another race. No such relation was found between explicit biases and amygdala activity. However, when subjects were shown pictures of familiar black and white faces, the relation between implicit race bias and amygdala activity disappeared, suggesting that familiarity can reduce race bias and the response of the neural systems that support it.

Additional research in Phelps’s lab has demonstrated that there may be a learned “preparedness” to fear people who are dissimilar to us.

In traditional studies of prepared fear learning, subjects exhibit a fearful response to pictures of natural threats (for example snakes) that persists even when the aversive stimulus is no longer paired with such pictures — a period called extinction. The tendency to maintain a fearful response is thought to be a result of the fact that we are evolutionarily predisposed to fear snakes, spiders, or other things that might endanger us. Phelps and her colleagues have shown that the tendency to maintain a fearful response also transfers to social groups: Sub-jects will continue to express fear to other-race faces during extinction. But Phelps suggests that this type of preparedness to fear out-group individuals may result from sociocultural learning of stereotypes and other biases, rather than from genetics.

Fear Itself It is clear that people are quite adept at acquiring fear, but what mechanisms can we use to successfully diminish fear once it has been learned?

In a series of studies, Phelps has investigated this question in two ways: through extinction and through emotional reappraisal. The re-sults of the extinction study showed that the amygdala is involved in both acquisition and extinction of fear. The study also showed that an area in the middle of the prefrontal cortex, known as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VmPFC), is primarily involved in the retention of extinction in humans. These results parallel animal studies, suggesting that extinction mechanisms may be similar across species.

Remarkably, just instructing people to reduce an emotional reaction by reappraising how a stimulus makes them feel also seems to rely on mechanisms similar to that of extinction. When participants in Phelps’s study were not regulating their emotional response to an aver-sive stimulus, the amygdala was active. However, when they were instructed to reappraise (reduce) their emotional response, the VmPFC and other prefrontal regions were active, and the amygdala response was reduced. The mechanisms of diminishing fear appear to overlap both across species and among strategies.

Although there are different routes to acquiring fear — we can learn to fear things not only through experience but also through in-struction and observation — Phelps’s work has demonstrated that all of these mechanisms seem to rely on similar, phylogenetically older neural mechanisms. This knowledge may eventually lead to the development of better therapeutic treatments for patients who suffer from phobias or emotion dysregulation. By bridging the gap between animal models and human functioning, Phelps has provided essential in-sight into how we learn to fear, and how we can learn to reduce it. Just don’t ask her to watch Jaws with you before going to the beach.

I’m trying to figure out why I don’t care about things that should scare me, and I rarely even have a startle reflex when something unexpected happens like a section of the barn collapsing 3 feet behind me, and I didn’t even jump. I’m looking for more info about learning how to assess danger better without fear as a factor to impel my decisions.

Most of the time I got startled by something my brain seems to quickly interprete that its not a real threat, but somehow my body would still responding to the fear like rapid heartbeats, shaking and even produce tears.

APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines .

Please login with your APS account to comment.

About the Author

Katye Vytal is a graduate student specializing in cognition and development at Emory University.

Research Briefs

Recent highlights from APS journals articles on work identity, investigating the cross-category affect, graduate training, cross-cultural generalizability, and much more.

Recent highlights from APS journals articles on learning about the self, mental health interventions, representational momentum for physical states, and much more.

Haunted House Researchers Investigate Playing with Fear

New research connects a sweet spot of recreational fear to a telltale range of heart rate fluctuations, shedding light on the mind-body connection between fear and fun.

Privacy Overview

• Environment
• Information Science
• Social Issues
• Argumentative
• Cause and Effect
• Classification
• Compare and Contrast
• Descriptive
• Exemplification
• Informative
• Controversial
• Exploratory
• What Is an Essay
• Length of an Essay
• Generate Ideas
• Types of Essays
• Structuring an Essay
• Outline For Essay
• Essay Introduction
• Thesis Statement
• Body of an Essay
• Writing a Conclusion
• Essay Writing Tips
• Drafting an Essay
• Revision Process
• Fix a Broken Essay
• Format of an Essay
• Essay Examples
• Essay Checklist
• Essay Writing Service
• Pay for Research Paper
• Write My Research Paper
• Write My Essay
• Custom Essay Writing Service
• Admission Essay Writing Service
• Pay for Essay
• Academic Ghostwriting
• Write My Book Report
• Case Study Writing Service
• Dissertation Writing Service
• Coursework Writing Service
• Lab Report Writing Service
• Do My Assignment
• Buy College Papers
• Capstone Project Writing Service
• Buy Research Paper
• Custom Essays for Sale

Can’t find a perfect paper?

• Free Essay Samples

Essays on Fear

People’s life is accompanied by an endless variety of feelings, moods, and experiences – you can explore one of them in your fear essay. Most essays on fear describe fear as an emotion that arises in situations of the threat to the biological or social existence of an individual and is aimed at a source of real or imagined danger. Fear essays note that fear varies in a fairly wide range: concern, dread, fear, horror, phobia, etc. If the source of the danger is uncertain or unconscious, people tend to feel anxious – fear essay samples and anxiety essays often study this topic. However, fear can also be very helpful to human survival – it drives us to be cautious and alert. We should learn to contain our fear and not succumb to it. Essay samples below will cover many topics on the rear – give them a read!

Fear in Education Fear is an unpleasant emotion that is brought about by anticipations of change, pain, or harm. Anxiety brings undesirable experiences and feelings at school. Moreover, enrolling in the higher institute of learning poses a significant threat to many students. Sometimes, pursuing a technical course can lead to psychological...

It is normal for many people for most of the people to have performance anxiety when performing speeches or talking in front of small or large audiences. Public speaking is a common fear among the human race, and 75 percent of the population has this fear. We have ways of...

Public Speaking and its Challenges Public speaking is an oratory that involves the art of speaking to a large audience. This form of communication facilitates passing of information to people for education, entertainment, motivate change, and sometimes influence people to change for the better (Coopman & Lull, 2014). However, communicating with...

In the article Fear and adventure tourism in Brazil, the authors have communicated logically, to their audience; people who love adventure, the role of emotions and perceptions experienced during the exploration undertakings, and in the hunt for an ideal stimulation level. The title of the article is clear and concise,...

Public Speaking and Communication Public speaking is an oratory that involves the art of speaking to a large audience. This form of communication facilitates passing of information to people for education, entertainment, motivate change, and sometimes influence to change for the better (Coopman Lull, 2014). However, communicating with a...

Fear of Retaliation, Dependency, and Social Norms Fear of retaliation, dependency on the perpetrator, and social norms are some of the major barriers preventing victims of domestic violence from reporting such incidents. (Payne & Wermeling, 2009, p. 3). The community must be made aware of the significance of reporting such instances...

Found a perfect essay sample but want a unique one?

Request writing help from expert writer in you feed!

Perceptions of Threat: Cultural, Environmental/Physical, and Social Variables While dread is recognized as a feeling brought on by perceived threats and dangers, how each individual views events as threatening or dangerous varies. What then affects and decides whether events are perceived as dangerous? These perceptions are influenced by a number of...

Words: 2278

It is a cross-sectional quantitative study to investigate the utility of birthing fear screening in maternity practice. The research investigates the effects of psychosocial, demographic, and obstetric factors on the birth outcomes of women with varying levels of childbirth anxiety, as well as the benefits of screening women for severe...

Words: 4241

Terrorism is defined as the use of intimidation or violence to instill fear in a society in order to achieve a specific political goal. Terrorist acts by various terrorist organisations target locations of interest and may result in large casualties, primarily among civilians and terrorists themselves. Terrorist groups use various...

Intimidation has been used for centuries to gain control Intimidation has been used for centuries to gain control of an unruly group or to sway opinion in the political arena. Some emperors used intimidation to keep control of their kingdoms, while terrorist groups used intimidation to control the population and gain...

Words: 3160

This letter is made to the department in response to a request for information There have been multiple shootings and acts of terrorism in various sections of the country recently. Incidents like the Vegas massacres have instilled dread in the American people while showcasing the country’s weaknesses. Both American citizens and...

Words: 1824

Emotion is a complicated psychophysiological experience that is influenced by our interactions with our surroundings. Positive and negative emotions are both possible. There is also a link between emotions and objects, experiences, social feelings, and self-appraisal sensations. Some emotions, such as love, joy, rage, and fear, are intrinsic. Personal experiences,...

Related topic to Fear

You might also like.

• Career Advice

Warrior Consciousness

You have / 5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in.

I spend a good deal of my time as an English professor teaching my students not to be fearful. That is not what I imagined teaching would be like. But it didn’t take me long to discover that the students in my classes had learned how to be experts in how to be afraid. And such fearfulness has become such an accepted practice in college that it now seems to be a natural behavior, so natural it is invisible to them. But not to me. Early in my career, when I first encountered these fears, I thought it reluctance or resistance or lack of knowledge or ability -- even though there was nothing especially difficult in what I was asking my students to learn or write or read.

This fear becomes evident to me at the beginning of each semester when I ask students if they have any questions about the syllabus or an assignment or homework for next time or anything about the upcoming schedule. In response, they look frightened. This fear comes from being asked a question. This fear comes from having a question and being afraid to ask it. Given the commodification, quantification, bureaucratization and decontextualizing of learning that has overrun our educational system, it’s no surprise students feel the oppressive nature of questions and the asking of them. Intolerance of error in school and college will only produce students who run from risk and seek security in silence.

As a consequence, one of the first lessons I have to teach my students is that questions are good things. I tell them that I can’t know what they don’t know and need to know until they tell me what they need to know so I can help them be successful in the class, which, by the way, is what I’m paid to do -- that is, help them be successful. I have to tell them over and over again that questions are valued. And I have to demonstrate that they can trust me that asking questions will not make them vulnerable to ridicule and further shaming. Questions drive the kind of learning college wants from us. And admitting that we don’t know something is the only way to target what we need to learn.

It may be that some people inside higher education think students aren’t ready for college because they don’t know what they should know. Or students don’t come with the abilities we think they should already have. Or they don’t know how to learn. Or they can’t think critically. Or they don’t know correct grammar. Or they don’t know how to manage their time. All that may be true, but I believe none of it is going to be repaired if we don’t help them learn how to stop fearing questions, themselves and others.

I know this is fairly simple stuff. Basic, really. But it’s also not surprising that the most rudimentary ideas and values are the most difficult to appreciate and understand. I tell my students that the questions they have are probably the same question others in the class are sitting on, “So why don’t you be the one who asks the question and demonstrate the kind of bravery we all applaud and admire?” And then we move from there to a point later in the class when students are raising their hands gladly and volunteering to stand in front of the class and read their work and receive the respect and kindness of their fellow students in training.

I’m not surprised that our current political campaign season is swimming in fear. Fear of the major candidates. Fear of the fear the candidates are promoting. Fear of those who are susceptible to the deceptions the candidates are peddling. When I encounter my students’ fears, I understand again how pervasive fear is. I understand the power, the ubiquity and the unconscious embrace of fear our culture so skillfully teaches us. Fears that oppress and often silence us. Political fear. Social fear. Economic fear. Religious fear. Gender fear. Racial fear. Environmental fear. You name it fear.

My first academic publication was a 1998 JAEPL article titled “Attitudes Toward Writing.” It begins with an excerpt from Joy Harjo’s poem “I Give You Back”:

I take myself back, fear. You are not my shadow any longer. I don’t hold you in my hands. You can’t live in my eyes, my ears, my voice, my belly, or in my heart my heart my heart my heart.

Based on Kathleen Blake Yancey’s classic Portfolios in the Writing Classroom (National Council of Teachers of English, 1992), I tried to argue in that article for the importance of a portfolio pedagogy that prompts students to reflect upon their writing histories and resulting attitudes so that they might become more conscious of the ways those histories and attitudes shape their current chances of success in writing. I also highlighted six pairs of the most common positive/negative attitudes that students demonstrate: honesty/dishonesty, courage/fear, persistence/procrastination, consideration/narrow-mindedness, humility/arrogance and hope/despair. In the end, I suggested readings and reflective strategies that might help students pay more explicit attention to the negative attitudinal dimensions of their learning so that they could develop a more hopeful and courageous approach to writing in college.

Almost 20 years later, I continue to search for ways to help students identify and overcome the fears that unnecessarily interfere with their likelihood of success in the classroom. These days, I incorporate aspects of the compassionate Buddhist tradition using contemporary teachers, especially Pema Chodron and specifically her book The Places That Scare You (Shambhala, 2002) in the daily lessons of my classes. The most helpful concept I’ve discovered in her teachings is “bodhichitta,” the ongoing consciousness of those who have developed the fearlessness necessary to extend compassion to one’s self so that it might be extended to others.

Chodron defines bodhichitta as the ready mind and compassionate heart capable of overcoming the fears we feel toward ourselves and others that often result in aggression, prejudice, despair and even indifference. According to her, those who dedicate themselves to training in bodhichitta are called “bodhisattvas or warriors -- not warriors who kill and harm but warriors of nonaggression who hear the cries of the world. These are men and women who are willing to train in the middle of the fire. Training in the middle of the fire can mean that warrior-bodhisattvas enter challenging situations in order to alleviate suffering. It also refers to their willingness to cut through personal reactivity and self-deception, to their dedication to uncovering the basic energy of bodhichitta.”

In my creative writing classes, I read a chapter from Chodron’s book each day. I also read selections from Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (Shambhala, 1984) by Chodron’s teacher Chogyam Trungpa and from The Shambhala Principle (Harmony, 2013) by his son Sakyong Mipham -- each including teachings on overcoming fear through bodhichitta. However, for the purposes of these classes, I replace the term “bodhichitta” with “poet warrior consciousness.” It is the courage we need to open our hearts, minds and other senses to the world of our experiences so that we might create the poems necessary to better understand ourselves, others and the world we encounter. Developing the nonaggressive habit of poet warrior consciousness is in fact the primary learning outcome of the course; the poems we write along the way are the footprints we leave on the path of this practice.

Fearlessness is a habit of the mind and heart that all disciplines require. We want students to ask questions so they can learn what they wish to learn. We want them to advance our fields with their honesty, courage, persistence, consideration, humility and hope. Ultimately, education should be in the fearlessness business. The object of any study is the subject of the self in dialogue with the world. Approaching that study with the awakening consciousness of a compassionate warrior is what we admire most in the best of our students, our colleagues and those who have gone before us.

4 Ways to Reduce Higher Ed’s Leadership Deficit

Without good people-management skills, we’ll perpetuate the workforce instability and turnover on our campuses, warns

Share This Article

More from career advice.

Shared Governance in Tumultuous Times

As the tradition is strongly tested, a faculty senate leader, Stephen J. Silvia, and a former provost, Scott A.

On the Road With College Students

Besides benefiting students, study abroad trips can be a powerful reminder of some of the best aspects of working at

• Become a Member
• Sign up for Newsletters
• Learning & Assessment
• Diversity & Equity
• Career Development
• Labor & Unionization
• Shared Governance
• Academic Freedom
• Books & Publishing
• Financial Aid
• Residential Life
• Free Speech
• Physical & Mental Health
• Race & Ethnicity
• Sex & Gender
• Socioeconomics
• Traditional-Age
• Adult & Post-Traditional
• Teaching & Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Publishing
• Data Analytics
• Administrative Tech
• Alternative Credentials
• Financial Health
• Cost-Cutting
• Revenue Strategies
• Academic Programs
• Physical Campuses
• Mergers & Collaboration
• Fundraising
• Research Universities
• Regional Public Universities
• Community Colleges
• Private Nonprofit Colleges
• Minority-Serving Institutions
• Religious Colleges
• Women's Colleges
• Specialized Colleges
• For-Profit Colleges
• Executive Leadership
• Trustees & Regents
• State Oversight
• Accreditation
• Politics & Elections
• Supreme Court
• Student Aid Policy
• Science & Research Policy
• State Policy
• Colleges & Localities
• Employee Satisfaction
• Remote & Flexible Work
• Staff Issues
• Study Abroad
• International Students in U.S.
• U.S. Colleges in the World
• Intellectual Affairs
• Seeking a Faculty Job
• Advancing in the Faculty
• Seeking an Administrative Job
• Advancing as an Administrator
• Beyond Transfer
• Call to Action
• Confessions of a Community College Dean
• Higher Ed Gamma
• Higher Ed Policy
• Just Explain It to Me!
• Just Visiting
• Law, Policy—and IT?
• Leadership & StratEDgy
• Leadership in Higher Education
• Learning Innovation
• Online: Trending Now
• Resident Scholar
• University of Venus
• Student Voice
• Academic Life
• Health & Wellness
• The College Experience
• Life After College
• Academic Minute
• Weekly Wisdom
• Reports & Data
• Quick Takes
• Advertising & Marketing
• Consulting Services
• Data & Insights
• Hiring & Jobs
• Event Partnerships

4 /5 Articles remaining this month.

Sign up for a free account or log in.

• Sign Up, It’s FREE

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Emotion / Fear

Fear Essay Examples

The moment of fear i will remember forever.

I will never forget that moment in time. It had occurred on a Sunday like any other. The birds had been chirping, the sky was a luminous blue. I had been up on my roof cleaning the gutter. Scrape, brush I did in a regular...

The Role of Fears and Phobias in Our Life

Fear is an emotion or feeling which is felt by humans due to any types of frightening or scary behavior. Fearing for a certain long period of time may cause damage to a person and leads to depression or anxiety perhaps death too. Fear is...

Facing Fear to Overcome It

Fear is a strong negative emotion that keeps a person from doing something and also a signal of danger and weakness. It is considered as one of most powerful emotion where it can change the course of action or make a situation seem more unfortunate....

How I Overcome My Fear of Flying

Sitting rather uncomfortably in my seat while facing the painfully bright light piercing from the window, I fidgeted nervously, desperately trying to ignore the gloominess of the situation. I attempted to focus on staying warm in the bitterly frigid row, but as thoughts of certain...

Fear and Fhobias in My Life

Fear is an unpleasant emotion and it is an emotional response induced by a perceived threat, which causes change in human’s brain and as well as in behavior. Fear can lead to a danger zone were people commits suicide in order to avoid fear. Fear...

Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

Fears can be one’s worst enemy, and it hinders you from progressing. But for those who are willing to fight it, it can serve as a gateway to greatness. If you are able to overcome your fears, it will not only help you to grow...

The Theme of Embarrassment in the Things They Carried by Tim O’brien

“All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure- these things just fall away in the face of death.” This quote by Steve Jobs parallels the ideas depicted by Tim O'Brien about embarrassment in his novel. Not only do most literary characters struggle...

Unpacking the Influence of Fear on Our Daily Lives

In today’s society, fear plays a huge role and influences many decisions of many people. We see this everywhere, politics, media and even our daily lives. In the article, “3 Roles Fear Plays In Our Lives”, written by Donna Labermeier, fear is talked about as...

The Effect of Fear on Communities in Year of Wonders

Fear is a constant reminder that we are human although it can make us believe we’re not. Both Geraldine Brooks the author of ‘Year of Wonders’ and Arthur Miller author of ‘The Crucible’, explore the effect of fear on the seventeenth century communities. While both...

Man Versus Fear in the Red Badge of Courage

Fear is a powerful motivator. A naïve, young man named Henry Fleming decides to join the Union army simply for the glory of becoming a Civil War hero. He quickly realizes that war is terrible and struggles with his conscious as to whether-or-not he can...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

You may also like

• Responsibility
• Self Reflection
• Relationship
• Family Values
• Ambition Essays
• Betrayal Essays
• Honesty Essays
• Happiness Essays
• Forgiveness Essays
• Hope Essays
• Nostalgia Essays
• Respect Essays
• Compassion Essays
• Inspiration Essays

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->