...‘Fear Constructs our Reality’ “The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, and the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety.” Henry Louis Mencken. Fear is one of the strongest emotions for every human being; like love or hate it can distort our mind, causing us to not think or act logically in different circumstances. Fear, like the fear of speaking in public, can effect each individual differently; some of us are able to control this fear and speak confidently and clear to a large group, where others of us freeze and let it take control of our body; confusing our mind to make the situation more difficult than it really is. Fear can be caused because of something that happened to the individual in the past, an accident or event that has left an imprint in the memory that could trigger the same emotion that was felt in the past, to the present situation. Our fears can also be formed from a parent’s or family member’s experience, instilling the same fear to us, which in turn influences the way we see what is happening around us. No matter what an individual’s fear is or how it began, plays a very significant part on controlling their part of life, by confusing the mind.. There are some of us that allow fear to overthrow our mind, causing it control our everyday actions and thoughts. Through the character of Nina, from the movie ‘The Black Swan’ it is clear that fear has distorted her mind which causes her to...
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...FEAR OF ALTOPHOBIA Veronica Taylor ENG121: ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1(AXC1420C) Instructor: Erin Nelson May 16, 2014 Fear of Alto phobia The fear I need to conquer is my fear of heights. Heights are one of my biggest fears that I have tried numerous of times to get over. This fear causes me to have real bad anxiety attacks to where I sweat, shake, have blurred vision, and have trouble breathing to where I have an asthma attack. One day my sister tried to help me conquer my fears by making me ride on roller coaster and that day is the day that I will never forget because she made my fears worst. The bad thing about my fear is when I go to sleep I picture myself up high in the air somewhere falling and wake up instantly nervous in a cold sweat, scared and emotional. Every time I go to an amusement park I promise every one that I am going to ride on all the rides. When I get there, I freeze up and back out. My sister always forces me to get on the biggest ride which is called The Beast. The beast is concerned to be the longest and biggest rollercoaster and it’s made out of wood. They tell me that I can do it and that it’s not that bad, but they lied. I wanted to get on so bad but, my fear just took over and wouldn’t let me just like always. What really causes me to have a fear of heights was the movie called Final Destination. In the movie all kinds of disturbing and crazy things happen. In one of the sense there were people up on the rollercoaster riding when...
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...Fear Written By: Richard A. Cranston To begin with, I will ask the question of what is fear. Webster’s Dictionary give’s the definition of fear as this: FEAR - 1) To have a reverential awe of, to be afraid of, expect with alarm, to be apprehensive. 2) An un-pleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. 3) A reason for dread o apprehension. Fear is a powerful emotion that is primitive and can be traced back to our earliest ancestors. This emotion, if controlled and listened to, can and will alert us of danger. I personally believe that since it kept our ancestors alive, it can keep us alive. If fear was not accepted, appreciated, and or respected, then none of us will be here today. That is just a small portion of the positive side of fear. Like all things in life, when there is positive, there is negative. The negative side is that fear can control us, cloud our judgment, cause us to freeze, and in the end get us severely injured or killed. Hundreds of years ago, fear was taken from just an emotion, and turned into a very powerful weapon. This weapon was used, even to this day, as a means of control. Many cultures have produced secret societies who have found out just how much of an effective weapon this emotion can be. It has been used for extortion, control, and even to shift political parties to who these societies want to take reign, or over throw a monarchy. Many of these secret societies are not widely heard...
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...Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Most people are afraid to admit that they fear something because they think that they are the only ones that have that fear, but the truth is that everyone is scared of something. Everyone has at least one fear that when facing it, can cause a memorial moment in their life. I have many fears and I’ve been faced with one of my biggest fears for a few years now, and it still lingers on to this day. On thanksgiving 2012, I wanted to spend the night at my friend’s house named Kayla since she was having a big thanksgiving party, but my parents said I couldn’t go. At first I was confused because we never did anything special on thanksgiving, so I didn’t think it would have been such a big conflict. That night, my parents sat me down at the dining room table once my brother and sister were sound asleep. Sitting there, I was so confused on what they were going to tell me that was supposed to be “so important”. They took a deep breath and told me that what I was about to hear, was going to change my perspective on our family. They told me that my dad Clay was not my biological dad, and that my biological dad’s name is Shaun. In that moment, my whole life got turned upside down. A thousand questions ran thru my head like “Why didn’t they tell me sooner?” “Why did my biological dad leave?”, “Is it because of me?”, “Was I a mistake?” I was too shocked to ask any...
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...5 Ways to Beat Fear in a Scary World by: Deepak Chopra, M.D. We live in a world that causes people to feel anxious on a daily basis, either by reading about terrifying events or worrying that another may occur. In a historical sense, there has never been a time when fear and anxiety were completely absent, and yet this doesn't offer reassurance—just the opposite. If you look upon the world as a fearful place, you are buying into a collective story, and only you can change the story as it applies to you. Fear does many things to a person, but fundamentally it makes us feel insecure. Feeling secure is a most basic necessity, because without a sense of safety, the mind is preoccupied with threats instead of possibilities. If you go to work worrying that your job is on the line, it's nearly impossible to look for ways to be better at your job and approach the future creatively. In truth, the remedy for fear is personal and has little or nothing to do with external circumstances. (Look at the people you know who never stop worrying about money no matter how well-off they are, or who obsess over getting sick no matter how healthy they are.) Each of us needs to find our own way out of the climate of fear; no government action is going to do it for us. Depending on the kind of person you are and the level of anxiety you feel, here are five ways that are effective in returning to a sense of personal safety and security. 1. Become More Rational, and Let Facts Diminish...
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...Imagine going to the doctor and feeling calm as you get a shot. If you have a fear of needles, giving blood is impossible. Merely getting a shot can cause weeks of stress. Your fear can get in the way of your life and hurt your physical health. If you have a fear of needles, you may find yourself wondering: “Where did this fear come from?” “How can I get rid of it?” “Why do needles scare me so much?” When you have a fear of needles, going to the doctor can make you shake and tremble from fear. Your heart beats fast as you think about what is about to happen. Luckily, you do not have to live with this fear forever. A fear is rooted in the subconscious mind. If you can rewire your subconscious, you can remove the fear. Imagine . . ....
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...To Overcome Fears Fear is not something which you can easily go to the doctor with to get fixed. A lot of people believe incorrectly that fear is for their own good. There is a cure for fear, so long as you know where to look. If your afraid you’re afraid. Fear is something which you feel, it’s simply there and a logical thought. If you suffer a fear of a description you have probably handled it in various ways. Most people with a fear of heights, for instance approach their fear primarily by avoiding it. If you don’t go up there you won’t be afraid, but there are many times when you would like to be able to climb up to the top of whatever landmark it may be or to drive over a bridge. You could experience fear when someone frightens you and they surprise you and you jump in confusion. Some people will say that you made their heart stop or something like that from being so surprised. Some people scream as loud as possible and quiver. Sometimes people are so scared that they just stand there like they are frozen. People who are easily frightened are like cats in general because they are easily scared also. To some people Halloween can easily be fearful. We dress up in weird costumes with our children and go trick-or-treating for candy. We try to frighten the people at the door, or to entertain them with our costumes. The holiday has a fearful setting within itself, not only costumes and candy; people put out skeletons and ghosts, along with graveyard scenery. Some people...
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...Fear of Crime: Development, Progress, and Efforts to Erase the Negative Effects it Leaves Behind Abstract This study diagnoses the different aspects that cause fear of crime to grow or progress in society. Things that have stronger influences on the mind are considered on higher scales than others. This report has many different points; it will be focused most on: demography and how it is used to show characteristics of your 'common victim', the media's ramification’s on crime, what effects the mind has on crime, and crime within schools. It will also mention different theories and how they affect the thoughts that people have on the amount of crime around them. Crime is a topic in today's society that cast immense fear into the mind and thoughts of many people, putting hindrance on what many people do in their lives. It is depicted in abundance on television, radio, books, and other entertainment sources of today's day and age, therefore causing more people to focus in on crime. Due to the added attention on the topic, fear of crime, the physical, social, economic, and emotional vulnerability as a result of the stress from crime, is more common than it used to be. Fake court cases and exaggerated crimes are all over reality television, in turn, taking minuscule fears and making them extraordinary with every hour they sit observing them in front of their television a daily basis, one show after another. Mind over matter is a theory that is mentioned when discussing...
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...ever face in life is the conquest of fear and the development of the habit of courage. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said , "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he was saying that the emotion of fear, rather than the reality of what we fear, is the cause of the associated anxiety, stress, and unhappiness. When we develop the habit of courage and unshakable self-confidence, a whole new world of possibilities opens up to us. Just think: What would you dare to dream, be, or do if you were not afraid of anything in the whole world? Fortunately, the habit of courage can be learned, just as any other skill is learned. To do so, we need to go to work systematically to diminish and eradicate our fears, while simultaneously building the kind of courage that will enable us to deal fearlessly with the inevitable ups and downs of life. Syndicated columnist Ann Landers wrote, "If I were asked to give what I considered the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.' " This is the kind of attitude that leads to victory. The starting point in overcoming fear and developing courage is to look at the factors that predispose us toward fear. The root source of fear is childhood conditioning that caused us to experience two types of fear: the fear of failure, which causes us to think...
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...Childhood fears have always haunted our minds as kids. From the more classical boogie man in the closet, to the more present day Hollywood horror movies. My childhood fear at the time unfortunately was scary movies, heights, and being afraid of the dark. As a young child, mainly around the age of 4 to 7 years old, screams and loud stressful noises wasn’t generally my favorite amusement. I rather settle my small completive mind to action figures and video games than being scared so bad I would piss me pants. Everyday my older sisters would come home from high school, mouths over whelmed with gossip and in a not so gentle mood, would snatch the remote from my hand as if my age held no authority to them. Young and very much helpless, I sat aside curious to what sixteen year old drama queens particularly watch. My oldest sister Melissa, channel surfs and stops on a dreadful theme song followed, by the title of the show in greenish texture. I remained seated wondering what would happen next. The show started off normal and eventually became more clear and horrifying. Having watched the show, sleeping wasn’t so easy, but as months pasted, I conquered my fear of horror films and progressed on. Growing up at the age of 8 had its own fashionable trend, when it came to who was your favorite super hero. In my custom made all blue pajamas and a red towel tied around my neck, I’d extended my arms and ran through the house with not a care in the world. Paranoid at the motor boat sounds...
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...Fear of Heights Essentials of Psychology University of Phoenix December 15, 2012 Robert Strausser Fear of Heights Several individuals suffer from a phobia a natural fear of something or a situation. Acrophobia is the most common phobia identified with the society (Fritscher, 2011). This type of phobia known as the fear of heights and is unlike aerophobia the fear of flying and other phobias, acrophobia can cause a person to fear numerous things related to fear of heights (Fritscher, 2011). Acrophobic may cause a person to have fear on an elevator of a building or flying on a plane. People associated with acrophobic will sudden go into a panic mode when at certain heights. They automatically begin to search for something to hold on to. Some may begin to shake, sweat, and even cry, or yell out for help (Fritscher, 2011). Their unconditioned response kicks in immediately and may even cause them to crawl on all fours, kneel, or lower they body (Fritscher, 2011). One reason for these actions is that people with acrophobic find it, difficult to trust their own sense of balance. These people believe and find it hard to think when dealing with this phobia (Fritscher, 2011). Unconditioned Stimulus is the system that alerts people (Ruden, 2012). Example, If individuals never seen a plane crash or imagine a plane falling out of the sky or crashing into a building he or she would not have the fear of heights. They are in a metal plane thousands of feet above the ground traveling...
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...“On the Fear of Death” In the story “On the Fear of Death” by Elisabeth Kubler-ross she explains the thought and fear of death and dying. Kubler-Ross states many reasons why we, as people, fear death. However, she sternly believes that the root of our fears and the primary reason why we fear death is simply because the fact that death is inevitable. As humans we are accustomed to having things at our discretion. This is what causes a problem because we cannot choose when we want to die or how we want to die; we can’t control it. Ross explains how the unconscious mind can’t comprehend the actual event of death. It seems impossible in regard to ourselves. It is described in the reading that when an ill person is in the hospital we tend to out them out of humanity. We begin to have another person make all the decisions for them, despite their own wants and requests. We don’t listen to even one question they may have to ask. Ross’s main point is the sensitivity to the topic of death and she wants us to know as well as understand how to cope with the death of a loved one and ourselves. Personally, I believe death serves its purpose as does anything in human life. I feel at the moment I don’t fear death, but I fear my family and friends having to go through rough times of something ever happened to me. The best way to beat the fear of death is to live in determination and...
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...Ralph Robert Moore has said, “You completely control your own life, because you do not need to control what happens to you in your life; you only need to control how you respond to what happens to you in your life.” Fear is not a thing that is easy to control. Yes, sometimes you can take the time to take a deep breathe, calm down, and take the leap, but more often than not that is not the case. People are not robots; you cannot just flip a switch and turn off your fear and turn on your bravery. I believe Moore had good intentions when writing this, but your conscious self is not in control of how you respond to your fear. Fear is an ingrained part of our brain’s chemistry. Imagine you are home alone and you hear a crash come from one of the windows. The sound of the crash causes a chain reaction throughout the brain. The Thalamus to send sensory data to different parts of the body, either the eyes, ears, skin, etc. which then causes the Sensory Cortex to interpret the data. After that, the Hippocampus stores conscious memories so you can process the situation at hand. Then the Amygdala sends signals to other parts of the brain to determine if there is a threat. Even if you choose to go downstairs with a baseball bat or a...
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...Fear of Feedback Abstract Nobody likes performance reviews. Subordinates are terrified they'll hear nothing but criticism. Bosses think their direct reports will respond to even the mildest criticism with anger or tears. The result? Everyone keeps quiet. That's unfortunate, because most people need help figuring out how to improve their performance and advance their careers. This fear of feedback doesn't come into play just during annual reviews. At least half the executives with whom the authors have worked never ask for feedback. Many expect the worst: heated arguments, even threats of dismissal. So rather than seek feedback, people try to guess what their bosses are thinking. Fears and assumptions about feedback often manifest themselves in psychologically maladaptive behaviors such as procrastination, denial, brooding, jealousy, and self-sabotage. But there's hope, say the authors. Those who learn adaptive techniques can free themselves from destructive responses. They'll be able to deal with feedback better if they acknowledge negative emotions, reframe fear and criticism constructively, develop realistic goals, create support systems, and reward themselves for achievements along the way. Once you've begun to alter your maladaptive behaviors, you can begin seeking regular feedback from your boss. The authors take you through four steps for doing just that: self-assessment, external assessment, absorbing the feedback, and taking action toward change. Organizations profit...
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...The Climb I have this fear. It causes my legs to shake. I break out in a cold sweat. My heart starts beating a thousand miles an hour, and louder than a snare drum. I imagine my own funeral, then shrink back at the implications of where my thoughts are taking me. My stomach feels tight. My palms are clammy. I am terrified of heights. Of course, it’s not really a fear of being in a high place. Rather, it is the view of a long way to fall, of rocks far below me and no firm wall between me and the edge. Despite my fear, two months ago I somehow found myself climbing to a high place, while quaking inside and out. The ninth and tenth grade class had come along on a week long trip to Washington D.C. A place filled with so much history and culture. Our first stop on the trip was Gettysburg Pennsylvania. We were on the site looking at the battlefield where thousands of soldiers died in the most deadly battle of the Civil War. It was a chilling experience, standing in the place where so many deaths occured. We took the van around the battlefield, stopping every once in awhile, getting out, and checking out some of the main attractions of the battlefield. After eating our sack lunches within sight and sound of the spring, many of us wanted to make the climb up to a view tower that showed almost the entire battlefield from one spot. We knew others had done so on the previous trips, we had heard the stories. The first group said that it was the most amazing part of the Gettysburg...
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