Fear
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/* See also */
{{otheruses}}
{{redirect|Fears}}
{{redirect|Afraid}}
{{redirect|Fear of the unknown}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Holy Cross.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A young girl being escorted through a threatening crowd during the [[Holy Cross dispute]] in [[Belfast]]. Her facial expression is suggestive of great fear.]] -->
'''Fear''' is an [[emotion]]al response to threats and danger. Fear should be distinguished from [[anxiety]], which typically occurs without any external threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.<ref>Ohman, A. (2000). Fear and anxiety: Evolutionary, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.). ''Handbook of emotions''. (pp.573-593). New York: The Guilford Press.</ref>
Fear is often connected to pain (e.g. some fear heights because if they fall, they may suffer severe injury or even die upon landing). Many theorists, such as [[John B. Watson|Watson]] and [[Paul Ekman|Ekman]], have suggested that fear is one of several basic, innate [[emotion]]s (e.g. [[happiness|joy]] and [[anger]]). Fear is a survival mechanism, and usually occurs in response to a specific negative [[stimulus]].
==Etymology==
The Old English term ''fǣr'' meant not the ''emotion'' engendered by a calamity or disaster but rather the event itself. The first recorded usage of the term "fear" with the sense of the “emotion of fear” is found in a medieval work written in Middle English and composed around 1290. The most probable explanation for the change in the meaning of the word fear is the existence in Old English of the related verb fǣran, which meant “to terrify, take by surprise.”<ref> Fear,''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', Fourth Edition, 2000, Houghton Mifflin Company.</ref>
== Varieties ==
Serious fear is a response to some formidable impending peril, while trifling fear arises from confrontation with inconsequential danger.
Fear can be described by different terms in accordance with its relative degrees. Personal fear varies extremely in degree from mild [[caution]] to extreme [[phobia]] and [[paranoia]]. Fear is related to a number of emotional states including [[worry]], [[anxiety]], terror, [[fright]], [[paranoia]], [[Horror (emotion)|horror]], [[panic]] (social and personal), [[persecution complex]] and [[dread]].
Fears may be a factor within a larger [[social network]], wherein personal fears are synergetically compounded as [[mass hysteria]].
* [[Paranoia]] is a term used to describe a psychosis of fear, described as a heightened perception of being persecuted, false or otherwise. This degree of fear often indicates that one has changed their normal behavior in radical ways, and may have become extremely compulsive. Sometimes, the result of extreme paranoia is a phobia.
* [[Distrust]] in the context of interpersonal fear, is sometimes explained as the inward feeling of [[caution]], usually focused towards a person, representing an unwillingness to [[Trust (social sciences)|trust]] in someone else. Distrust is not a lack of faith or belief in someone, but a feeling of [[warning]] towards someone or something questionable or ''unknown''. For example, one may "distrust" a stranger who acts in a way that is perceived as "odd." Likewise one may "distrust" the [[safety]] of a rusty old bridge across a 100 ft drop.
* Terror refers to a pronounced state of fear - which usually occurs before the state of [[Horror (emotion)|horror]] - when someone becomes overwhelmed with a sense of immediate danger. Also, it can be caused by perceiving the (possibly extreme) phobia. As a consequence, terror overwhelms the person to the point of making irrational choices and non-typical behavior.
Fear can also affect the subconscious and unconscious mind, most notably through [[nightmare]]s.
Fear can also be imagined, and the side effects can also be imagined.
== Causes ==
Although fear is an innate response, objects of fear can be learned. This has been studied in psychology as [[fear conditioning]], beginning with Watson's [[Little Albert experiment]] in 1920. In this study, an 11-month-old boy was conditioned to fear a white rat in the laboratory. In the real world, fear may also be acquired by a traumatic accident. For example, if a child falls into a well and struggles to get out, he or she may develop a fear of wells, enclosed spaces ([[claustrophobia]]) or of water ([[aquaphobia]]).
Researchers have found that certain fears (e.g. animals, heights) are much more common than others (e.g. flowers, clouds). They are also much easier to induce in the laboratory. This phenomenon has been called [[preparedness (learning)|preparedness]]. Physiologically, the fear response is linked to activity in the [[amygdala]] of the [[limbic system]].
The experience of fear may also be influenced by social norms and values. In the early 20th century, many people feared [[polio]], a disease which cripples the body part it affects, leaving the body part immobilized for the rest of one's life.
==Characteristics==
===Behavioral===
[[Image:The Scream.jpg|right|thumb|''[[The Scream]]'' by [[Edvard Munch]] could be interpreted as depicting someone showing signs of fear]]In fear, one may go through various emotional stages. A good example of this is the ''cornered [[rat]]'', which will try to run away until it is finally cornered by its predator, at which point it will become belligerent and fight back with heavy aggression until it either escapes or is captured.
The same goes for most animals. Humans can become very [[intimidation|intimidated]] by fear; causing them to go along with another's wishes without caring about their own input. They can also become equally violent, and can even become deadly; it is an [[instinct]]ive reaction caused by rising [[epinephrine|adrenaline]] levels rather than a consciously thought-out decision. This is why in many cases the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] cannot be made in cases of the [[court of law]].
The facial expression of fear includes the following components:
* One's eyes widen (out of anticipation for what will happen next)
* The pupils dilate (to take in more light)
* The upper lip rises
* The brows draw together
* Lips stretch horizontally.
===Physiological===
The physiological effects of fear can be better understood from the perspective of the sympathetic nervous responses ([[fight-or-flight]]), as compared to parasympathetic response, which is a more relaxed state.
* muscles used for physical movement are tightened and primed with oxygen in preparation for a physical fight or flight response.
* [[perspiration]] occurs due to blood being shunted from body's [[viscera]] to the peripheral parts of the body. Blood that is shunted from the viscera to the rest of the body will transfer, along with oxygen and nutrients, heat, prompting perspiration to cool the body.
* when the stimulus is shocking or abrupt, a common reaction is to cover or otherwise protect vulnerable parts of the anatomy, particularly the face and head.
* when a fear stimulus occurs unexpectedly, the victim of the fear response could possibly jump or give a small start.
* the person's heart rate and heartbeat may increase.
Fear is the flip side of anger in the inbuilt human 'fight or flight' response.
Many people feel the effects of fear on a day to day basis in the workplace through the stress of a modern working environment. This fear has a direct correlation to one's working efficiency and has been crystallised into a chart through an ongoing linear study in Bristol. The fear-o-meter shows the range of emotions caused by the latent fear that a significant workload and impending deadline can create. Whilst one's ability to work effectively diminishes as the level of fear increases, productivity on the other hand increases exponentially as the impending deadline approaches. For example, a student might fail to start an essay until the level of fear reaches 5 or above, choosing to either go out or perform menial tasks until the fear has increased to the required level.
<ol start="0">
<li>Satisfaction</li>
<li>Ennui</li>
<li>Despondency</li>
<li>Anxiety</li>
<li>Fear / Vexed</li>
<li>Despair / Anger</li>
<li>Apathy / Rage</li>
<li>Terror / Apoplectic</li>
</ol>
==Neurobiology==
The [[amygdala]] is a key brain structure in the neurobiology of fear. It is involved in the processing of negative emotions such as fear and anger. Researchers have observed hyperactivity in the amygdala when patients who were shown threatening faces or confronted with frightening situations. Patients with more severe social phobia showed a correlation with increased response in the amygdala.<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060118205940.htm Studying Brain Activity Could Aid Diagnosis Of Social Phobia]. Monash University. January 19, 2006.</ref> Studies have also shown that subjects exposed to images of frightened faces or people of another race exhibit increased activity in the amygdala.
The fear response generated by the amygdala can be mitigated by another brain region known at the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, located in the frontal lobe. In a 2006 study by Columbia University, researchers observed that test subjects experienced less activity in the amygdala when they consciously perceived fearful stimuli than when they unconsciounsly perceived fearful stimuli. In the former case, they discovered the rostral anterior cingulate cortex activates to dampen activity in amygdala, granting the subjects a degree of emotional control.<ref>[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/53154.php Emotional Control Circuit Of Brain's Fear Response Discovered]. Retrieved on May 14, 2008.</ref>
Suppression of amygdala activity can also be achieved by pathogens. Rats infected with the [[toxoplasmosis]] parasite become less fearful of cats, sometimes even seeking out their urine-marked areas. This behavior often leads to them being eaten by cats; the parasite then reproduces within the body of the cat.<ref>Berdoy M, Webster J, Macdonald D (2000). Fatal Attraction in Rats Infected with Toxoplasma gondii. ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B267:1591-1594''. PMID 11007336</ref> There is evidence that the parasite concentrates itself in the amygdala of infected rats.
==In Religion ==
===Fear of death===
Some psychologists have addressed the hypotheses that fear of death may motivate one’s basic religious commitment, and on the other hand, may be allayed by some but not all religious orientations due to the religion's assurances about afterlife.<ref name="Kahoe">Richard D. Kahoe; Rebecca Fox Dunn, ''The Fear of Death and Religious Attitudes and Behavior'', Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 14, No. 4. (Dec., 1975). </ref> The empirical experiments have been equivocal: According to Herman Feifel, those with religious beliefs had more fear of death than the nonreligious; Wendell M. Swenson's experiment showed otherwise and Adolph F. Christ found that there is no relation between the two.<ref name="Kahoe"/> According to Richard D. Kahoe and Rebecca Fox Dunn, John Hinton's finding might resolve the differing results:"The ten per cent of the subjects who were most firm in their faith and attended religious services weekly were the least afraid of dying, but those who held a loose religious faith were the most anxious, with the nonreligious being intermediate in death anxiety".<ref name="Kahoe"/> Furthermore, a survey made by Richard D. Kahoe and Rebecca Fox Dunn among various Christian denominations showed a positive correlation between fear of death and dogmatic adherence to the religious doctrine. Furthermore, some religious orientations were more effective than others in allaying that fear.<ref name="Kahoe"/>
== Moral and legal issues ==
{{rewrite-section}}
Since fear diminishes freedom of action, contracts entered into through fear may be judged invalid; similarly fear sometimes excuses from the application of the law in a particular case; it also excuses from the penalty attached to an act contrary to the law. The cause of fear is found in oneself or in a natural cause (intrinsic fear) or it is found in another person (extrinsic fear). Fear may be grave, such for instance as would influence a steadfast man, or it may be slight, such as would affect a person of weak will. In order that fear may be considered grave, certain conditions are requisite: the fear must be grave in itself, and not merely in the estimation of the person fearing; it must be based on a reasonable foundation; the threats must be possible of execution; the execution of the threats must be inevitable. Fear, again, is either just or unjust, according to the justness or otherwise of the reasons which lead to the use of fear as a compelling force. Reverential fear is that which may exist between superiors and their subjects. Grave fear diminishes willpower but cannot be said to totally take it away, except in some very exceptional cases. Slight fear (''metus levis'') is not considered even to diminish the will power, hence the legal expression "Foolish fear is not a just excuse."
== Death from fear==
Research conducted at the [[University of California, San Diego]] and published in the ''[[British Medical Journal]]'', suggests that deaths attributed to heart mortality increase under psychological stress, particularly terror.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Milne |title=Can People Really Be Scared to Death? |url=http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/37/11/17 |publisher=American Psychiatric Association |work=Psychiatric News |date=2002-06-07 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref> Otherwise healthy people have been known to be "scared to death," that is, to suddenly die under extreme fear or emotional trauma. People of all ages have died from fright brought on by everything from earthquakes to amusement-park rides.<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |first= |last= |title=Being 'Scared to Death' Can Kill
|url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=2614635&page=1 |publisher=ABC News |date=2006-10-30 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref><ref name="Globe">{{cite news |first=Anupreeta |last=Das |title=Scared to Death
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2006/08/06/scared_to_death/?page=1 |work=The Boston Globe |date=2006-08-06 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref>
While the mechanism is not fully understood, it is believed that sudden death can occur from [[cardiac arrhythmia]] brought on by a terrifying event.<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |first= |last= |title=Being 'Scared to Death' Can Kill
|url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=2614635&page=1 |publisher=ABC News |date=2006-10-30 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref> While the otherwise instinctual [[flight-or-fight response]], which prepares the body for impending danger, is countered by the [[parasympathetic nervous system]] when the danger has passed, in certain cases an excessive response can damage the heart enough to kill.<ref name="Globe">{{cite news |first=Anupreeta |last=Das |title=Scared to Death
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2006/08/06/scared_to_death/?page=1 |work=The Boston Globe |date=2006-08-06 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref><ref name="ABC">{{cite news |first= |last= |title=Being 'Scared to Death' Can Kill
|url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=2614635&page=1 |publisher=ABC News |date=2006-10-30 |accessdate=2007-10-22 }}</ref>. A German study has found that fear can make blood clot and increase the risk of thrombosis<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= University of Bonn | title=Fear that freezes the blood in your veins | date=2008-03-25 | publisher= | url =http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/uob-ftf032508.php# | work =EurekAlert! | pages = | accessdate = 2008-03-27 | language = }}</ref>.
==See also==
<div style="-moz-column-count:4; column-count:4;">
* [[Angst]]
* [[Appeal to fear]]
* [[Culture of fear]]
* [[Disgust]]
* [[Fear of death]]
* [[Sigmund Freud]]
* [[Guilt]]
* [[Hope and fear]]
* [[Island tameness]]
* [[Litany against fear]]
* [[Panic]]
* [[Phobia]]
* [[Night terror]]
* [[Shame]]
* [[Social Phobia]]
* [[Strategy of tension]]
</div>
==References==
{{reflist}}
== Further reading ==
*[[Joanna Bourke]] (2005), ''Fear: a cultural history'', Virago
*[[Corey Robin]] (2004), ''Fear: the history of a political idea'', Oxford University Press
*Duenwald, Mary. "The Psychology of ...Facial Expressions" Discovery Magazine Vol. 26 NO. 1
*Krishnamurti, J. (1995), ''On Fear'', Harper Collins, ISBN 0-06-251014-2
== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commonscat|Fear}}
{{Wiktionarypar|fear}}
*[http://defendyourself101.ca/reviews/freedom-fear-peyton-quinn Freedom from Fear: Taking Back Control of Your Life and Dissolving Depression]: a book review. This book is about depression: how to avoid it, how to recover from it and in particular, the role that fear plays in it.
*[http://www.thefamousquotations.com/subjects/fear-quotations.htm Quotations on Fear]
*[http://www.nel.edu/23_2/NEL230202R01_Grammer.htm The Smell of Fear, a Research Study]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06020b.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' "Fear (in Canon Law)"]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' "Fear (from a Moral Standpoint)"]
*[http://people.howstuffworks.com/fear.htm How Stuff Works - Fear]
*[http://www.fearlessnews.com/ Fearless News] - An online community collecting statistics on fear in mass media
*[http://www.transcendingfear.org/ Transcending Fear Organization] - educational organization dedicated to fear education
*[http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro00/web2/Edmundson.html Neurobiology of Fear]
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