Fear is defined like a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger. It is powerful and primitive human emotion. There are two stages of fear, biochemical and emotional. Our bodies respond in specific ways, when we confront a perceived danger. Physical reaction to fear includes sweating, increased heart rate, high adrenaline levels. The emotional response to fear is highly personalized. Some people are like adrenaline junkies and practice extreme sport or other dangerous activity. Others have a negative reaction to the fealing of fear and avoid fear - inducting situations at all costs.
Fear is a normal emotion but when it comes irrational it becomes phobia which is a disorder. Many people can resign with their phobias and live normally. For example, person with phobia of water just avoids go swimming. But other people can't live normally and suffers, so they need professional help. One of phobia treatment is systematic desensitization. This technique works gradually. For example, a client with the phobia of snakes spends his first session talking about snakes, later client would be led through looking at pictures of snakes, playing with toy snake and eventually he would be given to hold a live snake. It should be mentioned that phobias develop quite early, in adolescence.
To sum it up, fears are concurrent part of our lives. It alerts us to the presence of danger and helps to take care of ourselves. Fears have positive meaning until it start to impediment our life.
References:
http://phobias.about.com/od/introductiontophobias/a/psychologyfear.htm
http://www.futurehealth.org/populum/page.php?f=The-Psychology-of-Fear-by-Saberi-Roy-100903-820.html
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fear
David. G. Mayers. Psychology. 2000.
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