Mastering Fear 1- What is Fear

Fear is an emotion that almost every one of us has battled with at one point or another, few have mastered it, some have learn to contain it and lot of other are tormented by it every day. But is it possible to live above fear, or at least master it so as not to be enslaved by this emotion.

In this post and subsequent ones, I will be exploring the topic of Fear:

What is fear?

What is the origin of fear?

What are the effects of fear?

Is it normal to be afraid?

How do I respond to fear?

Is it possible to live above fear?

If yes, how can I do that?

What is Fear?

Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat which causes entities to quickly pull far away from it and usually hide. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger.
From the definition above, fear is induced or triggered by a perceived threat: this threat may or may not be real  and in most cases unwarranted. Research have shown that these fear triggers are rather subjective than objective, it depend mostly on the individuals experiences and knowledge. For instance, for someone with knowledge (may be through stories, studies, other people experiences) or personal experience with venomous serpent, the mere sight of the smallest non- poisonous serpent is enough to send fear down his/her spine, while a little child sees nothing wrong in playing with the little thing.
Fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Fear can also be an instant reaction to something presently happening. Fear can be manipulating and controlling factor in an individual’s life that can make him/her make irrational decisions.
According to surveys, some of the most common fears are of demons and ghosts , the existence of evil powers, cockroaches , spiders , snakes , heights , water , enclosed spaces , tunnels , bridges , needles , social rejection , death, change, unknown future, failure , examinations and public speaking.

The list is endless, one thing I find intriguing is that contrary to logic, the older and more knowledgeable we are, the more the list becomes. It seems that in the school of fear, ‘the more you know, the more you fear and the less you know, the fewer things you fear’. But for this only hold true, the individual must believe on the ability of the circumstance or thing to inflict damage or being beyond his/her control.

Before I continue, I’ll like to distinguish fear from the emotion of anxiety. While Fear is related to specific behaviour of escape and avoidance, Anxiety is the result of threats which are perceived uncontrollable or unavoidable.

According to research, one of the top Fears among adults is the fear of Death. Psychologists have addressed the hypothesis that fear of death motivates religious commitment, and that it may be alleviated by assurances about an afterlife. According to Kahoe and Dunn, people who are most firm in their faith and attend religious services weekly are the least afraid of dying.
This is also true for other fears, this is especially true among faith based Christians that believe that everything that can or will ever happen to them are pre-destined and controlled by a Supreme Being who love them. That irrespective of what they are currently going through, it is working out for better things.

People develop specific fears as a result of learning which I referred to as experience. For example, if a child falls into a well and struggles to get out, he or she may develop a fear of wells, heights ( acrophobia ), enclosed spaces ( claustrophobia ), or water ( aquaphobia ).

In the foregoing sections I’ve define and various types of fears, in the next post, I’ll be exploring the Origin of Fear.