What is fear?
Dictionary definitions indicate that the word fear it means a kind of disturbance at the idea that one is exposed to some kind of danger, which may or may not be real. Fear can also be understood as a state of apprehension, of attention, waiting for something bad to happen.
Beyond the definitions of the word, fear is a sensation. This sensation is linked to a state in which the organism becomes alert, faced with something believed to be a threat.
Fear is an extremely important alertness for human survival. A person without any fear can expose themselves to extremely dangerous situations, risking their own life, without considering the possible tragic consequences of their actions.
How does the organism react to fear?
Fear is a sensation resulting from the release of hormones such as adrenaline, which cause an immediate quickening of the heartbeat. It is an organism's response to an aversive, physical or mental stimulation, whose function is to prepare the subject for a possible fight or flight. Before feeling fear, a person experiences anxiety, which is an anticipation of alertness. Among other physiological reactions related to fear, we can mention the dryness of the lips, the paleness of the skin, involuntary muscle contractions such as shivering, among others.
In some cases, the body overreacts to fear, causing this alertness, beneficial in many moments of life, it turns into a pathological state, when fear turns into phobia. THE phobia it is an anticipation of fear or anxiety. Its most important feature is the commitment of the relationship that the subject establishes with the world around him. In the case of phobia, fear does not prepare the individual to decide between fight or flight, it paralyzes him, it prevents him from relating to the object of his fear.
Should fear be dealt with?
There is no talk of treating fear, except in cases where it becomes irrational, such as in phobia. In these cases, the best known treatment in psychotherapy is Systematic Desensitization, which consists of a successive approximation of the subject in relation to his object of dread. For example, if a person develops a phobia about air travel, the technique proposes exposures that gradually approach travel, such as rocking, looking down from a high floor, getting into a parked plane, until finally the person accepts and manages to perform the travel. It is not an easy treatment, it requires dedication from both the patient and the therapist, but it shows very significant results. Other treatments are based on theories, such as those that propose the origin of fear or phobia in past traumas, real or imagined. In these cases, when it is possible to understand the trauma in its most diverse meanings, fears tend to decrease significantly. In any case, any treatment aims to reduce the alert response that fear generates to normal or more balanced levels.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
What other diseases have fear as a characteristic?
In addition to phobias, DSM IV has a number of diseases that have the overreaction of alertness as a predominant feature, including: O Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anorexia, Bulimia and other disorders in which fear is linked to changes in the body.
How to find out more?
Numerous media products discuss the issue of fear, often with a bias to provoke it in viewers, such as horror or thriller movies. In 2009, director Kiko Goifman released the film “Filmephobia” which aims to discuss the countless types of fear, with the participation of actors and people who did not act.
Juliana Spinelli Ferrari
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Psychology from UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista
Brief psychotherapy course by FUNDEB - Foundation for the Development of Bauru
Master's Student in School Psychology and Human Development at USP - University of São Paulo
