What is fear? can any one understand that fear is not only produced by

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of fear, exploring its origins, nature, and the distinction between rational and irrational fears. Participants share personal experiences and perspectives on fear as a safety mechanism, as well as their individual phobias and coping strategies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that fear is not solely a response to physical violence and can be irrational.
  • Others argue that fear serves as a safety mechanism, providing caution and alarm in potentially dangerous situations.
  • A participant shares that they have learned to differentiate between valid fears (caution and alarm) and invalid fears (apprehension, nervousness) and suggests rejecting the latter.
  • One participant recounts a personal experience with fear of heights and contrasts it with their thrill-seeking behavior in other situations.
  • Another participant mentions a common phobia of heights (acrophobia) and suggests gradual exposure as a treatment method.
  • Some participants express differing views on their comfort with heights, with one stating they can handle sloping roofs but not flat ones, while another describes overcoming their fear through challenging experiences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the nature of fear, with no clear consensus on its definitions or classifications. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the validity of different types of fear and the best methods for coping with them.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference personal experiences that may not generalize to others, and the discussion includes various assumptions about the nature of fear and its psychological implications.

wolram
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What is fear? can anyone understand that fear is not only produced by physical violence, fear is some times irrational.
 
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I'm afraid not.
 


wolram said:
What is fear? can anyone understand that fear is not only produced by physical violence, fear is some times irrational.

I'm impressed. You're so brave you don't even know the meaning of fear.
 


wolram said:
What is fear? can anyone understand that fear is not only produced by physical violence, fear is some times irrational.
Fear is a safety mechanism. For instance, when I've been out late drinking and carousing and I open the door and see a rolling pin arcing down toward my head, fear takes over and I duck. Or at least I should have.
 


jimmysnyder said:
Fear is a safety mechanism. For instance, when I've been out late drinking and carousing and I open the door and see a rolling pin arcing down toward my head, fear takes over and I duck. Or at least I should have.

In a case like that my safety mechanism would tell me to sleep in my car :biggrin:
 


jimmysnyder said:
Fear is a safety mechanism. For instance, when I've been out late drinking and carousing and I open the door and see a rolling pin arcing down toward my head, fear takes over and I duck. Or at least I should have.

edward said:
In a case like that my safety mechanism would tell me to sleep in my car :biggrin:

Hopefully not while driving it?

I remember when I used to try and drive straight through on 24, maybe even 26 hour trips. I figured I could pull over for a short nap if I got too sleepy, but the idea of falling asleep behind the wheel was always a scary thought.

On one of the trips, the parking lot in the rest area where I took a nap was set up more like the grocery store parking lot where cars could park nose to nose. Nothing like having the car in front of you turn on their headlights and waking behind the wheel of your car to the sight of headlights about 4 feet in front you.

Surprisingly, I was very awake for the rest of my trip. That worked better than coffee.
 


BobG said:
I'm impressed. You're so brave you don't even know the meaning of fear.

The thing that makes me scared is hights, i have no problem in aeroplanes but i could not stand on a flat roof of a tall building.
 


wolram said:
The thing that makes me scared is hights, i have no problem in aeroplanes but i could not stand on a flat roof of a tall building.
And yet you have no problem with standing on sloping roofs on tall buildings? That's weird. I'd pick the flat roof every time :biggrin:
 


When I was young I disliked heights intensely but then I went on an outward bound course where they had you abseiling down cliffs and off bridges into gorges as well as rock climbing and sea traversing. After a couple of weeks of that you become inured to it to the point where you would happily have worked as a scaffolder on the empire state building
 
  • #10


Art said:
And yet you have no problem with standing on sloping roofs on tall buildings? That's weird. I'd pick the flat roof every time :biggrin:


True but most tall buildings have flat roofs.
 
  • #13


wolram said:
What is fear? can anyone understand that fear is not only produced by physical violence, fear is some times irrational.

One of the best things I've realized in life (fortunately I figured this out way back in high school), is that there are only two "good" or valid kinds of fear:

Caution and Alarm.

They are good and natural. Caution helps to keep us safe when encountering potentially dangerous situations. And Alarm is a natural reaction that helps us to deal quickly with dangerous things that pop up. So being cautious about heights is natural, since a fall could be bad. But if you work with heights (like in the construction industry), you take safety precautions and get used to the feeling. And it's okay to be alarmed when something dangerous happens all of a sudden -- learn to use the alarm instinct to help you deal quickly with whatever happened.

All other kinds of fear (apprehension, nervousness, etc.) are not valid, and are "bad" fears that you should learn to recognize as such, and reject. If you are nervous before an interview, you should ask youself, "Is this caution or alarm? Neither. Reject the nervousness and focus on the postitive aspects of the interview. I will do very well." Same thing before giving a big speech or presentation.

This philosophy has served me SO well over the years. It's helped me to understand my reaction to truly dangerous situations, and to reject invalid fears when they come up. I'm still cautious with heights, but reasonably rational in that caution...
 
  • #14


Hmmm this may sound daft, but i had a guy hold a knife against my throat, because i said a certain lady looks sexy, it turned out she was his wife, but i just laughted ,crashing a motorbike seems fun, seeing the sparks fly, okay i may be sore after wards but it was cool, but then i turn to jelly when up a high building for sure this is not righ.
 
  • #15


wolram said:
Hmmm this may sound daft, but i had a guy hold a knife against my throat, because i said a certain lady looks sexy, it turned out she was his wife, but i just laughted ,crashing a motorbike seems fun, seeing the sparks fly, okay i may be sore after wards but it was cool, but then i turn to jelly when up a high building for sure this is not righ.
You'll be pleased to know it's a common enough phobia to even have it's own name; Acrophobia. Recommended treatment is much as I said earlier; ever increasing daily challenges to inure oneself. Before you know it you'll be jumping out of aeroplanes (with a parachute that is )
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #16


I'm afraid of heights so I make myself go to the edge of tall buildings, or cliffs. I won't let my brain tell me what to do. I'm the boss not it.
 

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