Facets of Fear
Many anxieties are inherited when we are children, either from our parents or other close contacts. A mother’s fear of bridges might translate into a similar fear in her children. If we were never taught to swim, we might feel apprehensive toward water. Even prejudice, which qualifies as a fear of the unknown, can be passed from parents to children.
Other fears are learned through experience. A traumatic ordeal in front of a crowd of people can develop into a fear of public speaking. If a large dog knocks us down when we are very young, we might grow up to fear dogs in general. Negative experiences such as these contribute to the development of many fears. Often the original episode was not as traumatic as we recall, but the moment sticks in our minds. Over time, our brain exaggerates the experience, further fueling our fear.
Failure resides at the core of almost all fears. We are terrified of failing on every level: emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Failure questions our worth and value as a human being. Since we crave acceptance and approval, unsuccessful attempts to acquire these things devastates our self-image.
Excellent post! it's incredible what fears we learn from others in our childhood.
ReplyDeleteOh, how right you are. As writers we're full of fear, aren't we? Like failing at getting good reviews, or even accepted...Now, I do have a fear of the telephone (just speaking on it!!!) I wonder where the hell THAT came from? Great post
ReplyDeleteI think we need fear a little bit. When we overcome our fears we become stronger people :)
ReplyDeleteUniversal Gibberish
Susan, I fought a fear of the phone for years. Had to do with a job at UPS when I was younger. When you have to call people and tell them their package is lost, damaged, destroyed - we don't know where it is! - you really start to hate the phone.
ReplyDeleteAnna, we do grow stronger.
Fear is an awful feeling and one can't run away from yourself when you have an irrational fear.
ReplyDeleteGood F post.
Yvonne.
I've always been partial to this quote from Dune, by Frank Herbert.
ReplyDelete"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
Very thoughtful post, and a lesson to parents. Reflecting on a childhood fear factor with an attitude of 'what I learned'...a positive characteristic. Well done for the Letter F.
ReplyDeleteMy theme is A-Z My Family Tree and F is for FANNIE and her FIVE Sisters. Hope you'll stop by...The BIG ARROW points the way...Sue-CollectInTexas Gal
I have to laugh whenever I hear of somebody talking about the FEAR OF SUCCESS. What you discuss here is real...and the other...not so much! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, fear is so powerful. Especially the fear of failing. So people never try because the fear failing. Me, I'm afraid of dogs.
ReplyDeleteBish, I remember that line from Dune.
ReplyDeleteDL, people do fear it.
Loved your post. My mom almost drowned when she was three so she was terrified of large bodies of water. She made all of her kids take swimming lessons.
ReplyDeleteOur minds tend to make fear worse.
ReplyDeleteFear is a great motivator for me. I'm more afraid of what I will end up not being if I don't keep trying.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Diane. I was thinking about how fears are inherited when I wrote my blog post about fear of trimming nails today!
ReplyDeleteNice post! Fear is a very powerful emotion and can scar you forever. By the way I'm a new follower :)
ReplyDeleteMy blog is:http://www.lifeisgood-forever21.blogspot.com
I also hate calling people on the phone and have no idea why. Glad it's not just me.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane. Great post.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Fear of failure is awful, we can put so much pressure on ourselves that way. (Oh and I also hate phoning people - glad to see I'm not alone!)
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to overcome some fears. I learned to swim late and still hesitate in deep water. I came to writing late and I don't feel confident about lots of the skills I need.
ReplyDeleteI only have a few real fears and I worked hard at not transferring them to my son. But you're right, Diane, fear can be transferred to kids. Case in point, my sister is deathly afraid of spiders. Picture my 18 month old boy curious about a spider so he crawls close and watches. My sister happens to look over and sees what he's near and screams bloody murder. Baby cries, I jump three feet, Sister runs over and snatches up the baby and stomps the spider into goo. To this day, my son is afraid of spiders.
ReplyDeleteI think that failure is the basis of much professional fear, but don't discount the fear of success. It can be just as much of a dam as fear of failure, imo.
Sia McKye OVER COFFEE
Quite true. Is there a second part to this post?
ReplyDeletewow, great post! I agree with everything you wrote. this might be my new favorite blog. found you on the a to z, and will be back to read more!!
ReplyDeletefeel free to take a peek at my blog too if you have time, I am doing a travel theme:
http://wordcut.blogspot.com
best,
MOV
I fear deep water. That was after watching my 4 year old niece nearly drowning. (I was 6 at the time). But all my kids LOVE the water. I swear if they could live in it they would.
ReplyDeleteI really like the points made on negative experiences. Makes total sense and made me think, too.
ReplyDeleteI've been afraid of strange dogs all my life. I tried to hide it so I wouldn't pass it on to the girls, but I did a terrible job. Luckily they're not afraid.
ReplyDelete