Fear

*I hope I didn't go too far overboard with this. The assignment couldn't have come at a better time. Please don't think I'm completely insane based on some of my confessions.*

Part One – Theory

1. Dictionary.com refers to fear as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc, whether the threat is real or imagined.” The way I see it, fear is the mind’s way of telling your body that something is wrong, that you are in danger.

2. Anxiety is quite similar to fear, however it’s usually in relation to something more minor than direct danger to your life or health. For example, a person may have anxiety about their car breaking down at a bad time. Anxiety is also related to psychological disorders such as depression. People suffering from anxiety may have a fear of being abandoned or of being judged in public places. Anxiety and fear differ in that anxiety is typically connected to minor or irrationally perceived threats.

3. Loneliness and fear are often quite related. A person is sometimes more likely to be afraid if there isn’t someone there to help them feel safe. Conversely, love could also be related to fear. A person who loves someone else may experience a strong fear of losing the one they love whether by death, sickness, or the second person’s wishes. Lastly, fear is related to anger. Whereas the first two examples can cause fear, anger relates in an opposite way. Many fears manifest themselves in an expression of anger. Road rage could be attributed to the fear of getting into a wreck and dying, being harmed, or being put into a difficult financial situation. A mother may yell at her child for doing something dangerous out of fear of losing said child.

4. Paranoia is, according to dictionary.com a “baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.” It is often related to psychological disorders ranging in severity from chronic anxiety to schizophrenia. A person suffering from paranoia may become convinced that people are talking about or even plotting against them. They may find themselves standing by closed doors listening for confirmation of fears that are usually irrational.

5. A phobia is an irrational fear of something, whether an idea, object, state, etc. This fear causes an overwhelming urge to keep away from the source. Often there is a reason for the phobia that may seem logical to the person suffering from it. For example, a person afraid of bees may have been attacked by a nest as a child. Phobias are inconvenient and even hindering. They can get in the way of competing an important and, perhaps, necessary task.

6. Physical manifestations of fear demonstrated in the face include dilation of pupils, reddening of the face, and a widening of the eyes.

7. “Fight or flight” is the chemical and physical expression of fear. It is the body’s instinctive response to perceived or actual danger. Our body prepares itself to choose one option or the other. Adrenaline is released causing the heart rate to increase. The adrenaline works as a stimulant to help us either maintain the endurance needed for flight or to help us be at our top level of strength for a fight. Other chemicals are released that deaden pain and create a sort of euphoria which may feel like courage. Physical changes include a straightening of the spine to appear taller and a tightening of the muscles, especially in the arms, to appear broader. Humans may feel their hair “stand on end”. This is a throwback from the days when we had considerably more hair. The response would have given us the appearance of being much larger.

Part Two – Fear and You

1. Fear to me is a natural and necessary part of life. It is, however, often inconvenient and difficult to deal with. Fear can get in the way of doing the right thing. I don’t often express fear while the immediate danger is present. Instead, I switch into a mode of cool, unconcerned logic. A key example of this tendency would be the time I was at a job and became the victim in an armed robbery. In the moment, I was calm. My hands didn’t shake; I didn’t feel my heart pounding. Basically, my fight or flight response didn’t kick in for some odd reason. The same thing has happened in car accidents. However, after the real danger is gone, I fear its return to the extreme of having the response I should have had during the threat, when there is no threat present. After the robbery, for example, I would get so scared when someone came up to the desk. At first, I would sit in the back office watching the video feed, and only come out when I had to. In those instances, I would tremble all over, my heart would pound, and I would feel dizzy. I just don’t seem to express fear in a typical way.

2. Aside from phobias, which I view as both irrational and illogical, I have two main things that cause fear in me. The first of these, and probably the most prevalent in my life, is the thought of being betrayed. It somewhat tends to go toward the level of paranoia. When my friend’s mother was living with me my fear of betrayal was so strong, I became convinced she was plotting against me. We had had some troubles in the recent past, and I was sure she wanted me dead or at least seriously hurt. I thought she was working toward that goal. I do something similar, if less dramatic, at work. I have a constant fear that my managers are working together to find a reason to fire me just because they don’t like me. Yet again, here is my fear of betrayal. A second fear, but one that is not nearly as present in my life as it once was, is the fear of going to Hell. It didn’t matter how good I was, how closely I followed the Bible, I couldn’t let go of the fear. There were times I couldn’t sleep for the fear. I’m not afraid of death; that’s just not me, because I do have faith that I’m going somewhere wonderful. I just always had a fear of Hell—probably thanks to the “fire and brimstone” church I grew up with.

3. In my case, it’s as simple and as difficult as accepting that what I know deep down to be true is.

4. I, unfortunately, do have multiple phobias. Some of them I have nearly overcome. These include achluophobia (darkness), electrophobia (electricity), owls and, oddly enough, wind chimes. The last of those I think is actually a fear of wind, but more in the sense of when wind causes a sound. I have a few that still show themselves in my life. The first of these is apiphobia (bees). This is at least fairly common, though I have no logical reason for the fear. I’m not even remotely close to allergic. Another is one that I’m somewhat ashamed of: I am terrified of butterflies. I tend to joke about it because, well, it is funny. I can think of no basis at all. The last of these is a fear of basements. This is the only one that has a logical root. At seven I was locked into a pitch black basement by my aunt’s so-called friend. Then, at the age of twelve, I suffered my first act of real betrayal. It all started in a basement. It’s a story I don’t talk about, but one that still affects me to this day.

Part Three – Creative Fear

It is well known fact that Dumbledore put off facing Grindelwald for an inordinately long time. He confessed to Harry in the chapter “King’s Cross” of Deathly Hallows that the reason for this was out of fear. He was afraid to learn the truth of who exactly had been the one to kill his sister. Obviously, I can’t say what he felt, but I can say what I would have felt were I in his shoes. I do not blame him one bit for being afraid. I would have been afraid too; however, I would have also felt an overwhelming desire to know the truth. It could have helped to bring about closure for me. I also would have been afraid of the closure itself. What if her death had been caused by Aberforth’s wand? It’s almost easy to blame oneself for a bad thing; facing the realization that someone I love would be much more difficult. Separating the root of fear he confessed to, Dumbledore was likely afraid of facing the fact that someone he cared for so much could be so evil. When he wasn’t confronting the situation, it may have been easy to let it be someone else’s problem. Being face to face with Grindelwald, though, would have forced Dumbledore to accept his misjudgment of his old friend. He would also, I’m sure, have been afraid of facing a reminder of the ideals he held that may not have been ethical. Feelings are completely separate from thoughts. I believe that Dumbledore would have forced himself to be almost cold. I think he would have thought only on the necessity of the task he was faced with and the good that would come from the defeat of a dark wizard. I think he would have chosen to view Grindelwald not as an old friend, but instead as an evil man who needed to be stopped.

Sources: http://phobialist.com/reverse.html
http://dictionary.reference.com

Well done everyone. Here are your marks:

Ravenclaw

stephy - 63
Blue Rabbit Babe - 79


Gryffindor

hppamela - 90 + 10

Please remember that with the new classes rules
you may keep doing classes after they're marked as they are now always
open, so I'll keep waiting for your works.

What is it? (5) an unpleasant emotion induced by a threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing

Distinguish Fear from anxiety. (5) anxiety is stress

Name 3 emotions/states fear is usually related it. (3) hyperventilation, hyperglycemia, butterflies in the stomach

What is Paranoia? (5) a process believed to be influenced by anxiety, often to the point of irrationality. thinking includes beliefs.

What is Phobia? (5) type of disorder, defined as a fear of an object in which the sufferer commits to lengths in avoiding, disproportional to the danger posed, being recognized as irrational. In the event the phobia cannot be avoided, the sufferer will endure the situation with distress in social activities

Name 3 things that happen to your face that express fear. (3) you have problems breathing, pooling, Goosebumps

What does the expression 'Fight or Flight' means? (5) animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting. More specifically, the medulla produces a cascade that results in the secretion of catecholamines

SLYTHERIN
maybie93 - 23 HP