HW#4: Why do we have Fear?

In general, we all have a fear of something, may it be big or small, deep or pitiful, fear exist in our society. Even the strongest and most bravest soldiers of our times have a fear, perhaps the fear of never seeing their family again, or the fear of death itself.
When I was younger, I feared things such as spiders, clowns, the dark; common fears of kids. As I progress, most of those fears I had were eventually over comed. But now, at my teens, I question the science of fear.
Why do we have fear?

According to Natural Remedies (presented by the members of the National Food and Drug administration) & a Discovery Channel: Science of Fear by Susan Winslow, "Fear" is an emotional response by our brain in times of extreme mental stress. Biologically speaking, when a person experiences fear, certain areas in their brain such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus are immediately activated and appear to control the first physical response to fear. The brain senses fear and secretes chemicals such as adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol which are released into the blood stream thus causing effects of rapid heart palpitation, high blood pressure sharpened or redirected senses, muscle tightenings, increase of sweat and Dialation of pupils.

Areas of the brain that fear originates from.

There are numerous causes of fear. Some are better known than others, such as the fear of spiders (Arachnophobia), fear of blood (Hemaphobia), fear of heights (Acrophobia) and fear of exams (Testophobia). Others types of fear not so well known are fear of mirrors (Catoptrophobia), fear of hair (Chaetophobia), fear of being tickled by feathers (Pteronophobia), and fear of work (Ergophobia). Still, new causes of fear are being diagnosed.

Now, according to this article, common fears can be over comed and in some cases avoided. By avoid, for example fears of public danger. It's a common fear for parents to allow their children to go out on their own even if it's for a close walk. Now a days, with crime soaring off the roof, fear plays a critical part in todays society.

So, why do we have fear in our lives?

"Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But often we fear situations that are far from life-or-death, and thus hang back for no good reason. Traumas or bad experiences can trigger a fear response within us that is hard to quell. Yet exposing ourselves to our personal demons is the best way to move past them."

~ Psychology Today (Fear)

So, from what I've learned, fear is within us, there is not such thing as someone without fear. Fear is in out mind, our brains. So, how does one over come fear, it falls to that person alone to over come it in his/her own ways. There is a saying, "Mind over matter" which simply means if you put your mind into it, you can accomplish anything. If you want to over come the fear of the dark, you can. If Fear tries to kidnap you or steel your bag, you can fight it or do your best to  survive.

When fear gets out of control, or when we fear something that cannot actually harm us, it can escalate to a point where it effects our daily functioning. Fear is no longer adaptive if we find we are constantly afraid of events that haven’t happened yet.
Future-orientated fear is known as anxiety. While fear happens at the moment danger arises, anxiety is characterized by apprehension because we don’t know what’s going to happen next, and we cannot control upcoming events.
Experiencing an alarm response when there is in fact nothing to be afraid of is known as panic. Many people are familiar with this type of fear and it is often (although not always) accompanied by a phobia.
Panic is an immediate physical response to unrealistic and irrational fears. This can have a huge affect on both your emotional and physical well-being – as well as your ability to reach your full potential.