Category: Fear

Fear in Teaching

One of the most important chapters in this book deals with fear. The author analyses how teaching can be conducted in the face of fear. According to Palmer, the quality of higher education teaching cannot be improved by endless workshops on methodology because effective teaching does not come from technique (Palmer, 2007). He claims that effective teaching is based on the quality, identity, and integrity of teachers meaning that human dimensions are more important than methodology in pedagogy. The relationship between the teacher and the student is a very important element of the teaching process according to the author, meaning that the human condition must be considered in the process of teaching. Palmer claims in this chapter that this is one of the pedagogical realms that have not been explored and there is a big challenge for the teachers to ensure that they explore the human condition in the process of teaching because there are many rewards to be reaped. Most people do not teach poorly because they do not have the mastery of content either do they underutilize their methodologies. They just let fear get an upper hand and one of the biggest enemies in education is fear because it allows ignorance to gain strength and power, thus compromising knowledge. Teachers need the courage to teach because most of them teach in the face of fear and this fear emanates from three main sources which include the students and the teachers themselves.

One of the worst fears that affect the teaching process is the fear of subjectivity where the teachers try to be objective by maintaining a safe distance. When teachers maintain a distance because they do not want eternal truths to be affected by personal bias, they run away from relational knowing. Objectivism is always driven by fear and the teachers should not be cagey about being subjective because it is the basis of relational knowing. When teachers become more objective because of their fear of subjectivity, they emphasize external facts thus relegating internal wisdom to the sidelines. According to the author, this style of teaching is the most dangerous and has wrecked generations because it creates people who know a lot about the outside world and little about their inner selves. This kind of teaching results in a generation that has technical competence but has little or no understanding of personality and life issues. The products of this kind of teaching, according to the chapter have power over the world but do not have power over themselves (Palmer, 2007). They can transform the world but they cannot transform themselves. According to the chapter, the courage to teach us all about overcoming the objectivist dimension in the teaching process because removing oneself from the real-life situations that are affecting the students does not in any way help them to discover themselves. Courageous teachers are subjective and they do not worry when personal bias creeps into their teaching methodology because this subjectivity may be less important in teaching the technical competencies, but it is very important in equipping the students with life skills. Courageous teachers always find ways of overcoming the fear of objectivity.

The students

The other vital chapter in this book deals with the teachers perception of the students. Most teachers claim that the biggest obstacle to teaching is bad students. One of the worst characteristics of a bad student is silence when questions are asked by the teacher in class. According to most teachers, silence is either a sign of indifference and hostility to the teacher or an indication that the students are brain dead. This makes the teachers devise cures that are even more dangerous than the disease. The teachers fail to understand that the silence of the students does not arise from their ignorance, cynicism, or indifference; the silence is mostly driven by fears. These fears are caused by many things and most of them are outside the school context. Family issues, discouragement in life, failed relationships and other personal issues contribute to this fear. The problem is that most teachers imagine that the students are just indifferent to studies and devise cures that end up aggravating the whole situation. They go-ahead to punish the voiceless students instead of finding trying to hear into their silence which may be at times loud. The chapter insists that teachers should shed the negative perceptions they have towards their students especially when the student tries to keep a distance because those perceptions do nothing positive to the fears in the students. The teachers should try to investigate the cause of this aloofness and then take the necessary measures to remedy the situation.

Reason for the Choice of the Chapters

I chose these two chapters because they tackle two of the most serious problems that are facing modern pedagogy. These two problems end up affecting the students, their academic performance, and their future lives. These two chapters deal with the influence of factors outside the school context on the lives of the students which in turn affects their lives in schools. The chapter on fear asserts that the teachers must be pro-active enough and teach the students to conquer themselves first before they can conquer the world. Teachers have excelled in teaching the technical competencies and skills to the students but have failed to nurture personal skills. This has created a generation that is strong externally and weak internally which is very dangerous. This chapter, therefore, emphasizes that the teachers must go back to the drawing board and incorporate elements of subjectivity in their methodology because this is the only approach that can help the students to tackle personal issues.

The second chapter is closely related to the first one because it deals with the perceptions that hinder the learning-teaching process in schools. The chapter insists that the teachers should not devise cures for the problems that the students are facing before they have a comprehensive understanding of the root of the problems because those cures may be more dangerous than the disease.

Importance of the Chapters

These two chapters are important to me and any other teacher because there is a crisis in the education sector brought about by the indifference of the teachers to external issues that have an impact on the teaching-learning process. As a teacher, I may be well versed in the subject content and have the best methodologies but this cannot translate to success because the educational process is not all about content and methodology. Focus on methodology and content creates academic giants and social dwarfs and this means that the social aspects of education should not be relegated to the sidelines. The current situation in the world where we have a very strong and technical generation that has weak interpersonal and social skills is a problem that stems from the education methods used in schools that do not focus on personal development. These chapters have taught me that teachers should be responsible not only for the academic and technical development of the students but also for their personal and social development. The teachers should understand that there are factors outside the school system that impact the teaching and learning process and they should not run away from these issues. The first chapter is especially important because it has vividly illustrated the main fear that teachers face. It has illustrated that the courage to teach us all about overcoming the objectivist dimension in the teaching process because removing oneself from the real-life situations that are affecting the students does not in any way help them to discover themselves. As a teacher, I should not avoid being subjective and I should not worry when personal bias creeps into my teaching methodology, because this subjectivity is very important in equipping the students with life skills.

Reflections

Finally, the two chapters have reflected on both my learning and my teaching. My teachers suffered from the same weaknesses that have been tackled in the two chapters. They never tried to help us understand issues to do with our personality and they also devised harmful cures to problems they perceived and the same trend continues even today as we teach. We rarely seek to understand the students and help them cope with real-life issues that are outside the classroom setting.

References

Palmer, J. (2007). The Courage to Teach. NJ: Prentice Hall

Binge drinking refers to the excessive consumption of alcohol with the aim of getting drunk over a limited time. This form of alcohol abuse is mostly associated with young people. That is adolescents and young adults. It is considered as a form of having fun mostly during the festive season. Binge drinking is also commonly linked to the male sex as compared to the female sex (Marlatt and Witkiewitz, 2002).

Given the adverse consequences of binge drinking, it is quite obvious that many people who engage in it do not know what they are getting themselves into. Apart from social harm, binge drinking also creates a lot of economic problems. Binge drinking can be extremely harmful to an individuals health as well as his social life. Excessive drinking causes health problems such as liver cirrhosis, throat and mouth cancer among others. It also leads to social crimes such as prostitution and robbery with violence which is considered to be morally wrong in the society. Teenage pregnancies are also a common problem associated with binge drinking among teenage girls. These girls later give birth to underweight babies or babies with various disorders. In some extreme cases, binge drinking can lead to suicide.

It is difficult to get people to stop drinking since this is a form of having fun embraced by many globally. However, all hope is not lost for binge drinkers. This is because experts have come up with measures to reduce their amount of alcohol consumption.

A brief intervention is one action that has been taken to help binge drinkers. This takes a short time mostly lasting up to thirty minutes (Jessop and Wade, 2008). It is aimed at motivating people in order to get them to reduce the amount of alcohol that they consume. In brief intervention, materials such as pamphlets and books are used in the discussions that take place.

Motivational interviewing is a form of brief intervention that is highly effective in changing the risky behavior associated with binge drinking. In this form of interview, a counselor engages his client in one on one discussion pointing out the benefits of drinking wisely (Collin, 2006). The counselor also discusses the importance of self respect and how it boosts ones self esteem. When a person has high self esteem, he gains confidence and can make wise decisions.

Clinical counseling is another form of action mainly targeting adolescents who are hospitalized due to alcohol related complications. This form of action has been found to be remarkably effective in getting the adolescents to change in a positive way. It is effective because adolescents are able to take any medical advice seriously at this particular time.

Many schools have adapted a system where students are educated on the dangers of abusing alcohol. This step has significantly reduced the number of young people who engage in binge drinking. It has also helped those who are addicted to alcohol to reduce their consumption and some have even quit drinking.

When death is mentioned, many people get scared because no one loves to die. Experts have found that associating binge drinking with death in their discussions has considerably reduced the amount of alcohol consumed by people (Wachtel and Staniford, 2010). The media are used to communicate the dangers of alcohol abuse since many people have access to at least one medium of communication.

Lastly, it is advisable to keep the right company. This is because true friends will always watch over others and give them the right advice. One should avoid friends who do not give them wise advice, or friends who are out to engage in dangerous deeds, in the name of having fun. People should avoid driving while drunk to avoid accidents.

References

Collin, C. (2006). Substance Abuse Issues and Public Policy in Canada: V, Alcohol and Related Harms. Political and Social Affairs Division, 11 450-520.

Jessop, D.C. and Wade, J. (2008). Fear appeals and binge drinking: A terrormanagement theory perspective. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 773788.

Marlatt,.G.A. and Witkiewitz, K. (2002). Harm reduction approaches to alcohol use:Health promotion, prevention, and treatment. Addictive Behaviors, 27 867886.

Wachtel, T. and Staniford, M. (2010). The effectiveness of brief interventions in the clinical setting in reducing alcohol misuse and binge drinking in adolescents: a critical review of the literature. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 605620.

Credible articles are written by authors who have a mastery of the contents of the article and who use sources that are reliable. In her article Why Black Women Fear for Their Lives in the Delivery Room, published in the Huffington Post, Eternity Martis focuses on African American mothers plight in the United States and Canadas delivery rooms. Although Eternity Martis is a trustworthy author, the sources she refers to are weak, the supporting references are not credible, and The Huffington Post is not a credible journal, which means that her article is not dependable.

First, the author of the article Why Black Women Fear for Their Lives in the Delivery Room, Eternity Martis, is trustworthy because she has written several publications and investigation articles on race issues. She is a professor of Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice studies at UBC. Moreover, she created several courses focusing on race problems, for instance, Reporting on Race: The Black Community in the Media. Martis has written articles on the topic of African-American womens health for several credible publications. Her work on this topic has shed light on many problems facing minority communities in the United States.

Next, Martins would be considered the pioneer of African Health and indigenous cultural affairs in the media space. Her work on the topic of black and indigenous peoples health has been adopted by many media outlets. Therefore, Martis has an academic background and a history of publishing articles in reliable news outlets on the topic of racial disparities and race problems within the healthcare industry in particular, which qualifies her for writing on the issues of African-American mothers.

Second, although Metis is a trustworthy and credible author as per her professionalism and experience, she has written for biased magazines, and Huffington Post is one of these unreliable mediums. This article was published in the Huffington Post, a publication that is not considered a reliable and credible source of information by a large number of American citizens. According to a survey held in April 2020, only seven percent of Americans view it as a credible source of news, meaning that the majority of people perceive Huffington Post as a weak source of information. Huffington Post has been accused of publishing articles with biased titles which sensationalize the content. This strategy helps attract the readers, but it also affects the content of the article and the lens through which information is presented.

Additionally, The Huffington Posts authors often refer to articles published in this magazine. This cross-referencing between The Huffington Posts articles suggests that the texts have no outside support from other sources and publications. Due to this aspect, one cannot fully trust the information that is published in this source regardless of the authors credentials. Therefore, the choice of the media outlet makes Martinss article less reliable because the Huffington Post is not trusted by over ninety percent of Americans, its authors often reference articles in the same magazine, and they often sensationalize the content.

Thirdly, despite Martins being a professor and having worked in the media industry for some time, the article in Huffington Post does not fully meet the credibility criteria. The references that she includes in her article and the sources of information she alludes to are not entirely credible or reliable. In her article, Martins includes quotes of some of the victims of the ill-treatment in the health centers, which are 1st hand sources.

These black women tell of their experiences at the health centers that may portray them as having gone through discrimination based on their race. However, taking reference from firsthand information may be misleading, one-sided, and biased. Martins herself claims that there is limited information on the effects on pregnant women Covid-19 (Martins, 2020). Moreover, Martis does not use any statistical data, and the majority of the evidence she references are personal experiences. Martins provides little statistics and most of her evidence is based on the interviews and personal experiences of particular women, which means that this article lacks adequate evidence from reliable sources and lowers her works credibility.

In conclusion, Martins is a trustworthy author, who has written on the topic of race issues before, but her evidence and choice of publication medium are questionable. Martis is a credible author who has written multiple publications on race and racial prejudice in healthcare.

Huffington Post has been criticized for its lack of professionalism, and sensualizing titles and only seven percent of Americans trust this magazine. Moreover, Martis selected unreliable sources, such as first-hand sources that may be biased or misleading. Martis should have chosen second-hand sources and valid statistics as the basis for her article and should have published it in a journal that is unbiased and does not have a specific political affiliation.

Introduction

“The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.” (90) A human’s fears should not be taken lightly. Fear could do anything to a person’s mind, even without fear a man can become as savage as an animal. Fear can haunt a person to a point of self-destruction and can be inside of everyone. Even if a person can overcome fear, it can still be very dangerous, it affects the person along with everyone and everything around them. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the boys are all so overcome by fear that the island begins to confuse and isolate them. We learn that they are afraid of a beast, but that fear turns out to be less dangerous than the fears they have within themselves. Jack’s fear of not being leader starts to have an effect on him, being isolated begins to take a toll on Ralph, and the rest of the boys, Jack also fears being powerless. The boys’ fear of the beast causes them to feel so unsafe that they are willing to do anything. Because of the boys being overwhelmed by their fears, it becomes the most destructive force on the island.

When it comes to Jack’s fear of not being chief, it brings out the worst in him and it influences the others. When the boys are deciding on who should be the chief, Ralph wins by a landslide. “Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification” (19). That is the first sign of Jack being humbled by Ralph and considering Jack’s personality, he is not used to failure. This fuels him to start a rivalry with Ralph, and to use fear and threats to control the other boys. For example, Piggy is afraid of Jack, who bullies and makes fun of him. Piggy who is perceptive and intelligent tells Ralph that he fears Jack, he tells Ralph “If you’re scared of someone you hate him, but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself that he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe. I tell you what. He hates you too, Ralph-‘(93) Jack is violent and is uses his power only to satisfy himself. Jack beats the boys for no reason so that they are all scared to do anything against him. He is obsessed with power and is willing to do anything to keep it. The rest of the boys are living with fear of Jack, slowly he starts to destroy their hopes of happiness. He creates a fear of him within the others. The boys are punished for no apparent reason. Jack shows them what can happen by beating a boy named Wilfred and he tells the boys to stay away from Ralph and his small group saying that they are a danger to the tribe. For the boys to join Jack’s tribe, he promises hunting as a fun activity, and no rules which is very savage-like. Jack knows that the boys like to hunt so he entices them into joining his tribe by promising to hunt. What he does not know is that hunting will make them lose reality and turn them into savages with no morals. Jack has learned use the boys’ fear of the beast to increase his own power. Under his leadership the boys lose all sense of civilization and destroy the island, destroying themselves in the process.

Even though Jack’s fear of not being chief ends badly, Ralph’s fear of not surviving has another whole level of bad endings. Ralph’s main concern when the boys crash into the island is being rescued, but because of this, he neglects other problems such as looking out for littluns. “’That litte’un – ‘gasped Piggy – ‘him with the mark of his face, I don’t see him. Where is he now?’” (46). Ralph is so blinded by the idea of being rescued that he forgets his priorities. He should be watching the littluns, but instead, he is being selfish and cares only about the fire. Consequently, to his poor action, an innocent life is taken away. Also, when a ship comes by and Ralph realizes that the hunters let the fire out, he loses it and he yells at Jack, but “his voice was loud and savage, and struck them into silence. ‘There was a ship’” (74). This is the first time that Ralph shows any sign of savagery, which tells the readers that evil and brutality are starting to take effect on Ralph. When Ralph is being chased by the fire that Jack started to hunt him down, he will do anything to stay alive. While hiding in a bush, “the pointed end of a stick appeared. In panic, Ralph thrust his own stick through the crack and struck with all his might” (215). He is so desperate to stay alive that he does not care that he is acting savage-like. Ralph is a symbol of civilization and even he is overpowered by evil. Ralph’s fear of not surviving eventually leads to the death of the littlun and harms many people around him.

Ultimately, the fear that causes the most controversy in the book is the boys’ fear of the beast. The littluns first experience the fear of the beast by having nightmares. Ralph tells Jack they need shelters. Ralph thinks that by building shelters, the littluns will feel more at home. The weakest link is always the easiest to break and the littluns do not know how to deal with the fear. The different priorities between Jack and Ralph split them apart and two different tribes are made. Jack wants to hunt while Ralph wants to be rescued. The beast causes such a commotion between the two and they cannot decide on what is right. The most significant tragedy in the book is the death of Simon. When the boys see Simon come out of the forest, their fear of the beast blinds them from seeing the truth and ends up killing Simon. “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (169). The fear of the beast is twisting the boys’ minds so much that anything that they see in the dark, they imagine it as the beast. Therefore, the fear of the beast is the most dangerous and destructive force on the island.

The most destructive force on the island is not a physical being, but rather a fear that lives within the boys. The three fears that were stated above, Jack’s fear of not being chief, Ralph’s fear of not surviving and the boys’ fear of the beast, has made the most impact in the book Lord of the Flies. Throughout the book, the boys have the power and the strength to overcome their fears and work together as a group but in the end, they choose not to by letting themselves accept their inner savageness. Fear is a very strong motivator, but it is up to the humans to use that for the benefit of others and themselves. Conclusively, it is either the fear controls the person, or the person controls the fear. “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.” (80)

The average person ingests eight spiders per year while sleeping. A ridiculous and yet commonly heard myth that continues to spread. It is not a secret that even just the thought of spiders is enough to elicit fear out of people, but many people may not know why society has this automatic response. Many people may also not know why it is that a simple arachnid is able to produce such a large emotion out of the general population. Fear is a common emotion and response that many people “have” but can often be one of the most complex. Researchers have spent years studying the responses of fear, 5 physical aspects, the causes, and how to combat it. Coping mechanisms for fear are hard to navigate when there is little understanding of fear. It is certain that everyone fears something and there are ways to help lower or get rid of that fear.

Everyday people deal with fears. Fear is a natural response. There are two parts to this response; biochemical and emotional. The fight or flight response is one of the most common responses to fear and it also happens to be the biochemical response. In some cases it can be a fight, flight or freeze response. The emotional response is often much more personal. It’s almost as if taking a trip on a wild roller coaster. Some people may like the roller coaster and enjoy the ride because they love the feeling of adrenaline pumping through their veins. Others may not like thrilling situations and they avoid them because of their fear of them. Fears could be rational and keep one safe from danger or irrational that cause one to panic, distress or maybe even avoid things that are necessary for one to learn and grow. “Fear is activated before a brain can process or evaluate what is happening. When the brain gets enough information it can realize there is no real danger or react to the danger.” (Fritscher). This process can take a matter of seconds or it can take much longer depending on the person and the situation. There was an experiment done on fear. Simunovic and others explain that In the experiment there were eighty-four students. These students were from Hokkaido University thirty-four females were in 16 sessions of experiments. There were eight females in one session. Thirty-two of the participants were part of a bilateral PSG; 26 of these females were deciders, they were given a red button. Twenty-six of the females were called the predictor. They didn’t have a button. They would predict the decider’s choice. There was also a confederate.The confederate’s choice didn’t affect anyone because his/her choice was not told to anyone until the end of the game. The confederates were assigned the role of predictor in the unilateral condition. (Simunovic and others)

In the end many of the participants engaged in attacks preemptively to avoid a potential threat. This happened without incentive. They also developed another game called “the preemptive strike game” or (PSG) for short. This game was to show how people can become aggressive when they are defending themselves. Simunovic and others found out that, “the rate at which participants attacked an individual representing a potential threat was not influenced by their minimal group membership; participants were no less likely to preemptively attack a member of their own minimal group and no more likely to use aggression against members of another minimal group.”(Simunovic and others). Simunovic and others thought that they needed to examine “fear-based defensive aggression, rather than anger-based spiteful aggression, plays in inter-individual and inter-group conflict.”(Simunovic and others)

Fear can produce physical reactions in humans. These reactions include: “…sweating, increased heart rate, and high adrenaline levels that make one extremely alert.” (Fritscher). These symptoms are part of the fight or flight response which is part of the biochemical response. The biochemical response is most likely due to evolution. Fear is complicated and learning about it can help society make more sense of the emotion itself and the human brain. According to a website reviewed by kids behavioral health experts called Nemours, When one’s brain senses danger they react almost instantly. One’s brain sends signals to their nervous system. When this happens it causes a physical response for that person maybe like their heart beating faster, heavily breathing, higher blood pressure. Blood can also pump to certain muscle groups to prepare the body for a physical action (like running or fighting). Skin can sweat to keep one’s body cool. Some people might experience sensations in the stomach, chest, hands, legs or possibly even head. These sensations of fear can be strong or mild. (Nemours). Fear doesn’t just create one physical reaction, but several. Sometimes these reactions can be small and yet they are still noticeable.The severity of these reactions can reach high levels and in turn cause more harm than help. These reactions can easily lead into a dire situation.

The numerous reactions to our fears can cause a severe amount of stress in one’s life. Segal and others (a group of pediatricians) say it is possible that all the stress can lead to some or all of these issues; …depression, anxiety, sleep issues, autoimmune diseases, digestive problems, skin conditions, heart disease, weight problems, reproductive issues, thinking and memory issues. (Segal and others). To think, all these critical issues are caused by stress which is only one part of exploring fear. This can easily become a quite serious issue, especially for people with preexisting conditions if they have many fears or if they have such a strong negative emotional response to fear. There are several variables that can affect one’s stress levels and it is best to start with surroundings. An individual must start with the people they are surrounded by and their support group. Are they positive or negative? What are the outcomes of being surrounded with a positive and negative support group? Segal and others say “A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer against stress. When one has others that they can count on, life’s pressures don’t seem as overwhelming. On the flip side, the lonelier and more isolated one is, the greater one’s risk of succumbing to stress.” (Segal and others). If one has a negative support group they can seek out a positive support group. They have the option to seek out a positive support group by going to a therapist or finding an emotional support group where members have similar issues.

One may also need to look at their sense of control, their attitude, and their overall outlook on the world. Being confident and having a good outlook on things can be extremely helpful though one may not be able to do this or it may be just be difficult. However, it is always worth trying to expand someone’s perspectives. If one doesn’t have a great outlook it can be helpful to talk to people who do, so that person has the opportunity to gain an opposite perspective and possibly adopt some of their views. Parochial view points always play a role in our outlook. Segal gives a fantastic explanation, stating, ‘The way one looks at life can usually make a large difference in one’s ability to handle stress diligently. It can also affect the inevitable challenges of life. Being optimistic can make a vast difference. Optimism and being hopeful in general. It can even make one less vulnerable. People with lots of stress learn to embrace these inevitable challenges in turn also giving them a stronger sense of humor.” (Segal and others) Of course this isn’t always going to be true but it can be quite helpful in some cases. Occasionally our emotions can control the way we react to different things. They can easily make someone more stressed, nervous, scared or agitated. The last example is one’s knowledge, experience and preparation 1. “The more one knows about a stressful situation, including how long it will last and what to expect, the easier it is to cope.To illistraite, if one goes into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful recovery will be less stressful than if one were expecting to bounce back immediately.” (Segal and others)

Fear has many factors. Vytal reads about Phelps’ learning and how “Fear can be learned through direct experience with a threat, but it can also be learned via social means such as verbal warnings or observ-ing others. Phelps’s research has shown that the expression of socially learned fears shares neural mechanisms with fears that have been acquired through direct experience.” (Vytal)

Conclusion

People all over the world fear the unknown. Kristina H, an editor of the mental health and addictions community, says that people base their choices off of experience, mental calculation, intuition, habit, pressure, lack of control, and when others decide (H). Everyone copes with the fear of the unknown in different ways and the decisions that one makes can affect the way that they deal with this fear. At times one may be forced into the unknown because change is definitely inevitable.

Fear is a complex emotion that can elicit several responses out of a person. Physical and emotional reactions are common responses when faced with our fears and it is important that society takes the time to understand the stress involved with these responses. Fear can be a serious issue for some who cannot handle the adrenaline or anxiety that comes along with it. Despite the information already made on studying fear, researchers still continue to explore the implications of it. Understanding the biochemical and emotional responses humans have toward fear brings society one step closer to understanding the emotion and the brain as a whole.

Work Cited

1. “Fears and Phobias.” Teens Health from Nemours, https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/phobias.html
2. Fritscher, Lisa “The Psychology Behind Fear.” Very Well Mind, 7 November 2019, www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-fear-2671696
3. H, Kristina “Why do We Fear the Unknown?” Medium, 6 March 2019, medium.com/swlh/why-do-we-fear-the-unknown-571fa35e6255
4. Segal, Jeanne et al “Stress Symptoms, signs and causes” Help Guide, October 2019, www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm
5. Simunovic, Dora et al “Preemptive Strike: An Experimental Study of Fear Based Aggression”, 14 August 2013 www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103113001479
6. Vytal, Katye “Learning to Fear” APS, 1 January 2007, www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/learning-to-fear
7. Winters, Jeffrey “Why we Fear the Unknown” Psychology Today, 1 May 2002 www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200205/why-we-fear-the-unknown

In life some things come and go, whether it be people or even emotions, not everything is permanent. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the main character Santiago, who is portrayed as a courageous boy sets out from his home country to the Egyptian deserts with the goal of finding his treasure. However, along the way he encounters several bumps in the road, but with an optimistic attitude he looks at it with nothing but positivity and takes them in as both blessings and lessons. It is important for one to achieve their dreams, to live happily regardless of the obstacles that may appear in the process. Throughout the novel, Santiago acknowledges the key to fulfill his dream life is to overcome his fears, listen to omens, and use his life hurdles as nothing but blessings to attain his ultimate life.

Fears are often what discourages an individual from doing what they really want to, though defeating this feeling may not come easy, the reward that follows is like no other. Being able to rid oneself of fear allows them to open up to trying bigger and better things in life. In The Alchemist Santiago is seen conflicted with his fear of loss and his fear of putting others in harm’s way. After hearing about the treasure he is destined to find, he is not too keen on letting go of his sheep as he finds himself to be in a comfortable and stable position. He then immediately begins to speak of how he is the only one who knows his sheep as well as himself, and is the only one qualified to take care of them, “…how to shear sheep, how to care for pregnant ewes, and how to protect the sheep from wolves,” (Coelho 28). Santiago fears to be separated from his sheep as he grew a deep attachment and connection to them over time, and believes he is the only one capable of truly caring for them. Eventually, Santiago acknowledges it is time to let go of his sheep and make it his goal to pursue his personal legend rather than only thinking about the negatives and losses along the way. In addition, Santiago combats with his fear of failure. While travelling with the alchemist, he explains that a person’s heart becomes fearful “of moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands,” (Coelho 134). Santiago tells the alchemist that his “heart is afraid it will have to suffer” (Coelho 134). He fears that he may not find the treasure and will not fulfill his personal legend. Although, the alchemist’s words put him at ease as he tells him that ”the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself” (Coelho 134). From this he comes back into the realization that he should not let his fear of failure overwhelm and distract him from his goals, and should instead focus on the positive aspects of his journey and allow any lessons along the way to help shape who he is and his future for the better. Whether or not he finds the treasure he should appreciate the journey for the lessons rather than the satisfaction of the prize. The third piece of proof is when Santiago is kidnapped by a body of tribesmen, they notice that he is a foreigner, and he begins to fear that his life may be at risk. However, the alchemist gives the men all the boy’s money to protect the two and tells them that the boy is an alchemist and can turn himself into the wind, despite the fact that Santiago cannot. This lie then has the head of the tribesmen demand to see it, giving Santiago only three days to do so and if he fails to succeed both himself and the alchemist will have no choice but to surrender their lives to the men. At this part of the novel it states “The boy was shaking with fear…” and Santiago grows furious with the alchemist and says “You gave them everything I had!” “Everything I’ve saved in my entire life!” (Coelho 145). He is caught by surprise and panics knowing he needs to learn something that he knows nothing of. Even though he has never done anything like this and is frightened by the idea of being forced to stay with the tribesmen, he learns how to become the wind and scares off the men allowing him and the alchemist to continue on with his journey.

Omens are an event regarded as a portent of good or evil. Throughout the novel, Santiago is seen encountering a number of different omens on the way to allocate his treasure. Despite the number of omens that are present, they all help play an important role in shaping Santiago’s thoughts, behaviour, and future. He slowly learns to recognize and use these omens to help him make decisions, no matter the potential outcomes. When Santiago has his first encounter with King Melchezidek, he notices a butterfly that flutters in between the both of them. With this he suddenly remembers his grandfather had once mentioned, “that butterflies were a good omen” (Coelho 32). This omen is significant to the novel as this is when he interprets the sighting of the gentle insect as a sign he should set foot on his journey to follow and fulfill his personal legend. Next, the king hands Santiago two stones named Urim and Thummim, and says “they can help you read the omens,” (Coelho 43). These stones signify “yes” and “no”, and lead up to his next omen. Santiago still puzzled with whether or not he still has the old man’s blessing, asks the stones and pulls out the stone that signifies “yes”. With this he confidently questions the stones, “Am I going to find my treasure?” (Coelho 44), however he is left unanswered when both the stones fall out of the pouch leaving him with no direct answer. The falling of the stones proves to him that not everything can be answered with simple one word answers, but rather experienced. Though the old king advises him to, “Learn to recognize omens, and follow them,” (Coelho 44), and soon with the kings reassuring words Santiago realizes he must instead make his own decisions rather than relying on the stones to do so for him. The final main omen Santiago encounters is his deep affection for Fatima. He allows himself to become completely vulnerable and is willing to put an end to his search for the treasure to fulfill his need for love.

Human beings have consumed horror and all that relates to it throughout the beginning of culture, rituals, and the introduction of storytelling. For many, it is a euphoric sense of release and a much sought-after thrill of escapism consumed in a variety of ways through media, such as literature and film. ‘The connections between civilization and horror are very clear: the origins of civilization are in violence; ritual and other forms of sacred violence are used o channel otherwise uncontrollably violence, destabilizing urges into socially licensed forms’ (Jones, 2018) The horror genre within film and literature has been forever evolving itself to suit the particular societal fears, pressures, and tragedies that have pervaded history, hence why the analysis of the new 21st century fears and anxieties within the horror genre is an important study. Horror can afford the viewer a sense of control by presenting tragedy through a lens they can relate to, allowing them to vicariously experience the viral pandemic fears of the real world. The general type of fear that permeates all horror, is simply the fear of the unknown, of that which we cannot understand or relate to and when our sense of what we believe to be true and our sense of self is ultimately and harshly challenged, however, this generalized fear is expressed in a variety of different ways.

To analyze, the specific newly emerged fears and anxieties of the 21st century it’s also important to briefly discuss and analyze the general fears and anxieties of the earlier centuries within the literature of horror, how the fears have shifted from one century to the next and why.

19th-century horror seemed to direct its primary focus onto the supernatural, all cultures have been populated by the concept of the other, demons, darkness, and evil. Early literature beginnings of the horror genre were established through the “gothic novel”. Dark, tumultuous, and dangerous stories set against the backdrop of gothic settings such as castles with ghouls, demons, vampires, and the undead, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula published in 1897, a story about a blood-thirsty vampire fraught with evil intent on seeking to wreak havoc on foreign land and to infect others, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein published much earlier in 1818, a narrative about a freakish attempt to recreate and manipulate nature to scientific will until it wreaks havoc as well. These stories were pervasive and extremely reflective of the period in which they were published, with the first considered gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, being published as early as the 18th century in 1765 by Horace Walpole, a book known to have had a great impact on the developing horror genre. To summarise ‘the fear of death and the possibility of resurrection in gothic novels and their (later) movie counterparts reflected contemporary society’s fear of premature death and illness, before the advent of modern medicine’ (Lights Film School, 2018) including the ever evident threat of the rapid spread of disease and infestation, particularly amongst the poor and vulnerable such as cholera, smallpox, and typhus. Therefore the reflective literary works before the emergence of the 21st century showcased these shared societal fears and anxieties amongst the general population as these centuries were notably marked by wars, disease, and famine.

However, since the introduction of the 21st century, the general fears of the public have shifted to accommodate for the rapid technological and scientific advancements and the much more easily accessible and widespread knowledge given, which has arguably, in turn, shifted the general public’s fear of that which cannot be scientifically proven to that which is much more realistic and easier to imagine in today’s current climate. The focus seems to be on what is rationally proven and tangible, which in turn means a greater focus on the non-supernatural elements of everyday life. Films take on a documentary-like feel to their structure and intended purpose, straying away from over-the-top, theatrical, and difficult-to-believe elements of the horror genre in the years before, we have come to fear the average man and/or woman, rather than some scientifically fictitious monster lurking in the shadows. ‘Some theories of horror see it addressing ‘our deepest fears’, essentially static, part of the fundamentally unchanging ‘human condition’. But our fears are not fixed, they are mutable and contingent, a product of historical context’ (Jones, 2018)

However, films like The Blair Witch Project (Sanchez and Myrick, 1999) interestingly act as a bridge between the realistic and supernatural elements and an example of a noticeable shift in the general public’s interest coming into the 21st century. The film famously garnered widespread media coverage and attention for utilizing extremely realistic documentary elements and social media marketing tactics to spread false information about the alleged disappearance of the ‘documentarians’ in charge of the production of the film and their recovered footage. However, in reality, this was all a front to garner publicity, which paid off handsomely. The film garnered widespread appeal simply through word of mouth and grossed two hundred and fifty million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent films of all time. The film was able to combine the classical supernatural elements of the horror genre, through its eerily gothic-like forest setting and paranormal antagonist, with the realism of a documentary and found footage film with authentic and unscripted performances and purposefully amateurish camerawork. The general public most likely connected with The Blair Witch Project because of its undeniable simplicity and the feeling those same circumstances could truly befall anyone, especially with the rise of media coverage concerning missing young adult and children’s cases in the United States that led to widespread social panic for years in the 1990s and earlier. The Blair Witch Project acted on these fears and anxieties that were prevalent during the time.

Because of this, there has been a distinguishable shift towards realist horror conventions, where there are similarities to the new modern media interest in serial/spree killers. ‘Freeland differentiates between “art-horror” – a category suggested by Noel Carroll (1990) – and “realist horror”, stressing the emphasis on the supernatural (vampires, zombies, lycanthropes, etc.) in the former, and on “naturalized” or “ordinary” monsters (human psychopaths, serial killers, etc.) in the latter. She sees a close relationship between realist horror texts and the contemporary media through their respective fascination with serial killers” (Jackson, 2002).

For example, most recent investigative true crime television shows, such as Making a Murderer (Ricciardi and Demos, 2015), act on the general public’s interest by figuring out the reasons for such human depravity within the human condition, which is achieved by looking inwards and accessing the only provable. Making Murderer documents the story of Steven Avery, who finds himself linked to a crime through DNA evidence, the series mainly aims to analyze whether or not Avery is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach or a victim of law enforcement mismanagement and blatant cover-up. The series performed extremely well, no doubt because it placed the audience into the perspective of an investigator, unraveling the mystery together. Furthermore, an alternative explanation from Greek philosopher Aristotle ‘argues the ‘concept of catharsis, according to which the act of witnessing artistic representations of cruelty and monstrosity, pity and fear, purges the audience of these emotions, leaving them psychologically healthier’. (Jones, 2018)

This need for understanding and reassurance for something so human but at the same time lacking in so much humanity is also yet another manifestation of a form of fear that has emerged in the 21st century. Serial killers are now a common staple of the horror genre due to the increased media coverage and widespread paranoia during the televised court proceedings and hearings of infamous serial killers such as Ted Bundy, who gained widespread media coverage and publicity for their crimes, something that was previously extremely difficult to capture in the past. His trial was the first to be televised in the United States and was reported on by 250 journalists from 5 continents. The general public has now been offered a view of the most morally reprehensible human beings, who are just that, human beings, just like everyone else. Furthering the knowledge that this could be anyone you know. This fear and anxiety have therefore been translated into investigative true crime television shows which focus on whether or not the perpetrator is guilty, it’s now up to the audience to set the trail and watch.

Coming into the 21st century also marked a decrease in the general belief in the supernatural. For example, Randall found that there was an ‘Increase in acceptance in religious values alongside a belief in faith healing’ because ‘In some respects, it appears that people’s supernatural curiosities may have been recently drawn towards religious content and away from other paranormal and pseudoscientific pursuits’ (Psychological Reports, 1990). However films such as Paranormal Activity (Peli, 2007) directly contrast this claim, the supernatural is still a popular and highly sought-after mode of horror, however, it has over the years evolved to suit technological advancement. Found footage films have immensely increased in popularity over the years and delve into the fear of seeing/finding something you shouldn’t, something sinister and unseen in your home, what should be a place of safety. It holds similar fears and anxieties regarding home invasions, the feeling that an unseen force has invaded your home and left behind its presence, the introduction of CCTV and home footage is a direct response to these fears, and it could, therefore, be argued that paranormal found footage films such as Paranormal Activity became so popular due to these growing concerns the plotline of the second film, Paranormal Activity 2 (Williams, 2010) follows this premise as a reason to install cameras within the home in the first place.

However recent technological advancements have also led to fears and anxieties concerning the future possibilities of things such as widespread diseases and illnesses. We are consistently presented with boundless possibilities through our relatively easy and fast connection to information, the possibilities of incoming disasters marked by failed human intervention or perhaps too much of it. This fear has sparked a resurgence of the zombie horror genre in all forms of popular media such as film, television shows, comic books, games, etc. ‘Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, zombie movies have become more popular than ever, with multiple remakes, parodies, and sequels.’ (Bishop, 2009) For example, the television show, The Walking Dead (Darabont and Kirkman, 2010) grew into an immense cult following because of this resurgence in popular media.

The series itself begins when its primary character Rick Grimes, wakes up from a coma only to find that the world he once knew has irreversibly changed and is now infested by hordes of zombies. Society now faces the basic struggle for survival. Similarly, the film, 28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002) begins with the same premise, its primary character, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma, only to discover the streets of a once-bustling London completely deserted. The two films and others of their kind, act on the fear of suddenly waking up only to find your entire world flipped upside down without warning, the general anxiety of losing control of one’s surroundings and being unable to return to everyday life is certainly a possibility that has always existed and previous generations had to, unfortunately, suffer through with wars and the constant threat of death. However, due to the widespread access to information and the speed at which it’s developed, these anxieties have become more prevalent. Therefore within the 21st-century‘ horror films function as barometers of society’s anxieties, and zombie moves represent the inescapable realities of unnatural death while presenting a grim view of the modern apocalypse through scenes of deserted streets, piles of corpses, and vigilantes – images that have become increasingly common and can shock and terrify a population that has become numb to other horror subgenres’(Bishop, 2009)

Additionally, the zombie horror genre also relates to our fears and anxieties relating to our autonomy and control. ‘Body horror is a term summarized very usefully as ‘the explicit display of the decay, dissolution or destruction of the body, foregrounding bodily processes and function under threat, allied to new physiological configurations and redefinitions and anatomical forms’ (Jackson, 2002). Explicit representations of this fear exist within films such as Raw (Ducournau, 2017) and more subtle representation within films such as It Follows (Mitchell, 2015). In Raw, the loss of bodily control is very obvious as the main character Justine (Garance Marillier) begins to suffer from violent impulses towards consuming human flesh after accidentally ingesting meat whilst being a strict vegetarian during an initiation ceremony. The change is unwelcomed and brutal and exists to remind us of our animalistic desires and tendencies, which we must keep under control to function appropriately within civilized society. Of course, not everyone fears these violent impulses within themselves, but people can most certainly fear them from others. Furthermore, It Follows, demonstrates another type of loss of bodily control as the film act as an allegory of the mental anguish that follows someone with a sexually transmitted disease. It’s bodily horror actualized through seemingly supernatural horror, as the main character, Jay (Maika Monroe) inherits a curse after sleeping with her new boyfriend, one which follows her, quite literally, wherever she goes until she transfers it onto someone else. This film acts on societal fears and pressures of concealing and being ashamed of sexually transmitted diseases and having to suffer through them either permanently or temporarily, some of which can be deadly. These growing concerns and our much more open discussion of them inspire films such as these to explore the fears and anxieties held by today’s youth culture, therefore Phillip Brophy argues that ‘the contemporary horror film tends to play not so much on the broad fear of Death, but more precisely on the fear of one’s own body, how one controls and relates to it’ (Brothy, 1986).

In conclusion ‘the spectacle of violence, then, is encoded in art from its very beginnings’(Jones, 2018) and is very well established through the horror genre, which acts as a direct representation of many societal fears of the 21st century, such as the fear of disease, war, human monsters and loss of bodily control. All of these are unique to the 21st century due to our ever-growing interest and concerns with our safety and our unfiltered access to information that may harm our perception of reality and feed into our fears.

Bibliography:

1. Brothy, P. “Horrality – The Textuality of Contemporary Horror Films.” Screen 21.1, Spring 1986: 20-13
2. Jones, D. (2018) Sleeping with the Lights On The Unsettling Story of Horror: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, Oxford. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [18 July 2020].
3. Kyle Bishop (2009) Dead Man Still Walking, Journal of Popular Film and Television, 37:1, 16-25, DOI: 10.3200/JPFT.37.1.16-25
4. McGrail, Lauren. “A History of Horror in Cinema.” Lights Film School, 19 Oct. 2018, www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/history-horror-movies-genre-agf
5. Neil Jackson (2002) ‘Cannibal Holocaust: Realist Horror and Reflexivity’, PostScript Vol 21, No.3
6. Randall, TM: Belief in The Paranormal Declines 1977-87. Psychological Reports. 1990. 66: Pp 1347-1351.

November 1st, 2019. It’s that time of year: the mock trial is in session! That means case reports, witness statements, exhibits, and everything else we need to form our case in chief. I’ve been doing mock trials for 4 years now, and it’s become more than just some club I do. It’s home.

But things weren’t always this way. Public speaking wasn’t always my strong suit. Before high school, I was a very shy kid. I would avoid interaction with any strangers like the plague. It felt safer to stay inside my head, lost in thought. I hated myself for this. I knew I could be better if I just took a chance.

So, I did. At the beginning of my freshman year, I joined the mock trial program. I remember dreading going to the first few practices since I knew I would have to do some public speaking eventually. But it wasn’t long before I started to feel comfortable in the program. Everyone seemed to understand what I was going through and went out of their way to make me feel welcome. The other freshmen would start conversations with me about the case and my personal life. The seniors would advise me on performing better at public speaking. The coaches encouraged me to talk and become more outgoing. Slowly but surely I began to speak up more and participate in discussions. Public speaking had always been challenging for me, but with everyone’s help, I learned to face my fears and I began to break out of the shell that I had used to hide myself from everyone else. I had left behind my grade school friends, familiar classrooms, and everything else that I had grown up with to start over in a whole new school. In a way, my mock trial teammates and coaches had become a second family.

Weeks turn into months and years. Before I’d known it, I had been doing mock trials for 3 years. My freshman self was a distant memory, and I had finally grown to be an exceptional witness in a mock trial. A sure sign of my growth was an offer to be on our school’s top team, the Empire team. It’s named after the tournament that we would be competing in at Atlanta. This international tournament was my next step, and my team was determined to show the world what we’re made of. Nothing would stop us from taking home that first-place trophy. And we prepared for the entire summer just to ensure that happened. We go through the first 4 trials, and we’re patiently waiting to hear which teams will be playing in the championship round. 3rd place. In a split decision, we had barely missed out on the championship. We were defeated. Our summer’s work was all for nothing. We had failed. But, I don’t believe I failed at all. Not one bit. That 3rd place trophy wasn’t just a trophy. It was my crowning achievement after overcoming my fear of public speaking. It was symbolic of all the things I had done over the past 3 years. It was an award my past self could only dream of getting. It was an absolute victory.

Now, as a senior ready to go to college, when I look back at my freshman year, I’m surprised by how much I have grown as a person in just four years. A lot of that credit belongs to my school’s mock trial program. It helped me believe in my own abilities and overcome my fear of public speaking. Its influence on me didn’t end in the mock trial itself. I am no longer the shy, awkward kid I was before I was in grade school. I have changed for the better.

Transformation, transformation plays a key role in stories meant to scare us. “In the manner of my friend I was at once struck with an incoherence–an inconsistency; and I soon found this to arise from a series of feeble and futile struggles to overcome a habitual residency–on excessive nervous agitation.”(p9 fall of the house of usher) this excerpt from the passage shows just how the usher has changed throughout the years. When they were young they would hang out all the time at this pristine mansion, but now, the mansion is dark dank and depressing. just as an usher. This change, otherwise thought of as transformation really adds an allure to fear in the story. This certain transformation when the house finally falls, in the end, shows just how distraught the usher was after the passing of his sister. This gave readers a certain desire for fear and they were given it.

As Well in the fall of the house of usher, it tells a tale of mental instability. With mentally unstable people you can never tell just how the story will transform, and not knowing when or how the transformation is almost the worst part about it all. Extremely scary to the reader because you can never know what will happen, by this very same logic you really do need a certain amount of transformation in a story to create an allure to fear and the fear itself. How at the beginning of the story we could understand his madness but then the story changes and his sister come back to life he can’t stand the stress and he dies, along with the house.

The way transformation actually leads the reader to feel scared is actually quite complex. It is said that transformation’s role in a story meant to scare you is more of a sense of loss or a sense of not knowing what will happen next that really scares the reader. Though not all transformation is able to bring fear to the heart of the reader, often it needs to be a major change in the story that throws you off track to what you ever thought possible to happen next.

Sometimes a more abrupt and heavy change is more effective than any small changes over time. Such as in the story “where is here” reads, “after several minutes of this the father came abruptly forward and dropped his hand on the stranger’s shoulder. “The visit is over,” he said calmly. It’s the first time since they had shaken hands that the men touched and the touch had a galvanic effect on the stranger: he dropped his ruler and pencil at once, froze in his stooped posture, and burst into frightened tears.” this excerpt from the passage shows how quickly the mood changed and not only struck fear into the stranger but also into the readers who experienced the story right alongside the words themselves. A certain fear that would be difficult to obtain any other way besides reading such a gripping passage.

A supernatural and mythical beast in the windigo. At the beginning of this tale is a child living a normal life with his mom’s dog and all inside his cozy home. The story remains happy and everything seems fine, at least it did until the transformation hits. The windigo lures the child into the forest. It is a well-known fact that windigo is a creature that eats human flesh. This abrupt transformation in the story makes the story very scary all of a sudden and has you at the edge of your seat in fear. Without this transformation, the story would’ve been bland and boring, with this transformation the story is suddenly horrifying.

Fear. We all experience it universally every day as a basic emotion. Everywhere we go, everything we do, fear is hidden deep in our minds. Some might not consider fear’s power over us, thinking it’s too small of emotion to be in control of our ginormous body, and our even bigger life. Fear is just known to be a survival instinct, only to take control in dire situations, it sounds like we benefit from it, don’t we?

Phobia comes from the Latin word “Phobos” meaning “aversion or morbid fear”. Phobias affect more than 19 million in the world and if gone to an extent, it can be considered as a mental illness. Normally, phobias are categorized into five categories: Natural Environment, Animals, Mutilation and Situations. The most common phobias that affect us today are Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), Social phobia (fear of social situations), Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces). Learning and hearing about these fears may seem like ordinary everyday trudges, but it’s more than that. Phobias can change a person’s life drastically; physically and emotionally.

Our brain is a highly complex machine and it has articulate ways of processing things, especially emotions. We depend on our brain’s decision-making for our survival. Our brain is cut into sections for abiding every function our body needs. The parts of the brain include the Hypothalamus, Thalamus, Sensory Cortex, Hippocampus, and the Amygdala. The Amygdala is where fear is processed. During a threading situation, (“The Amygdala is triggered by a fear response, which activates areas involved in preparations for motor functions involved in the fight or flight response. It also triggers a release of stress hormones in the sympathetic nervous system”). This response then accumulates to the feeling of fear.

An extreme emotion of fear may also be too much for our brain to handle, making our hormones and feelings out of control. During an extremely scary event that goes to an extent, your brain lacks control at that point causes PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Most survivors of PTSD have described the moment as an “out of body feeling” and in that state of extreme shock, the moment is embedded into the brain as a “ flashbulb memory”. The memories are made by (“the chemicals that are released during fight-or-flight can work like glue to build these memories”). Because of this, the amygdala becomes overstimulated, being highly alert for any signs of threat, the hippocampus becomes inactive due to an increase in the stress hormone (glucocorticoid) that kills calls in the amygdala in hope of erasing the memory of the traumatic event. Due to this, the body itself becomes fatigued. Symptoms of PTSD can also include (“ intrusive thoughts (unwanted memories); mood alterations (shame, blame, persistent negativity); hypervigilance (exaggerated startle response); and avoidance of all sensory and emotional trauma-related material”)

In conclusion, fear is a natural experience we all endure and although it is meant as a survival instinct, it also affects our brain which then can influence our body and even our general outlook on life. Also, we must never forget that with the right determination, we can get through anything. Even with our fears, we are stronger than them and must have the courage to face our fear, nevertheless how frightening they may seem. We can learn to relax and live our life to the fullest. As Kelly Clarkson once famously said, “ What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.