FEAR

The term fear, whose metapsychological status remains uncertain, was used by Freud, in contrast to anxiety, to refer to the reaction to some real danger. In several works Freud discussed the semantic relationship between the terms Angst (anxiety), Furcht (apprehension, fear), and Schreck (fright). For Freud the distinction between anxiety and fear relates primarily to its object, a distinction found in his earliest writings. In an article from 1895, which discusses the distinguishing characteristics of phobias and obsessions, he differentiates phobias "according to the object of the fear," while anxiety refers to the emotional state experienced by the subject, without reference to a specific object (1895c [1894]). Similarly, in 1916, in his Introduction to Psychoanalysis (1916-1917a [1915-1917]), Freud, referring to the use of these terms in popular speech, indicated that "anxiety is related to a state with no direct allusion to an object, while in fear the person's attention is precisely focused on the object."

In 1920, in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920g), Freud emphasized the difference between fear and anxiety in terms of their relation to danger: Anxiety is a state characterized by the expectation and preparation for a danger, "even if unknown," while fear implies a determinate object. In Inhibitions, Symptoms, and Anxiety (1926d [1925]), he further insisted on the association of anxiety with a state of expectancy and the use of the term fear —"in keeping with current usage"—to represent the situation when anxiety has found an object.

We see that the term fear is quoted with reference primarily to contemporary language. According to Catherine Cyssau, fear has no means of representation and its object does not conform to the criteria for repression. Although the status of anxiety, as an affect, occurs early in the development of Freudian theory, fear is more uncertain and seems to fall mostly within the context of behavioral description. Moreover, the opposition between fear and anxiety is hardly ever mentioned in Freud's later writings, especially in the New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis (1933a [1932]), where the theory of anxiety is again discussed.

In fact, another concept appeared in 1916 in Freud's writings, that of "Realangst," which can be translated as "realistic anxiety" or "anxiety in the face of a real danger," and which is contrasted with neurotic anxiety or the anxiety of desire. In the Introduction to Psychoanalysis, Freud emphasized the rational and comprehensive nature of realistic anxiety, triggered by the perception of an external danger, that is, under conditions that can give rise to fear. From then on the fundamental question, to which he would frequently return, was that of the conditions required for the emergence of anxiety, a signal triggered by an external or internal danger.

In post-Freudian work the concept of fear is essentially used to characterize certain infantile manifestations of anxiety. Anna Freud, in particular, insisted on the structural differentiation between archaic, or primitive, fears and the phobias. It is important to remember that the "fear of the stranger's face," which, as described by René Spitz, arises in the infant when it is between six and eight months old, raises the question of determining if this reaction should be interpreted as a realistic anxiety responding to an external danger—the face perceived as unknown—or if it is an expression of unpleasure and the internal threat caused by the absence of the maternal object.

Fright, or Schreck, which is associated in several Freudian texts with traumatic neurosis, corresponds to the effects of a danger for which the subject "is not prepared by an earlier state of anxiety" (1916-1917a [1915-1917]). Freud goes on to say that anxiety contains "something that protects against fright" (1920g).

Roger Dorey has remarked that Freud, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900a), described, in contrast to the "primary experience of satisfaction," an "experience of fright whose origin is external" and which leaves behind a painful memory trace that the primitive psychic apparatus tries to avoid. This flight before the memory of the present pain, is, according to Freud, the "model and first example of psychic repression." Thus, the prototype of fright is nothing but the experience of object loss, an experience that submerges the primitive psychic apparatus in excitations it is unable to control. For Dorey this "painful memory image" of the absent object forms a representation that contributes to the formation of the primal unconscious.

Claude Bursztejn

See also: "Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-year-old Boy" (Little Hans); Annihilation anxiety; Anxiety; Castration complex; Claustrophobia; "Confusion of Tongues between Adults and the Child "; Danger; Drive/instinct; Erythrophobia (fear of blushing); Fright; Guilt, feeling of; Incest; Paranoid position; Phobia of commiting impulsive acts; Phobias in children; Stranger, fear of.

Bibliography

Cyssau, Catherine. (1997). La peur et les phobies: des név-roses d'angoisse à l'hystérie d'angoisse. In A. Fine, A. Le Guen, A. Oppenheimer (Eds.), Peurs et phobies. Paris: P.U.F.

Dorey, Roger. (1988). Le Désir de savoir. Paris: Denoël.

Freud, Sigmund. (1895a [1894]). (1916-1917a [1915-1917]). Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis (Parts I and II). SE, 15-16.

——. (1920g). Beyond the pleasure principle. SE, 18: 1-64.

Fear

An intense emotional state caused by specific external stimuli and associated with avoidance, self defense, and escape.

Fear is one of the primary emotions, together with joy, anger , and grief. Fear generally refers to feelings elicited by tangible, realistic dangers, as opposed to anxiety, which often arises out of proportion to the actual threat or danger involved. Fear may be provoked by exposure to traumatic situations, observations of other people exhibiting fear, or the receipt of frightening information. Repeated or prolonged exposure to fear can lead to disorders such as combat fatigue, which is characterized by long-term anxiety and other emotional disturbances.

Fear is accompanied by a series of physiological changes produced by the autonomic nervous system and adrenal glands, including increased heart rate, rapid breathing, tenseness or trembling of muscles, increased sweating, and dryness of the mouth. Blood is diverted from other parts of the body to the areas where energy is most needed, either to run from danger or to forcibly protect oneself, a reaction known as the "fight or flight" response. This sudden diversion of excess blood from the cerebral cortex of the brain may also cause fainting, which in animals may actually serve an adaptive function to protect them from predators. In the 1880s, William James concluded that the physiological changes associated with fear actually constitute the emotion itself (e.g., "we are afraid because we tremble"), a view that has been challenged by cognitive psychologists since the 1950s.

Fears first appear in human infants at about seven months of age. Young children generally have more fears than older persons and their fears are experienced more intensely. Within families, studies have shown that middle children as a group experience fewer fears than older or younger siblings. Researchers have disagreed about the extent to which fear is innate or learned, with behaviorists arguing that it is largely learned. Animals have been conditioned to fear previously neutral stimuli through various methods including association, the exposure to paired neutral and fear-producing stimuli to the point where the neutral stimuli become associated with fear, even when presented alone. Certain innate fears such as fear of loud noises, pain , and injury appear to be universal. Species-specific innate fears have also been documented, including a fear of hawk-like shapes in certain animals and a fear of snakes in humans and other primates.

When a person confronts real dangers, fear can be an important means of self-preservation. However, many people are plagued by chronic and unrealistic fears, including phobias and obsessions, that cause much unnecessary distress and can severely reduce their ability to function normally in society. While it is possible to reduce pathological fears through drug treatment, the results are temporary and drugs do not address the root cause of the problem. Mental health professionals offer various types of psychological treatment that either attempt to deal with the underlying cause of the fear through a psychodynamic approach or address the fear directly through behavioral therapy. Behavioral techniques include desensitization (gradually increasing exposure to the feared object), flooding (sudden, intensive exposure to the feared object or stimulus), and modeling (observing another person being exposed to the feared object without being harmed).

Further Reading

Bemis, Judith. Embracing the Fear: Learning to Manage Anxiety and Panic Attacks. St. Paul, MN: Hazelden, 1994.

Forgione, Albert G. Fear: Learning to Cope. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977.

Nardo, Don. Anxiety and Phobias. New York: Chelsea House, 1991.

fear / fi(ə)r/ • n. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat: fear of increasing unemployment he is prey to irrational fears. ∎ archaic a mixed feeling of dread and reverence: the love and fear of God. ∎  (fear for) a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone: police launched a search for the family amid fears for their safety. ∎  the likelihood of something unwelcome happening: she could observe the other guests without fear of attracting attention. • v. [tr.] be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening: farmers fear that they will lose business. ∎  [intr.] (fear for) feel anxiety or apprehension on behalf of: I fear for the city with this madman let loose in it. ∎  avoid or put off doing something because one is afraid: they aim to make war so horrific that potential aggressors will fear to resort to it. ∎  used to express regret or apology: I'll buy her book, though not, I fear, the hardback version. PHRASES: for fear of (or that) to avoid the risk of (or that): no one dared refuse the order for fear of losing their job.

fear fear the Greeks bearing gifts a warning against someone who apparently wishes you well. The saying (often used allusively) is recorded from late 19th century; originally from Virgil, ‘timeo Danaos, et dona ferentes [I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts]’ as Laocoon's words of warning to the Trojans about the Trojan Horse (in which the Greek warriors were concealed). Samuel Johnson quoted the Latin in a letter of 3 May 1777, in which he said, ‘Tell Mrs. Boswell that I shall taste her marmalade cautiously at first. Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.’

see also do right and fear no man, fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

fear sb. XIII. ME. fēre, repr. OE. fǣr sudden calamity, danger, corr. to OS. vār ambush, MDu. vāre fear (cf. Du. gevaar danger), OHG. fāra ambush, danger, deceit (G. gefahr danger), ON. fár misfortune :- Gmc. *fǣraz, -am, -ō.
Hence fearful XIV. So fear vb. †frighten OE.; intr. and †refl. feel fear; regard with fear. XIV. OE. fǣran (more freq. in comp. āfǣran) = OS. fāron lie in wait, OHG. fārēn plot against, lie in wait, ON. færa taunt, slight. Ult. connections unkn.

fear Although there are occasions in the Bible when the word fear represents the human emotion of terror (Exod. 23: 27), there is also a fear which means awe in the presence of the holy (Eccles. 12: 13). This fear induces a hatred of evil (Prov. 8: 13).

There is also awesome fear in the NT, as when the women were told about the Resurrection (Mark 16: 8). ‘Those who fear God’ or ‘God-fearers’ is a technical term applied to pagans who attended a synagogue but shrank from circumcision (Acts 10: 2).

156. Fear

See also 313. PHOBIAS .

horripilation

the raising of the hairs on the skin as a response to cold or fear; goose bumps or goose pimples.

panophobia

1. a nonspecific fear, a state of general anxiety.

2. an abnormal fear of everything. Also panphobia , pantaphobia , pantophobia . —panophobe , n. —panophobic , adj.

phobophobia

1. an abnormal fear of being af raid; a fear of fear itself.

2. a fear of phobias.

polyphobia

an abnormal fear of many things.

fear (feer) n. an emotional state evoked by threat of danger. It is usually characterized by unpleasant subjective experiences; physiological changes, such as increased heart rate and sweating; and behavioural changes, such as avoidance of fear-producing objects or situations. See also phobia.

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