How do fears/phobias evolve from childhood to adulthood?
To answer this inquiry question, I must first answer another one. “Why do we develop fears and what can cause them?” It is important that this question is answered, because we need to know how fears come about to know why they may change with time.
Why do we develop fears/phobias and what can cause them?
- The main trigger for fear is the threat of harm, whether it is real or imagined (1)
- The threat can be physical, psychological, or emotional
- Fear is used to avoid or reduce harm to ourselves
- An immediate threat focuses our attention
- Fear can help us in situations where there is an immediate fear
- Fear makes us react immediately and it forces us to make decisions without thinking
- A threat triggers a fear response in the amygdala, a part of the brain (2)
- This activates areas involved in preparing for motor functions
- Threats also trigger release of stress hormones
- Phobias may develop from factors in childhood environments
- ex. being around people who were very anxious in childhood can affect how one copes with anxiety in the future
- It is common for a child to have the same specific fear as a parent
- If they have an intense reaction to fear, the child may as well
- Fears may result from experiences/trauma, or even something like a loss of control (3)
- Some fears may occur because they cause physical symptoms
- Being high up can make you feel dizzy or sick in the stomach
- These feelings are unpleasant and people do not want to feel them again, some people fear feeling those emotions again
Hey Natalie,
This was such an interesting blog post! I never knew that fears can be hereditary, but after thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense. I also love the way you formatted your blog post because it made it very easy to read! In the future i think it could also be interesting to look at the ways people can overcome their fears! For example, can people only overcome their phobias through exposure therapy? Or are there other/better ways?
Here are some resources that I think could help you in the future:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/how-overcome-fear-and-anxiety#:~:text=Some%20people%20become%20overwhelmed%20by,t%20stop%20you%20from%20living.
https://www.heysigmund.com/age-by-age-guide-to-fears/
Overall, this is such an interesting topic and I’m looking forward to reading your next posts. Good luck!
-Shaila
Hello Natalie,
I learned a lot when I was reading your blog post. I found it interesting that fear can be hereditary and I had never heard of that before! I also learned about how fears can occur because they can cause physical symptoms. It reminded me of how many people have emetophobia, and if this could be the cause of their irrational fear.
Some suggestions for you are to research how our fears can affect us in the long run. For example, are there emotional or psychological effects or how does fear impact our mental health?
Here are some extra resources for you:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/all-about-fear/
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/impact-fear-and-anxiety
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/20/how-fear-influences-your-behavior-and-how-to-cope.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-happens-brain-feel-fear-180966992/
Keep up the good work and good luck with your future blog posts!
-Itzel
Hi Natalie,
I loved reading your post because you started with a very creative and deep question. The question was: why do we develop fears and what caused them? This is a very well-thought out question because it depends on many people. However, you did an excellent job in summarizing key points to this question with saying that it can be real or imagined. I have a lot of fear and I was curious what caused them, so this post was very helpful.
Some questions I have for you are: Are fears helpful for us? If so, to what extent are fears healthy? How can we face our fears?
1)https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/fear
2)https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-fear-2671696
3)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3595162/
I cannot wait to read more of your posts!
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
Thank you so much for reading my post! I am so happy you enjoyed learning about fears just as much as I have. I think the questions you have for me are great, and I will definitely try to answer them in my next round of research! The websites you listed will also be a big help in my research process.
I really appreciate all the kind words you have said and the great ideas you have given me!
-Natalie:)
Hi Natalie,
I enjoyed reading your blog post beacause of how you were able to catch my interest with the opening question! I also agree with your statement that fear forces us to make decisions without thinking because we are in panic mode. This leads us to be in a fight or flight mindset which can be harmful. A question I have is what are the most common phobias in the world. Below are some links that might help you research that for a future blog post. Nevertheless, good luck with your next post!
The Links:
https://www.verywellmind.com/most-common-phobias-4136563#:~:text=The%20following%20phobias%20are%20ten%20of%20the%20most,the%20environment%2C%20animals%2C%20fears%20of%20injections%20and%20blood%2C
https://www.verywellmind.com/list-of-phobias-2795453
Mahdiya A.