What is fear for an adult, why does it arise and how it can be dangerous. Causes and types of phobias, their impact on life. How to overcome your fear. These signs can manifest themselves partially or completely, depending on the human body and the characteristics of its response to stress factors.
Psychic manifestations of fear are varied and can take many forms. Depending on whether the fear is real or neurotic (no apparent reason), the symptoms are observed either in a specific situation or constantly. In the first case, a person experiences unpleasant somatic manifestations and psychological stress, a feeling of approaching something bad almost immediately after encountering an influencing factor or even remembering it. For example, fear of public speaking is manifested both when remembering that one is about to go on stage, and immediately before going out. In the second case, neurotic fear is not tied to any place or situation, but this does not make it easier. Such people experience a constant sense of danger, live in anxiety and expect the inevitable. The famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud called this state "anxiety neurosis." Fear can also manifest itself in a variety of short-term reactions. Most often it is panic syndrome, which develops in a matter of seconds. For a while, a person accepts the irreversibility of what is happening and an inevitable fatal outcome. Loss of self-control and a feeling of helplessness are replaced by mobilization of internal resources and an accelerated motor response. A person tries to protect himself as soon as possible from the situation that has arisen, if any. The second variant of the short-term fear reaction is affective stupor. This is an emotional blunting of all a person's ability to move or take any action due to an emotional shake-up. This is manifested by the feeling of "cotton feet" and the inability to move.
Varieties of fears and phobias in adults
Depending on the occurrence and nature of the threat presented, there are three types of fears:
- Existential fear … The fear of a person lies in his inner experiences that reflect the world. Depending on how he perceives reality, certain fears will be formed. Existential fears include the fear of death, the inevitability of time and other similar phobias.
- Social fear … It is associated with the reflection and reaction of society to the person himself. If he is afraid of being rejected, ruining his reputation, then he is inclined to form social fear. The most striking examples of social phobias include stage fright, ereitophobia, scoptophobia.
- Biological fear … This type is based on the fear of physical injury or threat to human life. This includes all categories of fear of illness (hypochondriacal phobias), those phobias that involve pain, suffering, or somatic injury. Examples of this group are cardiophobia and carcinophobia.
In each case, fear is considered individually, taking into account the characterological characteristics of the individual, genetic factors and environmental conditions. That is why one phobia can manifest itself in different ways in different people.
Several of the most common phobias that develop in adulthood should be considered in more detail:
- Fear of open space (agoraphobia) … This is a fairly common phobia, the principle of which lies in the pathological fear of open spaces and places where there is a large crowd of people. This is a kind of defense mechanism that allows the patient to isolate himself from the possible negative consequences of contact with the public. Manifestations in the case of being in an open space are most often limited to panic attack.
- Fear of an enclosed space (claustrophobia) … This is the opposite of the previous phobia. A person feels discomfort and even the inability to breathe indoors, and other somatic manifestations of fear are shown. Most often, symptoms are found in small rooms, booths, fitting rooms, elevators. The person is greatly relieved by simply opening the door. Fear includes the very prospect of being locked up alone.
- Fear of death (thanatophobia) … It can concern both the person himself and his friends and relatives. It often develops in mothers whose children are seriously ill or sick. It manifests itself in an obsessive and uncontrollable fear of dying suddenly, even if there is no reason for this. May be related to religious beliefs or simply a fear of the unknown that cannot be controlled.
- Fear of speaking in public (glossophobia) … This disorder is fairly common in the adult population. In most cases, it is explained by low self-esteem, fear of being misunderstood by the audience and strict upbringing. So self-confidence decreases, and the person is terrified of speaking in front of the public.
- Fear of blushing in front of people (erythrophobia) … This is the fear of red spots on the face due to a stressful situation. At its core, it is a vicious circle for a person who is shy and embarrassed in front of people. He is afraid to blush because he is afraid to be in front of the public, because he is afraid to blush.
- Fear of being alone (autophobia) … It manifests itself in the pathological fear of a person to be alone with himself. Fear is associated with the fear of the likelihood of committing suicide. It should be said that statistics show the negative dynamics of suicides among autophobes. Manifested by anxiety, sweating and panic attacks if the person is left alone in the room.
- Fear of heart disease (cardiophobia) … This is a pathological condition that provides for somatic manifestations without the presence of the disease itself. A person complains of discomfort in the region of the heart, palpitations, nausea. Often these symptoms can interfere with what he is doing, and are perceived by doctors as heart disease, but after the necessary examinations, it is not detected.
- Fear of getting cancer (carcinophobia) … This is a panic fear of getting sick with malignant oncological nosologies. By its nature, it is closely related to the fear of death and develops as a result of a stressful situation. It can be a disease of someone close, acquaintance, or simply seen manifestations of cancer on strangers. The presence of a hypochondriacal personality and the presence of a couple of indirect symptoms can play a huge role.
- Fear of experiencing pain (algophobia) … Foundational for many other types of phobias, including doctor visits and even medical manipulations. A person, under any pretext, tries to avoid the slightest manifestations of physical pain, sometimes abuses painkillers. It is manifested by anxiety and apprehension about the upcoming pain test.
Important! The feeling of fear fetters a person and can lead to fatal consequences, both for oneself and for others.
How to overcome fears in an adult
Fears can be part of a much larger syndrome or nosology that only a specialist can diagnose. This is why you should see your doctor if you have symptoms of fear. The disease, the manifestation of which he acts, can be both from the psychiatric register and from the somatic one. Fears are often part of the structure of schizophrenia, anxiety and neurotic disorders, panic attacks, hypochondria, and depression. It is often observed in bronchial asthma, cardiovascular diseases, accompanied by angina pectoris. A correctly diagnosed diagnosis will dictate treatment tactics. That is why only a doctor is competent in the question of how to treat fears in adults.
Every person who is afraid of something needs to realize that fear is not forever. There are many techniques and methods of psychotherapy that can help with this problem. The obstacle to recovery is the human reaction - shame for your phobias. Usually in society it is not customary to talk about their fears, the recognition of inferiority and vulnerability hurts a person for a living. But by boldly looking your phobias in the face and taking the necessary measures, you can get rid of them once and for all.
One of the most common methods for curing fears in adults is humility. Nobody forces a person to fight their phobias or deny them, to convince them of their insignificance is useless. Therefore, psychologists recommend not to be ashamed of your feelings and at the same time do what is necessary, even if it is scary. A person who realizes that he is afraid (after all, this is his essence), but still has to do something, will easily overcome this barrier over time.
For example, the fear of public speaking often terrifies those who have to go on stage now. A person who has confidently decided to get rid of his phobia should come out with his fear. Being afraid and performing at the same time is the real solution for this case. Also, visualization of the achieved result can give a good effect of treating fears in adults. If a phobia prevents you from achieving high career growth or family well-being, you should imagine life without it, what would it be like not to be afraid. Then it will be much easier to overcome your fears, because knowing what you are fighting for makes it easier to fight. How to overcome fear in an adult - watch the video:
A person's fears are his protection until they cease to act for the good. Fixing on negative experiences, they are able to destroy families, careers and even lives, which is why it is so important to recognize the pathology of their phobias in time.
