The main types of fear are known to the majority of the world's population. All people are afraid of something, and this circumstance is not surprising. They may have completely different fears, but they are all somehow connected with his existence and self-awareness. The fact is that everyone wants to feel a certain confidence in the future. For someone, a phobia may be in its infancy and not interfere with life completely, others need the help of a specialist. Some phobias deteriorate the quality of life so much that people stop appreciating themselves and their merits. The types of human fears can be divided into several groups.
Childhood fears
Childhood fears are common among adults. Quite healthy and prosperous people may be afraid of certain things that are outwardly completely harmless. These include the fear of the dark, the fear of being in a new, unfamiliar place. Sometimes children have a fear of being alone, which in adulthood transforms into a persistent fear of loneliness. These things can exist in a person for many years and hinder his self-realization. Fears in children often translate into obsessive thoughts, nightmares, and general anxiety. Parents are not recommended to ignore this state of affairs, because the emotional state of the child can worsen, lead to isolation, depression and even aggressiveness.
Social fears
Types of social fear indicate that it is difficult for a person to communicate with others. He may not show this, but phobias gradually develop and completely subjugate the life of the individual. To cope with them, you often have to turn to specialists. It is important not to try to escape from a state of seeming hopelessness, but to correctly adjust yourself to a way out of a difficult situation. Only in this case can you feel like a really strong and self-sufficient person. The manifestations of fear can be different.
At social phobia the individuality of a person suffers, since the personality cannot fully develop if something restricts it. Social interaction it is necessary in order not to lose a sense of belonging to a particular society. Even if relationships with people cannot be called satisfactory, this is not a reason to give them up at all. certainly prevents you from feeling happy and self-sufficient. The individual is so focused on his inner world that he becomes unable to understand those around him. The best thing in this case is not to try to protect yourself from the outside world, but to start looking for an inner core in yourself.
Expressed in fear public speaking... Associated with it is the fear of a negative assessment of the team. Usually, those individuals who, to one degree or another, have experienced a persistent rejection of society's personal views and beliefs, are subject to this fear. Some people were attacked and emotionally abused. With this experience, it becomes very difficult to interact with others. After all, the thought of a possible betrayal will constantly haunt.
Spatial fears
Usually, their presence indicates an underlying emotional disorder. Nervous system at the same time, it experiences an overload and therefore cannot adequately respond to stimuli. Spatial fears are quite common, especially in large cities where a person often feels lonely.
Agoraphobia expressed in a fear of open space. The individual experiences real horror at the prospect of simply going outside. So even going to the grocery store can turn into a colossal ordeal. Such people cannot leave space alone. own home... They are afraid to make decisions, they show an inability to act in accordance with their inner convictions. The world around them often seems to them dangerous place from which you want to hide.
Acrophobia called an irrational fear of heights . This is a mental disorder, expressed in an abnormal fear of heights, which keeps its owners in a grip throughout their lives. Acrophobia is widespread and is one of the ten most typical phobias: according to some sources, about 10% of the entire population of the Earth suffers from it.
manifests itself in the fear of enclosed space. A person may begin to experience panic when approaching the elevator, refuses to visit any premises if they cannot be left at their first will. In most cases, such people cannot go anywhere unaccompanied.
Hydrophobia or aquaphobia is a phobia associated with a fear of water. People exposed to it are afraid not only to swim, but also to approach the water, look at it, wash and sometimes even drink water. In some cases, pathological fear can be caused not only by the water itself, but also by various liquids and drinks.
Nosophobia
This kind of fear is found in modern society often. The fear of illness plagues many people. It stems from the fear of death, from the realization that no one is eternal. It is key, since every person is afraid to die to one degree or another. Nosophobia can make an individual withdrawn, indecisive and passive. A person seized with fear of getting sick can endlessly check their health. And even when the results of numerous studies seem quite convincing, it becomes impossible for him to prove anything. The fear of illness is sometimes so strong that an individual begins to listen to any of his ailments and makes a tragedy out of everything. This painful condition is also called hypochondriacal disorder. One of the types is the fear of contracting cancer (carcinophobia).
Thus, the types of fear in psychology can be completely different from each other. The main thing that unites them is that they largely restrict the development of the individual, hinder her happy outlook. It is imperative to fight against fears. Otherwise, they will subjugate the will of the individual, and the person will not be able to realize his main goals. If you find it difficult to cope with the existing problem on your own, then you can turn to the Irakli Pozharsky Psychology Center for help. Working with a professional will help you overcome despair and feelings of hopelessness. It is imperative to work on yourself in order to achieve peace of mind.
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Phobias
To defeat the enemy, you need to know him. Even if it is inside you. Is fear an enemy or a friend?
The classification of fears itself must first be classified. Because there are many aspects, characteristics, according to which the types of fears and phobias can be laid out on different shelves.
Among them:
- the power of perception;
- causes of occurrence;
- objectivity;
- consequences, etc.
From indifference to phobia
There are 3 degrees of human response to external stimuli:
- Fearlessness, slight fear, do not care... Such emotions have the happiness of experiencing either those who do not know what they are doing (they are forgivable), or with an atrophied sense of self-preservation or exaggerated confidence in happy and, or, on the contrary, those who are tired of living. Extreme, abnormal condition.
- Fear warning of danger... Needless to say, this healthy normal sense of self-preservation has so far saved our civilization from extinction. Isn't it abnormal to fear for your loved ones, warning them of danger? To be afraid of war and to do everything to prevent it. Be afraid of bee stings and wear protective clothing.
- Panic, phobia... The same extreme level of fear, only with the opposite amplitude. In this state, it is not a person who controls his feelings, but they control them. Fear goes wild. A sick person (a deviation from the norm is a disease) is already afraid of fear itself, his consciousness is subject only to internal panic. Get a phobia.
Types of fears
According to Karvasarsky
In scientific circles, each of them, even the most rare, have invented their own international terminology. There are about a thousand of such mental disorders.
According to Karvasarsky, there are 8 groups of different phobias:
1. Spatial fears:
- Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces.
- Agoraphobia is a fear of open space.
- Acrophobia is a fear of heights.
- Batophobia - fear of depth, etc.
2. Social fears:
- Heterophobia - rejection of the opposite sex.
- Neophobia is the fear of any change, etc.
3. Fear of illness. There are a lot of them, too, can be listed in a separate list.
4. Fear of death.
5. Fear of sex.
6. Fear of harming others.
7. Contrasting fears, that is, the fear of somehow standing out.
8. The most incomprehensible, but from this and the most relevant - fear of fears, which actually gives rise to phobias.
According to Freud and Kaplan
Classification according to Karvasarsky is complex and relative. I approached them more strictly Sigmunt Freud... In his opinion, there is only two categories of fear:
- real;
- neurotic.
Compare with scientific works another psychologist G. Kaplan. In them, the famous scientist considered the division of human fears into:
- constructive;
- pathological.
Whatever you call them, but both scientists agreed on one thing, that the first fears are designed to help a person save his and someone else's life, and the second are signs of a destructive disease.
Interesting that in psychology in general, these two subgroups exist in each point separately. Take social fears, for example. Within this large group, there are many different subgroups. However, any of them can become a neurotic pathology or, in moderate real quantities, help to survive in difficult situation become constructive.
The theory of Y. Shcherbatykh
In 2000, psychologist Y. Shcherbatykh put forward his own classification of human fears. In his opinion, they can be of three types.
1. Natural fears... Everything related to natural phenomena causes justified fears:
- storm;
- storm;
- earthquake;
- strong wind, etc.
No wonder they cause fears even among educated people. At the genetic level, we have written down, to be afraid of all the unknown. Today we perfectly understand where the legs grow from, that the earth shakes from the movements of the layers. crust, and magma in the depths does not want to exist calmly, but this does not make it more fun.
A part of nature are snakes, mice, cockroaches and other "pleasant" animals. Our natural disgust towards them, out of control, also refers to natural fears.
2. Social fears. According to Y. Shcherbatykh, confirmed by the data of opinion polls, these include:
- if only there was no war. Typical for people who survived the war, but did not participate in hostilities;
- fear for your loved ones;
- fear of crime, disorder and hooliganism;
- fear of poverty;
- of death;
- bosses, publicity, scenes;
- fear of any changes in life, etc.
3.Internal fears... They frightened a small child with the terrible Buka who lives under the bed. A big uncle grew up, but the fear of childhood remained, and to this day, before going to bed, he looks under the bed. Sick, disfigured by stupid "teachers" fantasy gives rise to such monsters that tornadoes and cockroaches are very far away! It's hard not to be afraid of them.
The fine line between these three groups of fears is actually very blurred. For example, the inner invented fear of a large crowd being sucked in by the swamp is difficult not to refer to the social one as well. And if this is a crowd of bears, sucking into its whirlpool ?! Already the natural basis of fear is showing through.
Graduation by age
As in all other non-mathematical and non-physical categories, the boundaries of definitions are very blurred. An early adult child can feel like a completely independent person even at 16. At the same time, there are 40-year-old adult uncles who are not adapted to life, existing on mother's allowances. 
Childhood fears
In the first months of life, the baby lives with a gene reserve of survival reflexes. He is afraid when he is thrown up, loud noises, strangers. These are normal constructive emotions, which in turn are divided into animals, social and others like them.
As a result of improper parenting or exposure to any extreme events, neurotic fears may appear. If the “kind” educators have locked the child in a closet or pantry, he is likely to develop claustrophobia.
The inner fear of fabulous non-existent characters, already described above, also belongs to negative childhood experiences. The watched adult horror films will shake the fragile children's psyche, and cruel punishments for poor grades will add panic before classroom lessons.
Adult fears
You have already finally made sure that byaki-beeches do not live under the bed, but you are haunted by the fear of cockroaches, mice, snakes. Yes, this adult phobia from the previous section "animal fears".
Or are you afraid that your loved one will leave you? No, you are unbearably ashamed to go to the podium and read your report. You consider yourself unworthy and fear the judgment of other people. Or maybe you are overprotective of your children, fearing that they will catch a cold, get run over by a car, or get lost. Even if your adult son, a walrus and a karate champion, is sitting in a London subway carriage?
Fears of the elderly
For some reason, everyone thinks that old people are afraid of death. Yes, but no more than 20-30 years old. Of course, the average pension fears are slightly different from those of children and adults:
- Along with the fear of the dark, heights and pain, an elderly person acquires a fear of getting sick and becoming a burden to others.
- Fears that someone will not love you, understand or reject you completely disappear.
Over the years, not only facial features are aggravated, giving out character, but also especially outstanding character traits. The greedy person turns into Plyushkin, the cowardly one stops opening the door even to his acquaintances. These are fears that have developed into phobias.
Ideally, a human fear classification table should have three-dimensional forms. Along one axis, it will be possible to postpone the enumeration of various phobias, collected in associations, on the other axis we will write two concepts of fear, derived by Freud and Kaplan, and the third axis will be devoted to the age characteristics of fears of phobias and fears.
Video: Where Do Fears Come From? How to overcome your fear?
The word "phobia" is known to everyone in our time. This is a pathology that manifests itself in the form of fear of a certain object, event, being, and so on. All people are afraid of something to one degree or another. In most cases, this is normal, because if there was no elementary fear, people would lack the instinct for self-preservation. But if the feeling of anxiety does not allow you to live in peace, forcing you to dwell on the problem, it comes about a pathology that must be treated without fail. There are many types of fear in psychiatry. They all arise from different reasons and are also treated in different ways. Consider a list of all human phobias and their meaning.
For convenience, we will sort phobias / fears alphabetically. The tables provide a list of all human phobias.
| Fear name | What is a person afraid of |
| Ablutophobia | Swim |
| Aviaphobia | Fly by the plane |
| Agoraphobia | Large open spaces, areas |
| Aquaphobia | Water |
| Acrophobia | Feeling dread of heights |
| Alginophobia | Pain |
| Amnesophobia | Lose memory |
| Androphobia | Fear of men and intimacy with them |
| Ankylophobia | Fear arises at the thought of immobility |
| Antophobia | Anxiety or panic at the sight of flowers |
| Asthenophobia | Weaknesses |
| Atazagoraphobia | Forget something |
| Autophobia | To be left without a spouse |
| Autoisophobia | Get dirty |
| Gamaxophobia | Transport on wheels |
| Gamophobia | The bond of marriage (women of marriage, men of marriage |
| Gatophobia | Cats (only domesticated) |
| Hedonophobia | Pleasant sensations, joyful feelings |
| Hematophobia | Blood (panic is so severe that the person may pass out) |
| Herascophobia | Old age |
| Herpetophobia | Serpent |
| Heterophobia | Of the opposite sex |
| Hydrargiophobia | Substances containing mercury |
| Hylophobia | Woodland |
| Hypegiaphobia | Responsibility for anything |
| Hypnophobia | Hypnosis |
| Hippophobia | Horses |
| Gnosiophobia | New knowledge |
| Godophobia | Panic travel anxiety |
| Homophobia | Manifests itself in fear (to the extent of hatred) towards homosexuals |
| Gravidophobia | Pregnancy and pregnant women |
| Kyrophobia | Everything new (people, things, events) |
| Cacophobia | Blows, beats |
| Carcinophobia | Get cancer |
| Cardiophobia | Cardiovascular disease |
| Keyrophobia | Injuries during hairdressing procedures |
| Kinophobia | Dogs |
| Kyphobia | Slouching, hump on the back |
| Panic fear of confined space | |
| Kleiziophobia | Thieves, robbery |
| Cnidophobia | Fear and aversion to all types of insects |
| Coinophobia | Fear of crowded premises |
| Coymetrophobia | Panic at the sight of cemeteries |
| Cometophobia | Space items and events |
| Contreltophobia | Harassment |
| Copophobia | Loss of strength |
| Cosmicophobia | Space objects |
| Cryophobia | The cold |
| Xerophobia | Dry weather |
| Xyrophobia | Shaving machines |
| Cumpunophobia | A very rare pathology that manifests itself in panic at the sight of buttons |
| Khorophobia | Dance |
| Papyrophobia | Fear of paper, paper objects |
| Paralipophobia | Take the wrong action |
| Parapophobia | Doing your duty |
| Parthenophobia | Virgins |
| Patroyophobia | Inherited diseases |
| Peyraphobia | Perform, give a speech to the public |
| Pyrophobia | Of fire |
| Plakophobia | Graves |
| Potentiicophobia | Political figures |
| Proctophobia | Development of proctitis |
| Psychophobia | Mentally ill people |
| Pteronophobia | Bird feathers |
| Selaphobia | Sveta |
| Silenophobia | Silence |
| Sinophobia | Total Chinese |
| Cityophobia | Eat food |
| Scotomaphobia | Blindness |
| Sofophobia | Learn something new |
| Being in society | |
| Speedophobia | AIDS |
| Staurophobia | Crosses |
| Stenophobia | Too narrow spaces |
| Suicidophobia | Committing suicide |
| Thalassophobia | Large expanse of water (sea, ocean) |
| Thanatophobia | End of life |
| Tafephobia | Burial alive |
| Teniophobia | Worm infections |
| Thermophobia | Heat, high temperature |
| Tomophobia | Wild horror of surgical operations |
| Traumatophobia | Injuries, wounds, traumatic situations |
| Tredekaphobia | Numbers 13 |
| Tuberculosis phobia | Infection and development of tuberculosis |
These tables provide lists and meanings of common phobias. But in fact, there are much more of them, which once again proves the prevalence of mental diseases in our time.
Most common fears
We have already figured out what phobias are in humans. Now let's look at the most common ones. In psychiatry, there are about 10 fears that psychotherapists' clients most often face. Let's consider a list of the most common phobias and their meaning.
- Panic in front of confined spaces, called claustrophobia in psychiatry.
- Horror at the sight of the dead and funeral rituals, which is called necrophobia.
- An irresistible fear of air travel - aerophobia.
- Terror enveloping in dark places or rooms. - nyphobia.
- The fear of being on top is acrophobia. People with this pathology are terrified when going upstairs. They cannot go to the mountains or just stand on a stool.
- Spider panic is arachnophobia. This pathology belongs to the most common type of zoophobia.
- Strong fear of dentists and dental procedures -. Such people refuse treatment, even if the dental situation is critical.
- Fear of snakes is an ophidiophobia. As a rule, everyone is afraid of reptiles, but among ophidiophobes this fear is obsessive. They refuse to visit pet shops, zoos and other places where snakes can live.
- The panic that develops in a person at the sight of blood is hemophobia. The horror can be so strong that the hemophobe can lose consciousness at the sight of blood.
- Another common type of fear is kinophobia, when a person is terrified of dogs.
List of human phobias that occur most often in recent times replenished with carcinophobia - the fear of contracting cancer. This is partly due to the rise in cancer on the planet. More and more clients turn to psychotherapists in order to free themselves from obsessive thoughts about a malignant disease.
"Star" phobias
Celebrities at least, if not more often ordinary people subject to fear. The fear of something can reach the point of absurdity. Let's consider what fears the stars have.
- Nicole Kidman experiences a wild horror at the sight of butterflies. Interestingly, cockroaches and mice do not cause any emotions in the star.
- Uma Thurman suffers from claustrophobia, which developed after filming a film where she had to lie down in a coffin. Now the actress is afraid of elevators and enclosed spaces.
- Orlando Bloom is famous for its fear of pigs. His pathology also developed as a result of the filming of the film. A large boar escaped from the cage and ran after the actor.
- Oprah Winfrey is intolerant of chewing gum. Her fear comes from childhood, when, as a little girl, her grandmother was frightened by the punishment at school for chewing them. The fear turned out to be so strong that it still haunts the celebrity.
- Scarlett Johansson is terribly afraid of birds. The fear of birds developed in the actress as a result of the filming of the film "We Bought a Zoo", during which a peacock broke free, thus frightening the star.
People's fears are endless, and celebrities are no exception. With many of them you can live peacefully, while some are very poisonous to life and require specialized help.
Human phobias: classification according to Karvasarsky
It is very difficult to group all the fears into categories. But experts still managed to divide the pathology data into classifications. In psychiatry, they use the Karvasarsky list. This is a well-known psychiatrist who divided phobias / fears according to the plot. Consider the list of human phobias according to Karvasarsky with explanations:
| Types of phobias | Examples of |
| Panic in front of society, when it is unbearable for a person to be among people, it is impossible to endure criticism | This classification includes the fear of a large crowd of people, public speaking, new acquaintances, the opposite sex, etc. |
| Phobias / fear of harming yourself or others | Fear of infection, injury (hence the panic in front of sharp objects), fear of committing suicide, harming others |
| Phobias associated with movement in space | These include fear of driving on public transport, fear of heights, confined and open spaces, and more. |
| Fear of getting sick, contracting an unpleasant disease | Fear of oncology, sexually transmitted diseases and other diseases |
| Fear of doing bad things to yourself or others | Fear to pronounce obscene language behave badly in public |
| Intimate fears | Panic before sex, fear of getting pregnant, giving birth |
| Fears associated with your own demise | More often than not, people are afraid of being buried alive. |
| Secondary fears that develop against the background of fear due to an existing phobia | If the phobia is not treated, additional pathologies develop over time against its background, requiring more serious treatment. |
We examined the list of types of human phobias according to Karvasarsky. This is the main classification used in psychiatric practice. But there are other kinds of fears as well.
What are phobias: primary and secondary pathology
When talking about the types of phobias, it is important to note that they are divided into primary and secondary. The list of primary phobias is long, we discussed it above. If, for example, a person is afraid to fly an airplane, his fear is called aerophobia. It refers to primary pathology. But when other disorders join her against her background, we are talking about a secondary deviation. Additionally, fear of heights or confined spaces may develop.
It is worth noting that phobias can be successfully treated with hypnosis. This is one of the methods by which you can forever overcome your fears, eradicating the root cause of their development. There are other treatments that have proven equally effective. The main thing is the desire and attitude to win. If phobias are not treated, depression, neurosis, psychosis may develop in the future.
There are no people in the world who are not afraid of anything. Everyone in his life has come across the inner and more than once. But nature is the strongest negative emotion is not clear to everyone. People ask themselves: what is fear and how to identify its causes. And they are also trying to figure out how to get rid of obsessive states caused by a fear of certain things.
The psychology of fear
For centuries, fear has caused confusion in people. The problem was given a lot of attention from both religion and philosophy, painters and sculptors tried to assess the state of affairs. With the advent of psychology in the 19th century, the phenomenon began to be viewed from scientific point vision. Fear has been called internal state due to a state of real or perceived threat. When a person perceives a situation as dangerous, the body gives a signal. Attitudes towards the outside world and phobias are individual, and experts speak of hundreds of their varieties.
The benefits and harms of fear
Psychologists say that although the emotion of fear is negatively colored, in small quantities it can even be useful. In general, it is normal to have fears and phobias. This does not mean that every person who is faced with an overwhelming fear of something should live their whole life under fear. When a phobia has become a problem, it must be fought, but eliminating any manifestation of fear means going against nature. After all, historically, the fear of the unknown has protected people from negative external factors.
How is fear useful?
The benefit of fear is main function: protect a person from danger (in other words, turn on). Only at first glance, this emotion is useless, but it arose in the process of evolution in order to protect the individual from surrounding troubles, external factors and threats. The following situations can be named when fear is beneficial:
- Fear of heights saves you from falling. Water - from getting into a storm. Darkness - from meeting with robbers and rapists in the evening park.
- Fear of the unknown and inner instinct protects from communication with dangerous objects (matches, knives), people and animals.
- With dangerous situations, the brain is produced which has a positive effect on muscle tone.
- The rush of adrenaline into the blood becomes the reason that a person begins to think and act faster, more harmoniously. But not always.
The harm of fear
The absence of fear would put humanity on the brink of extinction, but in some cases, fear is harmful. Feeling threatened does not always help a person to act to the limit of their capabilities. Another scenario for the development of events in a dangerous situation looks like this:
- movements are constrained;
- breathing is disturbed, knocked down;
- a person cannot think and act normally;
- panic attacks occur.
Types of fears
Depending on the classification, fears can be divided into several groups. For example, Freud divided all emotions of this kind into real and neurotic, and his colleague, the psychologist Kaplan, into pathological and constructive. That is, the first type really helps a person to survive, these are the so-called biological fears, and the second is the cause of the disease. In scientific circles, it is customary to combine phobias into 8 groups:
- Spatial (fear of depth, height, confined spaces, etc.).
- Social (people of a certain gender, status, unwillingness to change, etc.).
- Fear of death.
- Danger of contracting various diseases.
- Contrasting fear is unwillingness to stand out.
- Fear of harming others.
The Russian psychologist Y. Shcherbatykh had his own idea of what fears are. He divides them into three groups:
- Social - these are worries about your own well-being and your loved ones, in front of public opinion, publicity, changes in life, etc.
- Natural, that is, associated with natural phenomena (thunderstorm, storm, etc.).
- Internal, which were "laid" in childhood.
But it would be more accurate to divide all phobias and anxieties into three (four) groups:
- Biological - that is, related to health and life.
- Social - associated with a change in status in society.
- Existential - internal, in which the deep essence of a person is revealed.
- A separate group is children's fears.
Social fears
Perhaps the most extensive group of fears that can be seen in several classifications are social. Their peculiarity is that the objects at which the phobia is directed do not pose a real danger. They can stem from biological fears - as, for example, childhood fear of pain from injections takes root and subsequently becomes a pathological dislike of people in white coats. With age, the social aspect replaces the biological one. It is customary to divide the fears of people of this kind into the following types:
- fear of submission (before the boss, teacher, etc.);
- fear of failure;
- unwillingness to take responsibility (in the family, team);
- fear of loneliness and inattention;
- fear of getting closer to others;
- fear of evaluation and judgment.
Biological fears
By nature itself, it is laid down to experience a feeling of fear and anxiety in front of phenomena that threaten the life of a person and his relatives, for example, predatory and poisonous animals, cataclysms. These phobias are validated, and the cause of the worry is indeed dangerous. Biological fears are also characterized by:
- innateness - their presence is inherent in the instincts of self-preservation;
- mass distribution - similar phobias are common to all people.
Existential fear
The essence of a person is manifested in the third group of phobias: existential. They are caused in deep brain structures, are not always realized by a person and "live" in the subconscious, therefore it is difficult to treat (if any). These include:
- fear of oneself;
- fear of space (closed, open, height);
- fear of the irrevocability of time, the future, death;
- the emergence of anxiety in front of the unknown, the mysteries of this world.
Childhood fears
A separate category is children's anxiety transferred to adult life... This is the main emotion - fear, and it manifests itself even in the womb, when the baby reacts to the experiences of the mother. Biological fears (bright light, loud sounds, etc.) are typical for the first months of life. it defense mechanisms... But if the propensity for certain phobias is transmitted at the genetic level, it is likely that childhood emotions will develop into social fears of an adult.
How to get rid of fear?
Having a clear idea of what fear is, and understanding its causes, a person can try to eradicate them in order to get rid of them forever. Detailed analysis problems helps to cope with it. There are many proven ways to heal fear. Psychology names some effective methods:
- Action against anxiety.
- Logical comprehension possible consequences situations. Maybe there is nothing to worry about.
- Phobia visualization - on paper or in your head.
- Courage training.
When it comes to social phobia, it can also be dealt with in stages. There are a few psychological techniques and ways to overcome the fear of communication:
- new acquaintances and broadening of horizons;
- virtual communication, telephone conversations;
- consultation with a psychologist.
Pills for fear
It is important to understand that an emotion such as fear is not always triggered by natural causes. If anxiety is caused by neurological and psychological problems, drug treatment helps. An over-the-counter anxiety medicine can be bought at pharmacies. These include:
- herbs and extracts - valerian, roseola, motherwort;
- homeopathic medicines;
- Dietary supplements;
- nootropic drugs - adaptol, phenibut, pantogam.
Sometimes different medications can actually help relieve anxiety, but not for long. For example, for a person who is afraid of flying on an airplane, it is easier to take a pill before a rare flight than to undergo a long course of psychotherapy. Regular use of antidepressants and stabilizers can reduce feelings of anxiety, but if the root of the fear is deep, pills alone will not help. It is necessary to work on yourself.
The worst method of dealing with anxiety is to freeze or run away from it. With any phobias - secret and obvious, that interfere in life, you need to fight, boldly face danger and your own weaknesses. It is important to understand that people have no control over some things, and to be able to put up with these types of fears. For example, do not try to conquer death or avoid all natural disasters. People should listen to the instinct of self-preservation, but not silt up on their fears.
It is necessary to distinguish between fears "normal" and pathological fears. "Normal" fears are a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation, therefore it is considered a common occurrence for the mental development of the child. Not afraid of anything, too open a child is defenseless in the face of life situations. He exposes himself to danger, may be injured or even perish due to his “fearlessness”. But completely fearless children simply do not exist.
Biological fears are, first of all, rudimentary fears, atavisms, reflecting the initial defenselessness ancient man in the face of nature: fear of thunderstorms, open space, heights, fast moving objects and animals, harsh sounds, etc. The overwhelming majority of such children's fears are temporary; in adults, they no longer exist in the form of fears, but in the form of unpleasant sensations that have to be overcome by efforts of the will. Each fear or type of fear appears only at a certain age and coincides in time with the so-called leaps in the psychomotor development of the child. For example, with the beginning of independent walking and receiving to a greater extent freedom in the development of space, the child develops a fear of heights. Or at a time when the child is already beginning to recognize his loved ones, the appearance of a stranger, unfamiliar face causes fear in him.
Children's fears, if you treat them correctly, understand the reasons for their appearance, most often disappear without a trace. You just need to not focus on them, so that these fears are not entrenched. The gradual accumulation of sufficient experience and knowledge in the course of active interaction with the world will allow the child to cope with his fears, to be self-confident. Thus, children's fears in the case of normal development are an important link in the regulation of the child's behavior and, in general, have positive value... Pathological fears (phobias), inadequate to life situations, are a different matter. Such fears sharply negatively affect the general physical and mental well-being of the child, inhibit and distort his development.
Pathological fears are very numerous and varied in their manifestations. In the very general view they are divided into situational and personal. Fears are also real and imaginary, acute and chronic. Real and acute fears are usually predetermined by the situation, although they are inadequate to it, while imaginary and chronic fears are predetermined by personality traits, that is, this classification is directly linked to the general systematization. In some cases, the line between natural situational fear and pathological fear is extremely thin. For example, any person, being outside the house during a thunderstorm, is quite naturally afraid of the flashing of lightning and thunder strikes, as he feels that this can threaten death. But if a child, being at home, regularly crawls under the table or under the bed from a thunderstorm, despite the persuasion of the parents, this is already a pathology.
Fear tends to intensify in the evening and at night, often accompanied by illusory deceptions of perception, a sense of the presence of an outsider, extracampal hallucinations, pareidoli, and in some cases - tactile and visual hallucinations. Fear is closely associated with difficulty falling asleep, intermittent sleep, insomnia, nightmares. Pathological fear in children and adolescence arises in the structure different options the course of schizophrenia, with epilepsy, neuroses, fearful and anxious - fearful depression. (N. Iovchuk).
Undifferentiated fear (pointless). It is understood as protopathic fear with the experience of a diffuse threat that is not concretized in a certain content. It is combined with general motor restlessness, somatovegetative symptoms (tachycardia, redness, pale face, sweating, etc.). In these conditions, unpleasant somatic sensations are possible, similar to somatoalgias, senestopathies. This fear is not associated with a psychologically understandable traumatic situation; the verbalization of the state is limited to the statement of fear without interpretation. The child cannot give a verbal account of his experiences, is limited to individual statements: "scary!", "I'm afraid", etc. This type of fear is often accompanied by a general alertness, a sense of the possibility of danger from not only strangers, but also relatives, threats from the entire environment. It can occur both in neuroses, neurosis-like states (somatogenic, residual organic), and in schizophrenia (V. Bashina, A. Golik, V. Mamtseva, N. Simashkova).
Pretentious fear. The content of fear is peculiar, unusual. The child is afraid of the "black joke" invented by him "old Oboldyk". Characteristic for patients with schizophrenia
Night fear. States of pronounced fear and motor excitement during a night's sleep; occurs mainly in children of preschool and primary school age.
The emergence of fear of the night can be preceded by real experiences in the daytime - traumatic situations, fear, for example, when watching horror films. Fearful images or thoughts are reflected in dreams. In depressive conditions, dreams often occur, reflecting the plots of death, awakening during a night's sleep with screaming, crying, fear, senestoalgia. In toxic and infectious psychoses, night fear contains the phenomena of abortive delirium. In schizophrenia, nighttime fear can be associated with frightening dreams that reflect the patient's autistic experiences, usually of strange, symbolic content. Fears can reflect depersonalized dreams, hallucinatory, delusional experiences. With an exacerbation of the disease, fear of nocturnal manifests itself in the form of oniric-hallucinatory states. In patients with epilepsy, nighttime fears can be associated with dysphoria with a tinge of melancholy and aggressiveness, and sometimes with a twilight disorder of consciousness.
There are 4 variants of night fears.
1. Fears at night, delusional. They are an age-related modality of hallucinatory or delusional syndromes and are similar to daytime fears of this nature. As a rule, at the moment of awakening at night, the child experiences frightening (more often visual) hallucinations (sees "burning eyes", hears frightening sounds) or experiences a diffuse pointless fear with a feeling of a diffuse threat. He cries, shouts: "Drive him away!", "Scary!" which indicates the presence of false recognitions. Consciousness is changed according to the delirious - oneiroid type. At full awakening with an exit into wakefulness, partial amnesia is observed - memories of fears are fragmentary, like memories of dreams. Fears of a nightly delusional nature develop most often on initial stages paroxysmal schizophrenia.
2. Night fears undifferentiated (epileptiform). They resemble night fears of an epileptic nature, but they are distinguished by a greater simplicity of the picture, the absence of rhythm and stereotype. They are found in somatic diseases with toxicosis and fever, as well as in the subacute and long-term period of brain infections and injuries.
3. Fears nocturnal paroxgamal - in the structure of temporal lobe epilepsy. They arise and stop suddenly without any connection with dreams. Consciousness is profoundly changed according to the type of twilight obscuration, contact with children is impossible. Often this version of fear of the night is combined with automated actions, movements, incoherent statements, sometimes accompanied by involuntary urination or defecation. The whole complex picture is characterized by a stereotyped developmental pattern, repeating itself each time in the same "set" at a certain time of night sleep and with a certain rhythm. The condition is completely amnesiac. By adolescence, paroxysmal nighttime fears usually disappear or are replaced by more typical seizures.
4. Fears of the night (conditionally) overvalued nature, arising according to the reactive mechanism after the experienced psychotrauma. The sleep of such a child is restless, filled with exciting, painful dreams. Fears are the emotional culmination of experiences and, as it were, a continuation of sleep with a decrease in its depth and transition to a state of altered consciousness. The child becomes restless, screams, cries. The statements reflect the traumatic situation and are psychologically understandable (“Don't hit your mother”, “I will learn lessons!”, “Save yourself!”). Sometimes it is possible to establish partial contact with the child, to get an answer to a question. In the morning, the child, as a rule, amnesizes fear itself and his behavior, however, he can convey the content of dreams (L. Danilova).
Modern psychology identifies the following types of fears:
- obsessive fears;
- delusional fears;
- overvalued fears.
TO obsessive fears include: gypsophobia (fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), agrophobia (fear of open spaces), sitophobia (fear of eating), etc. Hundreds and thousands of obsessive childhood fears; all, of course, cannot be enumerated. The child experiences these fears in certain, specific situations, is afraid of the circumstances that may entail them.
Delusional fears are fears, the causes of which are simply impossible to find. How, for example, can you explain why a child is afraid of a chamber pot, refuses to take a particular food (fruits, vegetables or meat), is afraid to put on slippers or tie shoelaces. Delusional fears often indicate serious abnormalities in the child's psyche, can serve as the beginning of the development of autism. Children with delusional fears can be found in the cynics of neuroses and in hospitals, since this is the most severe form.
Fears associated with some ideas (as they say, with "fix ideas" or - this definition is more often found in the special literature - overvalued ideas) are called overvalued... Initially they correspond to any life situation, and then they become so significant that the child cannot think of anything else. Children's overvalued fears include social fears: fear of answering at the blackboard, stuttering.