2006-06-09 06:40:24 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Fear is an unpleasant feeling of perceived risk or danger, whether it be real or imagined. Fear also can be described as a feeling of extreme dislike towards certain conditions, objects, people, or situations such as: fear of darkness, fear of ghosts, etc. It is one of the basic emotions and is linked heavily to the amygdala neurons.
Fear may underlie some phenomena of behavior modification, although these phenomena can be explained without adducing fear as a factor in them. Furthermore, application of aversive stimuli is also often ineffective in producing change in the behaviour intended to be changed. Fearing objects or contexts can be learned; in animals this is being studied as fear conditioning, which depends on the emotional circuitry of the brain.
Fear inside a person has different degrees and varies from one person to another (see also phobia). If not properly handled, fear can lead to social problems. People who experience intense fear have been known to commit irrational and/or dangerous acts.
Some philosophers have considered fear to be a useless emotion; other thinkers note the usefulness of fear as a warning of potentially unpleasant situations or consequences. Still others consider that fear is the fuel that feeds the ego's (as in "separating/judgmental agent") engine.
It might also be useful to note that "fear" in the sense of 'God Fearing' means "To regard with reverence and awe". (OED)
2006-06-09 06:42:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
when I read yahoo answers I fear for the future of literacy.
2006-06-09 13:48:32 · answer #2 · answered by answer faerie, V.T., A. M. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋