Do you think fear is a learned behavior?

Answer 1

Yes fear is a learned behaviour. For example, babies typically aren't scared of spiders and all the creepy crawlies that adults are.

However it is important that we learn to fear things, since it is a very basic, self-protection mechanism.

As for Sweet N Sours example of a snake... somewhere along the way in your life someone has taught you that snakes are dangerous, and you've learned through other experiences to fear dangerous things....

Answer 2

No, I don't believe fear is a learned behavior. It comes with you as pure instinct. Although fear itself may not be a learned behavior, the things that are feared ARE learned behaviors. For instance, let's say as a baby, you get bitten by a spider, your natural instinct from then on is to fear all spiders. Its natural to feel fear but its learned through the bitting that spiders are the ones to be feared. If fear wasn't a learned behavior, then no one would feel it. Every emotion you feel, i think has a part of natural instinct in it.

Answer 3

Fear is certainly, a learned behavior. A child is fearless until he's taught otherwise. A person as he matures, learns to comprehend the meaning of fears thru direct experience; that is direct contact with . Or he he was taught by his peers,his surroundings, such as the news media,TV or movies or family. The number one fear is fear of the unknown. What is not perceived and validated is considered not forseeable and thus unavoidable.



Did you know that you were born with only two natural fears? One is falling and the other is loud noises, this means that all the other fears that you have are learned and the good news is anything that you have learned you can unlearn. You did not know to be afraid of the tax man when you were only 2. Just as you did not know that any of the other new learned fears that you collect on your journey through life were anything to be afraid of until you learned how to be afraid of them.



Al;ternative diets, Yoga, meditation,breathing and exercise are good for you. They are thoroughly recommended methods to combat fears. They will reduce symptoms and make life easier. Just imagine how much better Yoga and exercise will benefits you once you have unlearned fear?



The most effective pain free way of permanently removing fear is to unlearn it. Contrary to popular belief the brain learns quickly and fear is learnt in a split second and the unlearning process is the same it is fast, pain free and employs no drugs. This is the best recomended method to unlearn fear.

Answer 4

Fear is a sense that was implanted into our brains since (this follows the belief of evolution) our ape ancestors had hunted. People who say they are not afraid of anything are either just showing off, or they haven't met their true fear yet. Fear is a basic reflex that everyone reacts to. The reaction can range from blood pressure rising rapidly to simply the hair on your rising up. Not everyone's fear has to go extreme. Children seem to have fear of imaginary characters in movies or books. These can cause giddiness whenever thinking about them and nightmares at night. My fears are spiders (arachniophobia) and people physical problems such as an arm or leg in the wrong place.
P.S. This may seem an educated answer from an educated professor of psychology, but I'm not a professor. I'm just a genius.

Answer 5

No, fear is not a learned behavior because it is one of the basic elements of the living psyche. Fear is something that people and animals alike are born with. Learning to control that fear or even sustain it is a learned behavior. But since fear itself is one of the most primary and elementary of human (and animal) drives, it is not a learned behavior.

If you think about it, neonates have fear even shortly after birth-their crying indicates not only that they are alive but that they have achieved the status of a human- fear and life go hand in hand.

Answer 6

Fear is not a learned behavior. Fear is an acquired feeling spanning the length of a person's life while altering the emotional feedback of a person based on the Fear level acquired.

Answer 7

Yes, I think that is. My reason for believing this because that as a child my mother and my aunts were always overly worried about the younger children of the family choking. It seemed like nightly my mother was saying "the baby is choking run and get the fireman down the road" I would run to the firemans house all the time because one of the babies were choking.

I have just recently started realizing that I have a true fear of choking. I always feel like I'm choking. It's so bad that I have become a vegetarian because I can never seem to chew the meat up good enough to swallow.

My aunt became a vegetarian when my cousin was 12. he used to love meat. the other day I asked him if he still ate meat and he told me that he likes it as long as he doesn't choke on it.

There you go. Both my cousin and I have an extreme fear of choking. I believe we learned it from our parents.

Answer 8

I think it is an natural behavior; however, the things we fear may be learned.

For example, if someone shouts really loud a baby may cry because it is scared. However, to fear the unknown or superstititons is learned.

Answer 9

No, but it can be. Like, I'm afraid of elevators... I never was before. One day, I took the elevator and got stuck in it. After that, I would never take an elevator again, unless I'm with someone. I didn't learn that, I expierienced it. But then again, I've convinced a few people that taking elevators are bad...and now they think twice before taking one. So maybe THEY learned from ME to fear elevators? I dont know

Answer 10

Fear is not a behavior. It is an inferred emotion with behavior manifestations such as shaking, sweating, etc.

Fear is considered an inborn emotion--evident at birth. If you take a newborn, you can elicit fear by moving it quickly, showing it certain visual configurations or exposing it to loud noise. So the emotion is there from birth.