By Laniece Watkins
“Phobia” comes from the Greek word “phobos” meaning morbid fear. Nyctophobia, “nycto” meaning “night” is the fear of darkness. Spectrophobia,”spectro” coming from the Latin word “specio” is the fear of mirrors. Why are people afraid of darkness and mirrors? Why do some people find darkness a nuisance while others find it terrifying? Why do we fear? In order to answer all of these questions you first have to know what fear is.
“Fear” according to Webster Dictionary is an “unpleasant often strong emotion caused by awareness of danger”. When someone is fearful, electric signals are sent from the brain through the body. In a result of this, chemical reactions cause uneven breathing and a raised pulse. How does this explain peoples fear of darkness and mirrors? Well, according to John B. Watsons Little Albert experiment, people develop fears through learning. In the LIttle Albert experiment a 11 month boy was fearful of a white rat. His fear of a white rat was then generalized to white furry objects. However, a traumatic experiment is not necessary in learning “how to fear”. Studies have shown that people can accumulate fear just by observing others who are in fear. This would explain why people are afraid of various things. Nevertheless, this doesn't explain why everybody is not fearful of the same thing. According to Buskia website his explanation is experience. Some people accept things that others find fearful. Now, don’t try to say that you’re not afraid of anything.
Photo Courtesy of: firstchoice-hypnotherapy.co.uk
“Phobia” comes from the Greek word “phobos” meaning morbid fear. Nyctophobia, “nycto” meaning “night” is the fear of darkness. Spectrophobia,”spectro” coming from the Latin word “specio” is the fear of mirrors. Why are people afraid of darkness and mirrors? Why do some people find darkness a nuisance while others find it terrifying? Why do we fear? In order to answer all of these questions you first have to know what fear is.
“Fear” according to Webster Dictionary is an “unpleasant often strong emotion caused by awareness of danger”. When someone is fearful, electric signals are sent from the brain through the body. In a result of this, chemical reactions cause uneven breathing and a raised pulse. How does this explain peoples fear of darkness and mirrors? Well, according to John B. Watsons Little Albert experiment, people develop fears through learning. In the LIttle Albert experiment a 11 month boy was fearful of a white rat. His fear of a white rat was then generalized to white furry objects. However, a traumatic experiment is not necessary in learning “how to fear”. Studies have shown that people can accumulate fear just by observing others who are in fear. This would explain why people are afraid of various things. Nevertheless, this doesn't explain why everybody is not fearful of the same thing. According to Buskia website his explanation is experience. Some people accept things that others find fearful. Now, don’t try to say that you’re not afraid of anything.
Photo Courtesy of: firstchoice-hypnotherapy.co.uk