Concept in Definition ABC

When the sensation of fear is intense it is spoken of dread. Terms like panic, horror, terror, or fright work as synonyms.

Intense fear

Each individual perceives intense fear in a very personal way. There are individuals who are paralyzed before him, while others react bravely. In general terms, one could speak of a series of symptoms associated with fear: rapid pulse, sweating, feeling anxious and overwhelmed, muscle tension, confusion, and ultimately a seizure physical and mental. These changes serve a biological function: to prepare us to face the terrifying situation.

Objective fear situations

Fear as a defense mechanism allows us to respond to objectively dangerous situations. A possible accident, the threat from an attack by a wild animal or the violence typical of war are examples of situations that generate intense panic that is difficult to control.

Irrational fear situations

Certain behaviors express an intense fear that does not have a justificationrational

. Thus, the fear of pigeons, open spaces, stairs or long waits are atypical circumstances that are commonly known as phobias.

On psychology Irrational fears or phobias are studied in order to help people who suffer from this disorder. There is talk of irrational fear for several reasons:

1) because it is a disproportionate response,

2) because it is a reaction that cannot be easily controlled and

3) because some phobias have negative consequences in daily life (let's think of a person with a phobic fear of stairs and their limitations on a day-to-day basis).

There are phobias of different kinds. Thus, psychologists classify them into two large blocks:

1) specific phobias (for example, of dogs, needles, storms or dust) or

2) social phobias (fear of criticism from others, men or crowds). The set of these phobias are called disorders from fear.

Usually the treatment of fear disorders is based on directly facing one's own fear

There is no foolproof recipe for solving phobic fear. However, psychologists recommend therapy that includes exposition to that which activates the mechanism of dread. Thus, the patient with elevator phobia has to face a series of challenges gradually and gradually until he is finally able to get on an elevator with normal.

In a complementary way, there are other types of techniques to overcome phobias (look for information about the real probabilities related to the supposed dangers associated with the element that produces the phobia or mental relaxation to control the anxiety).

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Themes in Dread