The relation of the first something to the second something and their respective relevances determine the particular kind and intensity of our fear. The one and the other something have a definite nature. We know what they are like. We may not know which of several knowable possibilities will occur. The particular relation of our knowledge to our ignorance gives a particular color to our fear” (Reizler, P. …show more content…
Emotions can be very complex, and fear is no exception to the rule. It explains the different components that make up fear: one, fear of something; and then two, fear for something. Then, it explains why fear is so powerful: the intensity and the unknown can further perpetuate fear. In his article, Reizler states a study that occurred after the first World War in Germany. Both psychologists and neurologists studied soldiers who had injuries to their brain, whether those are as we now know to be Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). What these scientists found was that everything had to be in its usual place for these soldiers. According to the study, “any change, disturbance, or new task threatens the whole of this order and leads to a "catastrophic reaction," in which their neurosis recurs”. Furthermore, “any change finds them helpless and throws them into a kind of fear that may be just as detrimental as the fear of death itself”. I think this example of fear can be tied to people and politics today. On both sides of the aisle, fear can be strong. The fear of change and the unknown is definitely something everybody experiences. However, we tend to see this more with conservatives than liberals. For example, in question number fourteen used in our exit poll, “compared with life today, the future of the next generation of Americans will be: much better, slightly better, about the same,