Fear conditioning

idea that fear is the underline emotion of many undesirable situations; however, it has been described differently by different individuals. Fear was an emotional learning that the effect such as pain aroused by things or situations could arouse fear. He further distinguished the differences between useful and useless fear. According to Wolpe, useful fear is helpful and appropriate to the situation whereas useless fear is unhelpful and disadvantageous. In Chapter 2, he discussed that fears could…

overcoming and conquering a fear is not easy to obtain. The treatment of exposure therapy is currently being used to successfully alleviate fear and anxiety disorders. At exposure treatment sessions, patients are asked to repeatedly recall and describe their traumatic event until their emotional reactions reach a point of termination (5). Humans have used the well-known process of fear conditioning for years. This fundamentally important process has been used to treat clinical and fear-related…

A self-defeating behavior I experience on a daily basis is the fear of rejection. This mostly takes place in social settings, such as university, events, or places with peers close to my age. My fear of others’ negative opinions of me occurs daily and greatly limits me. This behavior has existed for as long as I remember. I suffer from social anxiety and have low self-esteem and thus have a hard time being around others without feeling judged or evaluated. I am extremely critical of myself and…

exposure to cir-cumstances that produce persistent fear and chronic anxiety in young children can have lifelong consequences by disturbing the developing synapses of the brain (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, (NSCDC), 2010). Anxiety is a normal aspect of child development, most children experience some form of anxiety. These fears and anxieties are usually overcome relatively easily and quickly and the child learns to manage their fears and anxieties. For some children…

as neglect and abuse can have a negative effect later in life (2011). This early child adversity can be triggered by a future high stress event causing negative emotions (fear), which lead to anxiety and depression. The conditioning of fear is another environmental factor influencing social anxiety, this includes any conditioning or modeled fearful behavior. According to Oltmanns this anxiety can manifest just after one exposure to a learning trial such as witnessing a parent’s anxiety or…

The purpose of the study chosen, “Fear conditioning and stimulus generalization in patients with social anxiety disorder”, was to determine if overgeneralization (a common facet of disorders such as PTSD and OCD as found by previous research) is present in Social Anxiety disorder. In the article, it is claimed that “surprisingly little” is known about fear generalization in humans--specifically clinical populations, as research on the topic has slowed since its first discovery. In similar…

people have always been afraid of something, whether it be predators or pestilence. Fear has always been a normal reaction to something dangerous, causing the individual to go into the fight or flight reaction. Phobias are like a fear but are so intense to the point where it interferes with their ability to function and their quality of life. Phobias are described as an abnormal, intense, and irrational fear. The fear can be of a given situation, organism, or object. They have been around…

they get from watching violent entertainment. The same act of watching violent entertainment is also a way of coping with actual fears or violence. Most viewers can distinguish between possible real and unreal events in horror…

One might ask how the topic of fear relates to the liberal arts. Fear, although it manifests itself in physical and physiological symptoms, is an omnipresent force effecting the human race. The symptoms it causes and our responses influence our behavior, thoughts, and decisions. All of which are studied by liberal arts disciplines. To better understand the human response to fear, it helps to understand the body’s response. When a stimulus that triggers fear is encountered, impulses are sent…

A Three Second Memory? There is a common belief that fish only have a three second memory and that they cannot be trained to compete tricks, and this may be caused by the short lifespan of some species of fish, making testing for long term memory difficult (Reebs, 2008, p.1). Moreover, many assume that goldfish do not have a memory since goldfish always seem like they are hungry, since they are always seen foraging for food. However, as a long time goldfish owner, I have witnessed my goldfish…