Fear through Different Developmental Stages - Research Paper Example

Fear through Different Developmental Stages Fear is one of the primary emotions, together with happiness, anger, and grief. It generally refers to feelings caused by noticeable, realistic dangers, unlike anxiety, which often occurs out of proportion to the danger involved. Traumatic situations, observations of other people exhibiting fear, or frightening information may provoke fear. Continuous exposure to fear can lead to disorders such as combat fatigue, characterized by long-term anxiety and other disturbances. Physiology of Fear At the physiological level fear lead to a series of changes produced by the autonomic nervous system and adrenal glands, including increased heart rate (tachycardia), increased breathing rate (tachypnea), tenseness or trembling of muscles, profuse sweating, and dryness of the mouth. Circulation from the rest of the body is directed to the areas where energy is needed most, either to protect oneself or to escape danger, also known as the "fight or flight" response. The sudden diversion of excess blood from the brain may also cause fainting, which may actually serve as an adaptive function in animals to protect them from predators. Development of Fear Children experience fears with greater intensity than older people. Middle aged children as a group experience less fears than their older or younger siblings. There is a disagreement between researchers upon the degree to which fear is innate or a learned response. Pavlov’s research with conditioning led to various experiments through which animals were conditioned to fear certain stimuli which were previously neutral. However certain fears such as fear of pain, injury or loud noises are innate and appear to be universal. Fear in Infants Fear generally starts appearing in infants at 7 months of age. In newborns, fear is primarily reflexive. By instinct, they become afraid if there is sudden loss of support, extreme or unexpected sensory stimulus particularly with loud sounds. At about 6 to 9 months of age infants develop fear of masks, heights and strangers. Anxiety of separation typically appears at about 6 to 10 months of age and peaks between 18 and 24 months. Fear of being separated from the primary guardian is a universal reaction. The ability to understand constancy is not present in the young infant and it might believe that its mother might be gone forever if she is not currently present there. The peak that is observed at 18 to 24 months is probably because this is the age when most children enter day care or preschool. Fear in Children 2 to 7 years of Age At two years of age a child becomes more organized and develops a better sense of security. A two year old is usually afraid of the dark, animals, loud noises, toilets and strangers. Between 2 and 3 years, active imagination develops. They develop fear of imaginary situations and made up creatures. At the age of 3 the fear of people or animals with unusual appearance is added to the previous. A four year old may also fear death of a parent. Fear response is typically exaggerated in three to four year olds. Commonly these children are scared of the dark, strange noises, strange creatures, animals, loneliness and thieves. They are scared of supernatural creatures. Young children are self-centered and have difficult time differentiating between imaginary and real. They might believe that the monsters on television can hurt them. Young children are also scared of the dark and are easily frightened if awakened in darkness. Minute sounds and slight shades are easily misinterpreted by them. Most five years olds in contrast tend to have more concrete fears. Typically, fear of physical harm, dogs, thunders and losing ones parents are fears observed. At the age of five to six years the behavior pattern of children is often unpredictable. At this age however they tend to fear objects or events that are more concrete and justified. Physical harm, falling, separation, death, dogs are the more common fears experienced in this group. Table 1 Childrens Fears Fear of or Due to: 6Mo 8Mo Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Yr5 Yr6 Yr7 Yr8 -------------------- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Separation Anxiety X X X X Stranger Anxiety X Noises X X X Falling X X Animals* X X X X X X Inconsistent Discipline X Toilet Training X X Bath X X Bedtime X X X Doctor X X X Monsters and Ghosts X X X X X Bed Wetting X X Crippled People X X Getting Lost X Going to Day Care X X X Loss of Parent X X X Death X X X Injury* X X X Being Late to School X Social Rejection X New Situations X Burglars* X Divorce* X X X X X Personal Danger* X X War* X Table1 continued Fear of or Due to: Yr9 Yr10 Yr11 Yr12 Yr13 Yr14 Yr15 Yr16 ----------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Burglars X Animals X X Injury X X X Kidnapping X X X Being Alone in the Dark X X X X Injections X X X Heights X X X X Terrorism X X X Plane or Car Crashes X X Sexual Relations X X Drug Use X X Public Speaking X X X School Performance X X X Crowds X X X Gossip X X X Divorce X X X X X X X X Personal Danger X X X X X X War X X X X X X Schachter, Robert, and Carole Spearin McCauley. When Your Child Is Afraid. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. Fear in Children Beyond Age 7 Increased cognitive and adaptive skills allow most children to resolve their fears by age seven. Fears that were dominant during the age four to six usually disappear at age seven. Mostly fears at age seven are related to school, physical injuries, natural disasters, social anxiety, and performance anxiety. Beyond the age of seven a progressive decline is observed in fears concerned with physical harm and the child begins to fear various situations that might bring about social detriment. As transition from infancy to childhood and adolescence occurs, children place increased priority upon how friends, fellows and adults perceive them and where do they stand in their social interactions with them. Occasional incidents of social anxiety are not unusual and are part of normal development. The age linked increase of social evaluative fears is also associated to maturation of social reasoning. Children that are socially conscious report a greater concern with social evaluation and performance than those that are impulsive or self protective. It is possible that increased social fears in mid-adolescence might be due primarily to the fact that society at large is likely to put more stresses on teenagers than on children. Children are seldom exposed to serious tests, whereas older adolescents are frequently exposed to exams of every kind, tests that may have significant implications for future success. SURVEY Participants Three participants were chosen from each age group A) 0-2 years, B) 2 -6 years, C) 7-11 years, D) 12-21 years. Procedure The questions pertaining to Group A children were answered by their mothers. Participants of the remaining groups were questioned individually Results Group A (0-2 yrs.) Survey for mothers to answer about their childs fears (check all that apply)  Mother #1 Child has jumped suddenly after hearing a loud sound  Child has been startled after from sudden movements  Child has cried when either parent has left the room  Child has shown anxiety or began to cry in the presence of strangers  Mother #2 Same results as Mother #1  Mother #3 Same results as Mother #1 and #2 + Fear towards large objects  Group B (2-6 yrs.) Drawings from children about what frightens them  Child #1 draws a raccoon  Child #2 draws a shark  Child #3 draws a bug  Group C (7-11 yrs.)  Survey for children about what frightens them the most  Child #1 being alone  Child #2 funerals/ death  Child #3 needles/ doctors  Group D (12-21 yrs.) Survey for adolescence about what they fear (check all that apply)  Person #1 public speaking  disease/ physical injury  natural disasters  being a victim of assault  going nowhere in life  Person #2 disease/physical injury  doctors/dentists  natural disasters  being a victim of assault  going nowhere in life  Person #3 school performance  rejection  disease/ physical injury  being a victim of assault  going nowhere in life Findings Based on above observations and comparing them with above research literature: In group A, it can be appreciated that fear of loud noises, sudden movements, strangers and fear of separation turn out to be the prominent fears as expected. In group B, fear of animals remained to be the dominant fear. In group C, children demonstrated fear of death which is common as this is the age at which the child starts to grasp the concept of death. Fear of needles, doctors and dentists was observed which might indicate a transition from irrational and imaginative fears of group B to more concrete fears that might pose a physical threat. In group D, the fear of public speaking, going nowhere in life and rejection indicate social evaluative fears in play. Fear of assault, physical injury and disease indicate the concern for physical well being. Fear of doctors/dentists however in person 2 maybe associated with a previous painful experience the subject had and can be a conditioned response. Conclusion Based on above mentioned data and results from the project it can be summarized that fear, a primary emotion can either be innate or conditioned. In infancy, fears are innate and are universal. How ever as the cognitive capacity of the child increase fear of imaginary objects and presumptive situations are added. However by the age of seven these fears disappear and the fears of the child become more rational. In pre adolescence the fears are primarily concerned with bodily harm or punishment as the social cognitive capacity of child is not that developed. However in teens, social evaluative fears are predominant. Works Cited Bamber, J. H. The Fears of Adolescents. Personality and psychopathology, 20. London: Academic Press, 1979. Bauer DH. "An Exploratory Study of Developmental Changes in Childrens Fears." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines. 17. 1 (1976): 69-74 Newman, Barbara M., and Newman, Philip. Development Through Life A Psychosocial Approach. Gardners Books, 2008. Papalia, Diane E., and Sally Wendkos Olds. Human Development. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978. Schachter, Robert, and Carole Spearin McCauley. When Your Child Is Afraid. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. Read More