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Theories Of Emotion

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Theories Of Emotion
What is fear? To answer that question we must understand what emotion is.
Emotion as we know it is a persons state of feeling. Scientific reasoning has drifted to different meanings and there is no consensus on a definition in the scientific community. “Emotion is often conjoined with mood, temperament, personality, and motivation” Wikipedi. Fear is an emotion we are all very familiar with. But how we really know what fear is? This paper will help unravel the misconceptions and false ideas on emotion and fear and brig to light to why is crucial to mankind. In multiple theories, cognition is a very important aspect of emotion. Those acting only on emotion may appear as if they are not using logic, but mental processes are still needed, particularly
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The main theories of emotion can be put into three major categories. Physiologists theorize that reactions within the body and mind are responsible for emotions. Neurological theories propose that chemical activity within the brain leads to emotional reflexes. Finally, cognitive theories argue that thoughts and mental activity play a vital role in the formation of emotions.
As we know fear is a vital emotion to humanity, it keeps us from petting spiders and kissing snakes. So fear is a kind of defense mechanism to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes. Fear is a vital reflex to physical or emotional danger, even if we didn't feel it, we couldn't prevent ourselves from legitimate threats. But for the most part we fear situations that are nowhere near life-or-death, and thus hold us back for no real reason. Traumas or bad experiences can trigger a fear reflex within us that is hard to reason. “Yet exposing ourselves to our own personal and unique fears is the best way to move past them” (Posttraumatic Disorder--Temporary or Permanent?). So everybody has their own fears. As I stated before bad experiences are a huge trigger for fear. A perfect example of a phobia is one that I have of spiders.
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The affected person tends to avoid direct contact with the objects or situations and, in very severe cases, any mention or imagery of them. The fear is very be disabling to their daily lives even in jobs and in hobbies. The fear or anxiety may be activated by the presence and the anticipation of the specific object or situation. Anyone who encounters that of which they are phobic will show signs of fear or express mental or physical discomfort. It can result in a horrible panic attack. In many adults, the person may logically know the fear and understand it is unreasonable but still find it difficult or impossible to control the anxiety. This condition can significantly impair the person's mental and even physical

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