Understanding and Overcoming Fear

If you listed your emotions from your most favorite to your least, chances are that fear would not be among the favorites. And yet, if we ordered our emotions according to their importance for our survival, fear would certainly be at the top. Without fear, we simply wouldn't be here. Fear is a strong emotion that can hold us back, move us forward, and bind us to others in our group. But what exactly is it? In Understanding and Overcoming Fear, sociologist Margee Kerr, PhD, explains the physiological and contextual aspects of fear, revealing the complexities of this powerful emotion and explaining why you can never experience the exact same fear twice. In 24 episodes, illustrated with fascinating video and graphics, Professor Kerr takes you on a journey similar to the one she has taken in her own work-from considering fear as a toxic, destructive force that needs to be defeated to an emotion with tremendous upsides in the right circumstances. It used to be accepted that experiences, and our physical responses to them, were inherently good or bad. Now we know that context is everything. No one wants to feel the sharp sting of fear that comes from being followed while walking down a dark street alone at night. But what if you and your friends are in a haunted castle and a man jumps out at you? You're likely to shriek, but you're also likely to say at the end, "Wow, that was fantastic." Why does it feel so good? In Understanding and Overcoming Fear, you will discover a great deal about American fears, phobias, and the treatments for both. You'll learn about numerous, effective ways to manage and overcome fears and how to build a better, healthier relationship with fear so that it does what it is designed to do-help us stay alive.