5 Types of Fears

You should not be afraid of your fear. There are 5 types of fears. I discuss them in this blog post.

We all have fears. They are natural. The funny things about fear, and there are funny things about fear, is that we share so many fears with others.

A lot of people fear spiders and snakes. I can’t say that I fear spiders and snakes. I am not in an environment where I am exposed to spiders and snakes so they hardly ever cross my mind. I am pretty sure, though, that if I were told there was a deadly snake loose somewhere in my house I would fairly quickly step outside.

On the other hand, I am pretty sure there are spiders inhabiting some parts of my house. I don’t think about them until I see one. I read somewhere that the average American swallows up to eight spiders a year while we are sleeping. Yuk!

5 Types of Fears

We share many other fears. These are more internal fears. I read an article in Psychology Today that said all human beings have five distinct fears. All of our other fears can be categorized under each one of these five. The author claims that these are the only five fears we all share.

They are:

• Extinction
• Mutilation
• Loss of Autonomy
• Separation
• Ego Death

Extinction

It is easy to see the fears that fall into categories 1 & 2. Of course death is the first one that comes to mind. But it is even more than just death. It is the existential concern about failing to exist. Perhaps this explains why people have those huge monuments over their grave sites. Fear of death keeps us from doing foolish things, such as taunting an alligator.

Mutilation

As for mutilation it takes little explanation to understand that none of us wants to lose a body part, loss of an organ or suffer disfigurement. The author claims that the anxiety about spiders, snakes or other animals is a subcategory of this fear. As legal nurse consultants, you have likely encountered someone who has been horribly mutilated and know this is a strong element of damages.

Loss of autonomy

Loss of autonomy is one of the 5 types of fears. It has some interesting subsets. For example, quadriplegia and paraplegia cause loss of autonomy. That seems evident. Losing a driver’s license because of age or infirmity certainly causes a loss of autonomy. It also includes imprisonment, being smothered, being enveloped or trapped. I thought the most interesting component that the author cites is “fear of commitment.” He opines that the reason a person is afraid to commit is because he or she fears losing their autonomy. I never thought about it that way.

Separation

Separation is the fourth one of the 5 types of fears. People fear separation from loved ones. Patients react to separation from their families when they are hospitalized and contributes to suffering. The breakup of a relationship, moving away from home to a distant city, fear of abandonment, being shunned or ostracized by friends, family or co-workers all fit into the fear of separation.

Ego death

Ego death is one fear that can have a direct and immediate impact on our performance, productivity and personal satisfaction. What is ego death? This is where we get into the area of how we think of ourselves and how we think others perceive us. This is one of the big energy blocks in the workplace.

Ego death includes humiliation and embarrassment. And those two things alone have stopped many a person from advancing in their career or even having strong relationships. Ego death also results from role changes associated with injury.

When people start to fear how they are being viewed by their co-workers, bosses or loved one it can have a lasting and damaging impact on not only how the behave, but also on the outcome they most fear.

Nobody want to be seen as a failure. But those who succeed are willing to take that chance. You see, there cannot be real progress without some risk. If you start worrying about how others will look at you you won’t want to take any chances. And you will not have a successful LNC business.

Out of all of the 5 types of fears, I believe that Ego death has the greatest potential to do the most damage. It will be the fear that keeps you from meeting your destiny and achieving your dreams. Remember that you are unique. Only you have your talents and capabilities. Do not become entrapped in worrying about what others might think.

I heard the famous evangelist Joel Osteen sum it up well. He said, “If you knew how little time people spend thinking about you, you would understand how little they talk about you.” It’s true.

Wayne Schoeneberg is a trial attorney who connected with Pat Iyer. Pat Iyer and Wayne Schoeneberg teamed up to create a new course called How to Live Beyond Fear: Secrets for Legal Nurse Consultants. Get all the details here.