Fear Itself: The Origin and Nature of the Powerful Emotion That Shapes Our Lives and Our World by Rush W., Jr. Dozier (1-Nov-1998) Hardcover

by Rush W. Dozier Jr.

What is fear? Where does it come from? What purpose does it serve? Why are some fears universal when others vary from person to person and from culture to culture? In this fascinating book, Pulitzer-prize nominated science writer Rush Dozier, Jr. takes us on a thrilling journey through the brain science and everyday reality of this most human emotion. Fears mold the most mundane aspects of our existence and the very structure of our societies, reflecting in terrorism, violence, secret police, and distrust of outsiders. Yet it is fear itself that simultaneously pushes us to mature and fulfill our deepest human potential.

Genres: Psychology

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Dylan McLaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fear Itself, other then one or two chapters, is a surprisingly accessible and informative read. It does seem to be written for the common person with no more then a causal interest in neuroscience. However, if you don't have that casual interest, then the chapters that introduce it will be confusing, and the rest of the book will be also because you don't understand the terms it introduces. I was in that boat, but after going over the confusing parts again it began to make more sense. It covers a wide variety of information about fear, mainly its evolutionary purposes, some of its negative consequences, and how we can deal with those. The explanations behind the purposes of the different fear systems and what they do were fascinating, and showed why we do certain things when we are afraid that we normally wouldn't do. While I keep saying the book is very interesting and does a great job of teaching, there are some parts that just lag or are hard to understand. Chapter 2, the Science of Fear, is one of those parts. The long winded scientific examinations, complete with big medical terms and words made it a chore to read that part. However, it was really important to understand the rest of the book. I now know a lot more about fear and how to tap it to unlock the helpful potential it actually has when controlled. Aside from some boring but nessecary parts, it was an informative and entertaining read.

[Trekka12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the swedish version of this book, the original 1998 edition. I read it many years ago, and it had a profound eye-opening effect on my life. See during this period of my life I was struggling with anxiety to the degree where it inhibited my life and freedom to an extent where I became isolated and fearful of almost everything (it felt like back then), it was very dark times for me. This book shed some light on fear itself, what it is, how evolution developed it for us humans, at what ages different types of fear can be developed as well as tools to help combat them, and what types of fear belong to our most primary and basic layer of our human brains that we like to call instinct and the reason for these fears. Also how modern-day society confuses our brains into becoming scared when it might not be a viable response. The insights and perspectives this book offered made it feel to me at least to be a definite Must-Read that ought to be included in the curriculum of every persons schooling regardless of country in the world. It was that good. The author writes exceptionally well about the subject as well. It's an easy read and a Great read as well. This book actually changed my life. It helped me find ways to get out of holes where the walls was neither easy to grasp nor see but sure as you and me, they were still there, to keep me from reaching certain aspects of life. They put me somewhere in life I didn't want to be, but until this book, it was hard to find the necessary help and tools to start making moves to progressively get out and become free (or at least free-er) :) A must-read! Can't stress it enough. There are a few of these books that exist, this is definitely one of them! You won't regret it. Educate yourself about how we as humans function and why. Some might claim it is our own responsibility to find these things out for ourselves. And were often better off for everything we can learn about ourselves that can help us navigate life and the world. This book does that.

[Teddy Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was an excellent and informative book. It does have a few heavy dark subject matters regarding some of the serial killers it discusses when talking about the brain.

Overall I found it very informative, however as I did more research I found some of what it talks about (like the left vs right hemisphere’s) is outdated for neuroscience and psychology. So reading a more up to date book might be a good idea.

Overall I thought it was great.

[Gerardo A Mora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not say it's a bad book. It has a lot of interesting information, still unexpected it to be way more focused in fear, types of fears, like a note detailed explanation of the definitions of fear you could find by searching any entry in a web browser. Not the case. But as I said, it's not a bad book on itself.

[Shoonr · Rating 4 out of 5]

in my opinion, this book was very good. it provided a lot of information on the topic of fear. i enjoyed this book for many reasons. i am very fond of books that share insight and interpersonal revelations. this book is very related to the subject of phycology, which i am highly interested in. by reading this book, i learned not only about the emotion of fear, but also how it is applied in real life. i learned about how fear is being used in my life personally. reading this book made me understand my actions better, and it has influenced me to create a better life for myself moving forward, by using this emotion to my advantage. the better understanding of this emotion i now have has and will continue to play roles in my everyday life. when i read a book, i am always attracted to the aspect of real world application. i am always searching for what i can get out of the book and for what information i may be able to use on a daily basis. the book Fear Itself is the perfect read for me, as for it has done all of those things. this book breaks down all different level of fear, from primitive to complex. it also delves into the functions of the brain. i recommend this book if you enjoy learning about the brain and the science behind how it works. although this book contains very specific details on biology, the majority of this book is rather subjective. the idea behind this read is not to teach you cookie-cutter black and white detail on neurology. the idea is to break down the emotion of fear itself. i highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about your own actions, the emotions that trigger these actions, and the ability to control these emotions to your advantage. so read away and begin your journey to the understanding of fear itself.

[Robert Jonsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

En bok som innehåller det mesta om rädsla. Vad är egentligen rädsla, och vad är mod. Kan man använda rädslan som en drivkraft. Hur fungerar det och varför blir vi egentligen rädda. Vad händer rent biologiskt i hjärnan vid stress, ångest, panik och skräck. Rädslan för det avvikande, det okända. Rädsla som skapar fördomar - vilket ju egentligen är en slags fobi, var kommer de ifrån. Hur har denna rädsla kunnat driva människor till att utföra de mest jävulska missgärningar mot andra människor. Gärningar som folkmord och krig. Men även de mer vanliga i mindre skala, som mobbning, utfrysning etc. En bok som informerar och berättar på ett sätt som inte är torrt och uttråkande, vilket är risken med denna typ av böcker. Episoder och händelser från livet blandas med rena fakta och förklaringar på ett engagerande sätt. Pudelns kärna är den ständiga kampen som förs mellan det primära alarmsystemet - som man skulle kunna säga är binärt och endast förstår farligt/ofarligt och inget däremellan- och det rationella alarmsystemet och medvetandet. Intressant grej.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Who wants to live forever? The genes do. And because they have succeeded, perhaps we do too. The DNA pattern of every living thing stretches back in an unbroken line for 3.5 billion years to the beginning of life on earth. Every human being has a dimension of immortality. Each of us goes back, mother to daughter, father to son, parent to offspring, in an unbroken genetic chain through simpler and simpler organisms to the big bang of life nearly 4 billion years ago. Part of us has been alive for perhaps a quarter of the time that the universe has existed. That may be why the meaning of our lives is so deep and mysterious."
Deep shit!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through understanding fear we understand ourselves.
-Rush W. Dozier Jr.



Rush W. Dozier breaks down fear into terms that people can understand. Fear is the body's warning system and teaches us from experience. Doizer describes three types of fear: the primitive fear system, the rational fear system, and consciousness, which he believes developed primarily as a means to handle dangerous situations.

I like this book because it makes sense. Dozer's way of writing engages you and makes you want to learn more about the human body and how it reacts to life.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it was 15 years old it still holds up with no obvious out-dated information. There are many observations I had not heard before in my recent cognitive-psychology reading. It can be slightly repetitive but there was always something new to keep me reading at least once a chapter.