“There is nothing to fear than fear itself,” this is simply not the case in the real world. Humans have lots of fears. There’s too many of them that you can list them by the hundreds. Fear of heights, fear of sleeping, fear of dogs, fear of cats, fear of birds, fear of turning right, fear of turning left, fear of driving, cooking, dancing, acting, etc. just name it, and there will always be someone who has a fear of it! But which of this striking man to fear the most? The bases for this ranking are the number of recorded medical cases of human fears. Most are psychiatric records.
1. DEATH
Do you fear death? Maybe you should because it takes the number one spot on our list. The fear of death is called “Thanatophobia.” Death is universal and an unavoidable phenomenon. Being such, it is the most common source of dread among sick people and their families. Death is considered as the universal reminder of life and its meanings.
2. UNCERTAINTY
Uncertainty defined as not knowing accurately or without assurance of something. Again this stems from fear of unknown. According to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, it is impossible to determine precisely the position and the momentum of an elementary particle simultaneously. It can be likened to uncertainty in life circumstances. We tend to become anxious or frightened when we aren’t sure of our life’s course and the eventual result or end of it.
3. EMBARRASSMENT/SHAME/HUMILIATION
This is a painful-inconvenient and sometimes a confusing emotion arising from guilt due to a perceived indecent or improper act. The fear of embarrassment usually leads to a person’s in action. It also leads to avoidance. For example, a person my shun acting because he or she had been embarrassed at one some of his her acts. It brings about a feeling of disgrace, dishonor, and inferiority to a person.
4. NUDITY/REMOVAL OF PRIVACY
This is the fear of being seen naked or just the idea of it, by most if not all people in general. Probably this is due to the notion that when people see someone naked, they will never forget him or her in relation to nudity. It may stem from our inherent value for privacy or fear of being exposed and may not necessarily come from the thought of being physically inferior. Possibly it may also stem from the fear of being judged immoral for in most cultures they put great emphasis on the sanctity of the human body.
5. NEOPHOBIA
This is fear of new, untested experiences such as a change in the system or government. This is quite common; hence, when leaders propose some changes in the society, people usually naturally oppose without even without knowing yet the possible outcome of the plan being introduced. Probably this also comes from the fear of unknown. Fear of not being able to deal with the changes for it is not known yet. It is usually manifested as anger or anxiety towards change.
6. FEAR OF STRANGERS
Xenophobia is the dread of strangers. This again stems from the most common fear of the unknown. Strangers are described as unfamiliar or unknown persons. This probably entails that familiarity somehow creates a notion of trust. People who have this fear are often isolative.
7. FEAR OF DIRT/GERMS
Mysophobia is the fear of dirt and germs. Dirt is defined as filth, mud, or something being considered synonymous to filthy garbage or something of no worth, which has the potential to cause harm. Germs are microscopic organisms, and most but not all are associated with diseases or illness. People who are experiencing mysophobia are excessively clean. Sometimes they are also excessively organized.
8. REJECTION
It is the fear to be discarded or to be not accepted or disowned. This fear may have its roots from insecurities. Insecurities are a result of our upbringing. They may also be a result of certain importunities in our life. An example of life events which may trigger the fear of rejection is being rejected by those whom we adore and love. People with this fear are often isolative or have a small group of much-selected friends.
9. SOCIAL PHOBIA
It is a discrete dread of being seen and observed by a large group of people or crowd. Example of which is fear of public speaking and performing in public. People who have this fear usually avoid activities that would expose them to a significant number of people. These people are often very shy. They have very low self-esteem.
10. BLOOD INJECTION PHOBIA/NEEDLE PHOBIA
This is very common not only in children but among adults as well. Some even faint upon seeing needles or blood being extracted. This should be differentiated from the fear of blood. This is the fear of being injected with a needle to get or pump blood into the body. The cause of this fear is still unknown.
