33: Fear and Anxiety

The purpose of ego defenses is to protect an individual from unpleasant emotions, chief among which are fear and anxiety - both of which derive from a primitive response to threats: fear of a present threat or anxiety of a future one. Pathological anxiety is very common and is the basis of a wider range of psychological problems that affect many individuals.

Both have a functional role in human survival, to react to a present threat or avoid threatening situations in future. To the degree they protect us from actual danger, these emotions are functional - but when they prevent us from taking a beneficial action when no danger exists, they become dysfunctional.

Many of the common phobias: fear of spiders or venomous animals, enclosed spaces, height, darkness, storms, and blood all relate to things that were serious threats to our primitive ancestors and, arguably, to individuals living in primitive conditions even in the present day. In essence, the basis of all fear is fear of death - whether anxiety is expressed about something that will kill us, injure us, sicken us, or obstruct our ability to take self-sustaining actions, it all comes down to death.

A sense of panic that causes us to be poised to respond in self-defense is entirely healthy and functional - to be indifferent to danger is a sign of profound stupidity and, more to the point, an inability to survive. (EN: And the stigma attached to people in this condition is likewise justified - as those who are fearful are simply not fit for survival, hence a rational person will avoid associating with or especially breeding with a member of the species that demonstrates an inability to maintain its own survival.)

Likewise, a level of panic that prevents us from acting or is inherently harmful is unhealthy. For example, some panic attacks cause a person to have a heart attach, shortness of breath, or to lose control of their rational faculties and act in counterproductive ways. Less severe symptoms can still be debilitating: distraction, detachment, flashbacks, nightmares, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, and loss of perception or memory.

The author mentions various philosophical and religious systems that advocate overcoming fear of death, to enable a person to make the most of life. Unfortunately, this is often taken to the extreme, resulting in the complete devaluation of the individual who disregards the value of himself and even embraces death.

While it does make sense that adopting a causal attitude toward death can grant a person a sense of calmness and presence of mind, too much of a good thing is in this case unhealthy.