Page 103 - Biblical Counseling II-Textbook

multiply into a long list of human fears – fear of driving or flying, fear of mice or cockroaches, fear of
closed or open spaces, fear of failure or success, fear of another race or nation (Myers, 2009).

Learning by observation extends the list. Susan Mineka sought to explain why nearly all monkeys reared
in the wild fear snakes, yet lab-reared monkeys do not. Surely, most wild monkeys do not actually suffer
snake bites. Do they learn their fear through observation? To find out, Mineka experimented with six
monkeys reared in the wild (all strongly fearful of snakes) and their lab-reared offspring (virtually none
of which feared snakes). After repeatedly observing their parents or peers refusing to reach for food in
the presence of a snake, the younger monkeys developed a similar strong fear of snakes. When retested
three months later, their learned fear persisted. Humans likewise learn fears by observing others. This
suggests that our fears include the fears we learn from our parents and friends (Myers, 2009).
The Biology of Fear

One key to fear learning lies in the amygdala, that
limbic system neural center deep in the brain. The
amygdala plays a key role in associating various
emotions, including fear, with certain situations. In
animal research, rabbits learn to react with fear to a
tone that predicts an impending small shock – unless
their amygdala is damaged. If rats have their
amygdala deactivated by a drug that blocks the
strengthening of neural connections, they, too, show
no fear learning (Myers, 2009).

The amygdala is similarly involved in human fears. If
an experimenter repeatedly blasts people with a
blaring horn after showing a blue slide, they will begin
to react emotionally to the slide (as measured by the
electricity conducted by their perspiring skin). If they
have suffered damage to the nearby hippocampus,
they still show the emotional reaction – an implicit memory – but they won’t be able to remember why.
If they have instead suffered amygdala damage, they will consciously remember the conditioning but
will show no emotional effect of it. Patients who have lost use of their amygdala are unusually trusting
of scary-looking people (Myers, 2009).

Of course, there are people whose fears seem to fall outside the average range. Some, with phobias,
have intense fears of specific objects (such as bugs) or situations (such as public speaking) that disrupt
their ability to cope. Others-courageous heroes and remorseless criminals – are less fearful than most of
us. Astronauts and adventurers who have “the right stuff” – who can keep their wits and function coolly
and effectively in times of severe stress – seem to thrive on risk. So, too, do con artists and killers who
calmly charm their intended victims. In laboratory tests, they exhibit little fear of a tone that predictably
precedes a painful electric shock (Myers, 2009).

Fear Conditioning
When bad events happen unpredictably and uncontrollably, anxiety often develops. Anxious people are
hyper-attentive to possible threats, and panic-prone people come to associate anxiety with certain cues.
Through conditioning, the short list of naturally painful and frightening events can multiply into a long

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