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Prairie Falcon - predator - ecology of fear 

Some of you may know that I am a "birder" (naturalist) and have been seriously (off and on) for 50 years. My deep connection to the land and ecological relationships of all things, more or less, began when I was a small child barely able to walk. I loved being outdoors in Nature, and my most important character-shaping years from 2-8 years old were at an old house we lived in on the escarpment of the Bow River valley. I literally walked 30 meters from my back door into the "wilderness" of the escarpment community of plants and animals--that is, the "prairie" biome, as it is called by ecologists. The escarpment is an 'extreme landscape' so steep and erodes and can landslide easily, so cities cannot build on these places, and they thus tend to become "natural areas" carrying the diversity of plants and animals that are not possible in the rest of the urban landscape/city today. This area and my interactions with the environment of the "prairie" shape my life--I have an 'escarpment personality.' Btw, Just two days ago, I was "slow birding" on a hill and spotted a "Prairie Falcon" which I studied for several hours up close as it was hunting ground squirrels along a major highway going through the city (of Calgary). I'll return later in this blogpost to why I practice "birding," still to this day, in order to become a better fearologist. I recommend "birding" (i.e., "naturalizing")[1] to everyone, but especially to budding fearologists.

Me With Spotting Scope - Campbell Hill, N.E. Calgary                -photo by Barbara Bickel 2017

If you have followed my research on "fear" (and 'fear') at all, you'll have picked-up my ongoing interest in developing a very important primal foundation for the basis of fearological work. Fearology itself as an inter-/trans-disciplinary study has to be able to engage all sorts of discourses and disciplines and traditions that have something to say about fear management/education. Fearologists of the future have to have some regard and competencies (as much as possible) to 'speak' to researchers, practitioners and others who come at the topic of fear from many directions and perspectives, for e.g., the physiologist-biologist, the evolutionary behaviorist, the psychologist, sociologist, philosopher, artist, architect, political scientist, cultural studies scholar and so on. Having an extensive vocabulary and basic knowledge of these fields of study and their approach to fear takes a lot of years to develop. For e.g., as well as there being new scholarship available recently on "ecology of fear," one can find similarly on the "sociology of fear," "geography of fear" and on and on... My goal has been to be able to have some confidence to speak to them all and at least show them I respect their views from their particular biases, and yet, as an integral-based fearologist it is my aim to not be overly-dominated by any of these views and their inevitable biases--and, that is because they are not holistic-integral perspectives in and of themselves. Rare is it to find someone who has a holistic-integral perspective. Now, to the question and focus of this blog:

What has the ecology of fear discourse to offer to the field of fear management/education, at least from the point of view of the integral fearologist (i.e., my point of view)? 

FYI, my first love of learning in high school was in grade 10 when I became very curious with biology, the living science, as it helped to explain so many things I had experienced in my body and in Nature for many years prior. I pursued two post-secondary degrees thereafter, one in Biological Sciences (Ecology Option) and one in Environmental Biology (specialized in zoology and ecology) between 1972-1978. So, it is quite natural in the later years of my life, after several other career tracks, to return to this bio-ecological science background I have because it is my most profound ongoing experiential base of real-life empirical "practices" and "knowing" that I will argue is most primal (natural). To understand "fear" well, in all its holistic dynamics, the fearologist has to be in-touch (in some ways) with the primal-instinctual and Natural domain of reality, and to do so without that domain being totally submerged and conflated with the Cultural and Spiritual domains of reality. I became fascinated with psychology, culture and spirituality much later in life.

The integral fearologist keeps a 'balance' (integration) of the three domains of knowing and reality (NCS), and does not privilege any one of them over the others but rather respects their differences and similarities in an evolutionary sense-- whereby (arguably) the Natural is the oldest and wisest in terms of how to "survive" well and sustainably on this planet that depends on ecological healthy relations/systems. The Cultural is next oldest (and not very old at all) and Spiritual follows as the youngest and advancement and corrective on the problems that the Cultural realm creates--that's a more complex evolutionary theory I utilize and will not go into here.

A lot of the contextual influence regarding my interest recently in an ecology of fear has come from tracking experts (i.e., bird language study by the teacher Jon Young [2]) and "Indigenous" philosophy/worldview and "primal awareness" practices through my 10-year study of the 71 year old teacher Four Arrows' and his scholarship and practices (as I am currently writing an intellectual biography on his life and work) [3]. Oh, and for those of you wishing to see other things I have published on this topic of ecology of fear see the resources in Notes [4]. There are many topics one could cover, and I'll have to focus on only one here--the ecology of fear and/or the "ecology of predator-prey relations." 

So, there is a long evolutionary discourse (both W. science and Indigenous prior) that have articulated the importance value of pre-human species and their ecological relationships--because they are in a sense our "ancestors" and some of them have lived for many tens if not hundreds of millions of years. The principle point of this research and knowing is to say that any wise human ought to listen well, and learn well, from its "ancestors" and what they learned about fear and its management on this planet since the beginning of life--and thus, in some way, arguably, the beginning of fear. Life in fact makes that "life" vulnerable to extinction (i.e., death). So, the complex, evolutionary, and ecological relationship of fear to survival (i.e., our instincts and motivations to live)--are primal foundational curriculum material for any fearologist. 

The particular study (dubbed in the last 30 years) "ecology of fear" (or "ecology of predator-prey relations") is one I find particularly useful to study. It has many implications for the human world as well. Ecologists are starting to address just how important the ecological systems (i.e., living and non-living things and processes) are impacted greatly by predator-prey relations (i.e., in simple language, the "fact" that all living things are susceptible to being eaten and thus at the same time are putting other creatures at risk because they also eat to live). The entire dynamic of Life on this planet is turning out to be that everything is eating everything, and thus, everything can be prey and/or predator at the same time. And behind that empirical truth, then there is the sound foundational evolutionary principle that: "nothing really wants to be eaten" (i.e., die) (i.e., fear of death). So, thus begins this complex ecology of "fear of dying" (including injury) in one form or another, which become more complex the higher up the evolutionary chain and with advanced consciousness capacities--right up to "self-reflective" species (brains). A whole other dialectical principle is that the "spirit of fearlessness" is right there helping the organism both survive, but also thrive and heal if injured.  

I won't go on and on, in order to keep this blog short. The thing I find interesting to remember is that the human being is a "top predator" ecologically. And, we best not forget that empirical truth, within the frame of evolutionary theory at least. Being a top predator means, more or less, we are making all other species "afraid" more or less. That's where "birding" comes in. It teaches me the lessons of evolution and Nature every time I go out there and walk with my binoculars and spotting scope. When you learn bird (animal) language, you realize they are continually giving alarm signals (more or less intense) as you walk into their territories, be it in the city or in natural areas. You are a threat. Now, apply that to all predators (which is, all living creatures)--and, the outcome logically is that everything is making everything, more or less, afraid of it (because, everything is eating and/or preying upon everything else). Of course, you could come up with arguments that cooperation is also going on and that not all creatures are "preying" upon others actively, e.g., some are scavengers of already dead organisms. My generalization is really intended to act as a baseline reference for human beings--that is, "top predator" in the food chain. Because, that is whom the fearologist is addressing in their work. Human beings and how they make themselves and everything living around them afraid, more or less. It is really hard for the "humanist" ideology to take this reality in--and, that's why I offer this counter narrative of an ecology of fear to the more humanist sentiments that see humans as more benign (certainly, not as a predator). 

The predator-prey behavior and evolutionary strategies that are ancient, are critical to understand in our theorizing about risk, threat, security today.The ecology of fear plays a critical role in all these areas that are getting a lot of attention--especially, in a so-called society that is driven/motivated by what many critics are calling the "culture of fear" dynamic --which is, another form of the more primal predator-prey ecology and/or ecology of fear. I would recommend studying this connection between risk, safety, threat and violence and fear in the work of Gavin De Becker, a well-known respected security expert today [5]. I have followed De Becker's work and corresponded with him for near 20 years. Much of what he writes about (like Jon Young) is all about the ecology of fear, as far as I am concerned, though neither of them use that language or research and discourse (including, Four Arrows). So, fearologist can improve this whole field of risk management/education, and fear management/education and safety and security domains by a primal study of the foundations of fear in the Natural world. That's my basic point. As Four Arrows (and the Indigenous worldview) suggested, that in order for us to become "connoisseurs of Fear" we ought to start asking where is it best to "know Fear"?--and, his response: 

"To survive and thrive, wild animals must be experts in Fear. Humans who wish to express their positive potentiality must also be connoisseurs of this great motivator." [6] Basically, Four Arrows, like myself, suggest strongly that if you want to "know Fear" then study Nature, be in/with the Natural domain as you observe, experiment, inquire, record and study the topic Fear--and, that means, study it as part of an "ecology of fear" (of predator-prey relations). Btw. researchers using this term "ecology of fear" are also including plants as "teachers" of how this all works. And, sure, we always have to be cautious not to try to directly apply everything from these ecological studies to "humans" (and Cultural and Spiritual) and the complexity of our lives, but some of it does apply, and will give us creative and fresh views into the nature and role of Fear on this planet. 

Oh, and why do I go "birding"? To continue to develop my primal brain! I am always learning to trust it's instincts and intuitions--and, you never know when you may need them handy to help out. And the basic corrective, healing principle I am particularly developing in the birding world is "slow birding" (I've coined the name)--to enact a counter to a world where everyone (even birders) are spinning out there way too fast, too many pictures, too many this and that... so, I return to the Indigenous-based wisdom in regard to Nature (the Natural domain), and cite Four Arrows (relating the lessons from Mexican shamans), who  wrote, "Nature cautions us to go slowly." [6] 

Notes: 

1. One could just as easily use the term "Indigenizing" here, as my colleague Four Arrows (aka Dr. Don Trent Jacobs) would do so. 

2. Young, J. (2013). What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World. Boston, MA: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2. The book is to come out in 2018 with Peter Lang publishers, entitled at this moment: Fearless Engagement of Four Arrows: The True Story of an Indigenous-based Social Transformer. 

3.. FM Blogs: see "Rhetorical Ecology of Fear: Scholarship" (Oct. 7/16); "Bird Watching/Listening: Teachers of the Ecology of Fear" (Oct. 14/16); and Technical Papers see "Further Steps to an Ecology of Fear" (Technical Paper No. 52, 2015) and "Steps to an Ecology of Fear: Advanced Curriculum of Fearlessness" (Technical Paper No. 38, 2012). 

4. De Becker has published several books now, but his classic text is "Gift of Fear" (1997). See a good talk De Becker with Sam Harris on the "wild brain" as De Becker calls it and "true fear" (intuition) that predicts violence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh9OpbJXOHA ; and just to be clear, I do not necessarily embrace all of what these guys are saying in the video--rather, I'm quite critical.

5. Jacobs, D. T. (1998) [aka Four Arrows]. A True Story of Survival, Transformation, and Awakening with the Raramuri Shamans of Mexico. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.

6. Ibid., p. 226.

The above Figure is a record of the dates of joining of members of the FM ning. Initials are used for names of FM members. It is intriguing how many people (14) I was able to sign-up to the FM ning on my birthday (April 18, 2015). Like all these initiatives they dissolve in enthusiasm quickly after the initial support. The difficult part of sustaining growth and development in an organization is the ongoing active attraction of others beyond my closer circle of friends and colleagues. I am pleased to see that overall there is in the years since 2015 a relatively stable growth in FM members and 2017 (as of Sept. 25) is proving a very good year of growth, and that is exciting to me. Also, i colored the JN JL AG (summer months) as particularly interesting because in 2016-17 this is when 36% of all FM members signed-up--so, we may want to think about that as a good recruiting time. 

It is all of our responsibility as a community in support of the Fearlessness Movement to "connect" with our fellow travellers in some way, either on or off of the FM ning site. All of these members can be found on the ning, and/or if you want to look up and contact someone, you can email me, and I'll give you suggestions if you want. With 44 members we can really do something if we pull together and honor that each of us is a member, each of us has an interest in the same basic topic and mission, which is to promote a better understanding of Fear and Fearlessness in this world and encourage and nurture the Fearlessness Movement as an educational and activist operation. The opportunities are endless. 

I look forward to any suggestions and/or initiatives you may wish to try on the FM ning to enhance our collective synergy and effectiveness amongst ourselves and in the big world. Let's remember: We require a balance of "what can the FM do for you" AND "what can you do for the FM movement"--that is the way to healthy sustainability. 

"Aung San Suu Kyi [purple dress, says] "Attacks on Muslims, Not Ethnic Cleansing" (BBC News Interview, posted Oct.24, 2013] go to: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNVE_Ch_Q18

For a long time I have followed the oppositional leadership struggles of a political leader who espouses (Buddhist-based) fearlessness in much of her writing and speeches, of which she also won a Nobel Peace Prize for. She has always said that until we manage fear well, individually and collectively, including a healthy rule of law and democracy, there will be no real peace in her own country Myanmar (formerly Burma) or anywhere else for that matter. So, in that light I have written about her as one of the important leaders today of the Fearlessness Movement. 

In the last four or five years, and since she was released from house-arrest (for many years) to be in the public and run as head of the opposition party again, now she is being severely criticized by many in her own country and in the world, due to her seeming inability to stop what some call "ethnic cleansing" (referring to Muslims being targeted in this mostly Buddhist country). She has herself given a BBC interview on this topic (2013), which I recommend, as the interviewer pressures her to admit something she is not willing to admit nor agrees with the interviewers perspective. I am interested in this debate and how she handles it, and especially how she talks about "fear" and its role in this ethnic conflict in her country (which, could apply most anywhere with such conflicts, hatred and violence). I quote the poignant part of this interview below, and note how the interviewer pretty much disregards the impact of "fear" and wants to talk about disproportionate "numbers of victims" (especially on the Muslim side) as Kyi tries to emphasize a deeper issue--and ultimately, it is build social mistrust chronically because of the problem (I believe she would agree) from decades of dictatorship ruling in her country, and the violence between the two religions is really a symptom of this deeper Fear Problem. Here is her response (an excerpt): 

KYI : "The [radicalization of religion, violence, and ethnic hatred] problems arose last year, and I think this is due to fear on both sides, and this is what the world needs to understand, that the fear is not just on the side of the Muslims [victims], but on the side of the Buddhists [victims] as well.... There's fear on both sides and this is what is leading to all these troubles..."

When Kyi is asked about all the "friends" who abandoned her during her coming out as a political leader over 25 years ago, she is gracious to accept this betrayal, and disassociation because of the danger of aligning with her, and she says, "... you cannot expect people to be brave and outspoken all the time." As much as I understand her position, I truly was disappointed in this interview clip that she did not teach about what fearlessness is... no, it wasn't even mentioned, as it should be, and as is core to the best of Buddhist teachings. Now, on the other hand, if you investigate what is going on in Myanmar today, there are conflicts between Buddhist senior monks and leaders, as to how to fight back against what is a perception (true or not, fear-based or not) of radical Islamic movements in Myanmar. I think this whole situation politically, religiously, culturally, in this country is one to watch in the future as it unfolds, because therein is a story of what happens when fear meets fearlessness, and the true Buddhists involved are going to be challenged by the Buddhist teachings of fearlessness--so, will they actually give in to fear and not utilize the teachings of fearlessness as their spiritual leader and others leaders have taught for millenium. This is a good test case for the world to watch. I encourage all, Buddhists included, to pay attention and return to the basics of the path of fearlessness, albeit, recognizing that fear(s) are going to increase in Myanmar but everywhere in the world. The spirit of the Fearlessness Movement must not be abandoned. I think general immature ("traditionalist" and "tribal") versions of ethnocentric consciousness (largely fear-based in "protectionism" of cultural and religious identities and institutions) will be showing up, and showing this consciousness is non-adaptive to a globalizing 21st century world.  

https://theideationproject.com/fear-is-infectious-se01tr06/

This is a pretty interersting, more complex look at the Fear Problem than one usually sees in media. Check out this video "Fear is Infectious" ... 

The above logo (I created) is Barbara and my new collaboration as artists-researchers-teachers, as we have just moved back to Canada and settled in Calgary, Alberta. Studio M* is a place and space for us to co-create with the Calgary Community (in particular the Beltline Neighborhoods downtown), and beyond that with anyone in the world who wishes to be in collaboration with us and wants to utilize Studio M*. Barbara has posted an initial blog ("Barbara Bickel tumblr") on this project, and the location of McHugh House (120 yrs. old) where our studio 6 space is--which I encourage you to have a look at some of the earliest stages of our creating and imagining. We're very excited about the possibilities... 

As for why this is important to the Fearlessness Movement per se, I would encourage you to read the Studio M* Manifesto (version/exhibit #1.0), I have reprinted the Manifesto below (notice the particular reference to "without fear")... So, if you are interested to be a signatory of this Manifesto contact us r.michaelfisher52 [at] gmail.com and if you are traveling and want to drop by the studio to see what is going on, and if wish to join our Studio M* envisioning processes, then WE INVITE YOU to participate and help build a synergy that can make a positive difference. We look forward to hearing from you. If you are interested in doing some kind of creative/artistic Residency with us, give us an email: r.michaelfisher52 [at] gmail.com and we can talk about potentials for you using Studio M* ... that is, if you find our Manifesto in some way resonates with you and your work in the world... 

Studio M* : Manifesto    Exhibit #1.0 (Aug.-Sept., 2017)

         WE are a research creation lab intersecting Arts, Culture & Healing

• WE are committed to an inclusive & expansive curatorial practice that stems from the Latin root curare- “to take care”
• EVERYTHING is encountering others, human & more-than-human, a tableau of unique creative collaborations
• WE commit to a Matrixial co-poetic paradigm of Artworkings in radical trust
• WE practice a co-relational Aesthetic as foundational and preceding the Ethical, while both ought to inform the shape of the Political
• WE live with the premise that EVERYTHING began without fear... imagine that!
• SPONTANEITY is the life-blood-water of play, humour, sociality, sustainability, health & ecological sanity

Signatories:

----- 

*M stands for “Matrixial” theory based on Bracha L. Ettinger’s art & philosophy. See, for e.g., her book The Matrixial Borderspaces published in 2005 by University of Minnesota Press. Or a good video of Ettinger with art historian Griselda Pollock, go to "Istanbul in/+ Leeds Event 3: Making with Bracha Ettinger": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqwWIr3WjxU

Studio M* is a restorative and transformational learning, teaching, and creative inquiry space for all. Co-conceived by artists-researchers-teachers Drs. Barbara Bickel and R. Michael Fisher. 

Any amount of searching on the Internet these days will produce a plethora of discussions about "fear" and how best to manage it, and/or eliminate it. Typically the focus is on individual psychological "fears." This latter focus, can be seen in what I call Sanitational Videos on Fear (i.e., Motivational Videos). I call them "sanitatiional" because they both produce a lot of "garbage" on the one hand, and produce an overly-simplified ("clean") version of the Fear Problem.

I find nearly all of these popular video teachings very biased and masculine-focused in perspective, based on behavioral-cognitive psychology for the most part, and lack any self-reflective criticality of their own way of knowing. In my critical integral-holistic theory of knowledge and approach to fearology, these are very inadequate to representing the full-spectrum of representations of the Fear Problem and its solutions. They maybe contain 25% of the truth. A long critique could be made of these, and it would be great if people on the FM ning would study these videos and critique them, the good and not so good in them. They get a lot of popular "hits" and "viewers" and that then biases how people will think about fear (fears) and fearology. 

I even noticed the other day a Sim Aulakh (Jan. 20, 2016) has published a 3-module "course" on "Fearology Video Course Modules" and it seems to focus all on "limiting beliefs" rather than an in depth examination of what we know (and don't yet know) about fear ('fear'). The Fearology Training Institute (FTI) will take a very critical perspective on these public teaching materials and methods of "fearology." Of course, that is all in the near future, if all goes well with FTI's development and support. 

In the very first FORUM on this FM ning, I provided information on a (Wikipedia-like) version of a summary of the Fearlessness Movements throughout history, at least based on a preliminary research investigation. These diverse movements are branches of "one" movement, that is, the initiative to advance human consciousness beyond a largely fear-based existence. These movements evolve, develop, and sometimes just end rather rapidly. To study these movements and share information on the FM ning is one of the basic missions I had in mind for the FM ning. 

On this day, I wish to give acknowledgement to one of the more enduring and systematic of the Fearlessness Movements, at least as I have initially assessed it--that is, A Course In Miracles. I'd love if some of you reading and as FM members would take on doing some research and sharing with us all more about this movement ACIM. Here is from their official website an image that shows just how incredibly popular it has become as a self-study (group-study) approach to moving from a fear-based view to a love-based view. (Note, although I admire much about this "course" I also have my critiques, one of which is that they do not seem to conceptualize the notion of "fearlessness"). 

This is an excerpt (newspaper clipping from 2007), where a reporter interviewed me at my office, which was the space I was given at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, because I was hired for an original 3 week intensive course I created (as lecturer) called "Addiction Recovery as Fear Management: A Post-modern View"-- can you believe it? It truly happened, and there is a long story behind it (maybe I'll share another time). I had about 12 undergrad students, mostly in counseling psychology who took this. 

The point of pasting this photo and article is to show that at least one serious daily newspaper reporter of a fairly large city (in Canada) at one time (now 10 years ago) actually wanted to use "fearologist" in the sub-heading. It's a breakthrough, first time ever for such a phenomenon, anywhere in the world, I'd guess. So, it actually can be taken seriously. But like most leading-edge things in the society, far beyond what it can imagine itself, things like "fearology" and the profession of a "fearologist" appear and disappear just as quick. The lesson: don't think one good bit of pr and a paying gig like teaching is going to last necessary. There can be long dry spells between these golden opportunities. I'm just glad it was recorded in human history, in this one article. Maybe there will be another someday for some fearologist, not just for me. 

I have had a few very enthusiastic people of late, especially young people in undergrad studies of philosophy and psychology, for example, who want a set of readings of my work for their studies. They are also interested in potential future development of fearology, academically, and professionally. So, I have sent them seven core papers I've published since 1995 when I began the more serious scholarly-type writing on the topic of fear ('fear') and fearlessness. Note, these "Cornerstone Publications" are not necessarily my best works, as I have written hundreds of papers, published and non-published, many on the topic of "fearology" specifically and they are not among these seven works. See "Google Scholar" under "R. Michael Fisher" and/or see my CV and/or email me if you want more papers I'd recommend on fearology; and, of course, see my two books: The World's Fearlessness Teachings (2010) and The Philosophy of Fearism: A First East-West Dialogue (co-authored with Desh Subba, 2016). r.michaelfisher52 [at] gmail.com

Now, I realize I ought to make these seven papers available to all, as a quick way to tune-in to my unique approach to the topic and how best to solve the global Fear Problem. And, if you are interested to watch the happenings and contribute to the Fearology Training Institute, start by reading my 2 blogs on the possibilities... 

Steps to Becoming an Academic and/or Professional Fearologist

Fearology Training Institute: Perspective Map

Somehow I just happened to hit on a website and found this interesting display of the origin of the word "fearless" [at least, according to the website, in English]: 

So one could make some hypothesis here: (a) after 1/2 of your population is wiped out in a relatively few no. of yrs. due to plagues, you can imagine (or not) the kind of fear that had infiltrated every nook and cranny of the psyche and social fabric of a civilization (e.g., England)-- so, by early to mid 14th century (AD), here, out of the European world the word "fearless" was created ... for necessity (?) ... for sanity (?) ... for another possibility beyond living a way of life controlled so totally and overwhelmingly by a contagion of fear (fear of death of loved ones and self and just about everything else)... 

It would be interesting to check out the origin of "fearlessness" ... maybe someone wants to find that on the internet... go for it... 

I just had my article published "Two Hands, Two Decks, and a Theory of Action: Expanding Thinking Vocabularies of Learners in the 21st Century" (in Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 15(1), 2017). I've attached the article: Fisher%202017%20JCACS.pdf here. 

This article pushes the envelop on what it means to be a critical thinker, and especially focuses on how adults (and teachers) need to better share what they know with students. Hope you have a peak at this and feel free to comment and share it with others. Our world has "wicked" problems that need holistic-integral and diverse thinking capacities (as well as existential capacities). My small contribution to the discussion... maybe people will actually try what I suggest in the article. 

Feariatry is the most clinical aspect of study and application under the philosophy of fearism (Fisher & Subba). Feariatry, like but different than psychiatry, sees "fear" in its excesses at the very core of clinical diagnoses of just about every kind there is. Psychiatry as a field dedicated to improving mental health has still not prepared itself for the new cascading negative impacts of fear, especially social fear(s). The following article (from a research report in Psychology Today) I think is a good foundational study/report on how friendship circles in children and youth have profound effects on mental health--that is, on how excess fear/anxiety disorders and other problems of mental and physical health are determined by one's peers in growing up and who one hangs around with as friends. Note: The author(s) are supportive of the need to have "fearlessness" models in one's life. I believe the entire global Fearlessness Movement is an exemplar model for all of us, not just children and youth. We have a lot of work to do to promote this movement.

Here is the article:

Childhood Friendships Influence Both Fear and Fearlessness

Christopher Bergland

Childhood friends influence one another's tendency to be more or less afraid.

Posted Dec 28, 2016

When discussing how to pursue your dreams despite mental health issues or phobias, the late Carrie Fisher wisely noted, “Stay afraid. But do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident.” As Princess Leia, Fisher showed us all how to face fear with boldness, chutzpah, and a twinkle in your eye—regardless of gender stereotypes about the hero or heroine’s journey.

Amelia Earhart (who was the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic in a solo flight) famously echoed Fisher’s sentiment when she said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

A new study on how close childhood friends influence each other's attitudes about fear or fearlessness in the face of potential danger drives home the importance of encouraging one another to stay brave and to take action. This is especially true in the face of imaginary or phantom fears that often fuel phobias and tend to be nothing more than "paper tigers.”

The new research on how friends influence one another’s attitudes about fear was conducted by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA). This study involved 242 British school children (136 girls, 106 boys) who were seven to 10 years old. The findings were published in the December 2016 issue of the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy.

Childhood Friends Can Exacerbate or Diminish One Another's Fear-Based Thinking

According to the researchers, this is the first study to show how children in close friendships exhibit common explanatory styles and patterns of fear-related thinking. This research suggests that conversations about a potentially fearful antagonist among close friends triggers a type of feedback loop. Children who frame potential danger as being more or less scary create a self-fulfilling prophecy which leads to either facing ambiguous fear head on or engaging in avoidance behaviors.

Although a child’s unrealistic fears of the “boogeyman” usually diminish over time, many children develop paralyzing fear-based responses that can interfere with daily life. If left untreated, childhood phobias and neuroticism can continue into adulthood.

Parental and genetic influences are known to play a significant role in how a child becomes hardwired to respond to fear-provoking situations, however, this study suggests that the transmission of fear (or lack thereof) is also fueled by childhood peers and like-minded social networks. Just like violence or loving-kindness become contagious among peer groups, it seems that fear or fearlessness are also a social contagion that spreads between school-aged children.

In a statement to UEA, lead author, Jinnie Ooi, who conducted this research as part of her Ph.D. at UEA's School of Psychology, said she believes these findings could have a variety of practical implications for professionals working with children who suffer from phobias or anxiety disorders. Dr. Ooi described her latest study by saying, 

 "Our findings indicate that close friends may share negative thoughts and to some extent may maintain these thoughts. Hopefully, with this knowledge, we may be able to design interventions whereby close friends can help change their friends' thoughts during therapy.

It may also be beneficial to ask children being treated for anxiety disorders to identify whether they have friends who may be influencing or maintaining their negative thoughts, and it may subsequently be useful for them to be given strategies for how to discuss these thoughts with peers in an adaptive way."​

Boy-Boy Friendships May Perpetuate Fearfulness More Than Girl-Girl Dyads

The results of this experiment showed that children’s dialogue about an ambiguous or more clearly defined threat strongly influenced each other's fear and anxious thoughts following a discussion. For better or worse, someone’s fear responses tended to mirror those of his or her close friend.

Interestingly, children in boy-boy pairs showed a significant increase in their fear responses following the discussion of something that was potentially threatening or dangerous. For boys, their level of fear and anxiety significantly reinforced itself in boy-boy pairs. But, the girl-girl pairs actually showed a significant decrease in their fear beliefs when they talked about something that might be potentially threatening or scary with a girlfriend.

One groundbreaking discovery of this research is that children's fear-related thoughts do not necessarily become more negative when children discuss their fears with close friends who are more anxious. The authors say this supports the use of group-based therapy. 

Also, the findings suggest that school-based interventions aimed at reducing anxiety in primary school-aged children could instruct pairs of close friends to discuss and resolve their fears and anxiety in a positive manner with each other.

Role Models of Fearlessness Can Help Reframe Your Explanatory Style

Obviously, in light of Carrie Fisher’s death yesterday, millions of children and adults who grew up with Leia Organa of Alderaan as a fearless Princess who could fend for herself are in mourning. Carrie Fisher was a powerful role model for being bold, outspoken, and hilarious even in the face of terrifying mental illness. Her premature death is a tragic loss on so many levels.

Breaking the cycle of unsubstantiated fear from snowballing out of control among peer groups and close friends throughout your lifespan should be a top priority for all of us. The latest research on how friends influence one another's tendency to be brave or fearful is a healthy reminder to stay proactive about avoiding the quagmire of living in fear—regardless of your age or gender. As Aristotle once said, 

"Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. You become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions . . . He who has overcome his fears will truly be free."

Hopefully, having new empirical evidence and anecdotal examples of how fear can spread like wildfire (or not!) among school-age friends will lead to more effective treatments for childhood anxiety and phobias. 

As an act of friendship, the latest UEA study on how fear spreads among friends is a call to action for people of all ages to consciously adopt less fear-based explanatory styles, which appear to be contagious amongst friends.

References

Jinnie Ooi, Helen F. Dodd, Bobby G. Stuijfzand, Judi Walsh, Suzanne Broeren. Do you think I should be scared? The effect of peer discussion on children's fears. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2016; 87: 23 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.009

Christopher Bergland is a world-class endurance athlete, coach, author, and political activist.

 I found this quote from an article which I have not read as a whole as it is not easily available online (or for free):

Overcoming Fear Culture and Fear Itself

by Julie Hanus

Utne Reader, January-February 2009

 For the first time in history, fear is tearing society apart. In the past, fear has engendered solidarity—as it did in the 1950s, when nuclear anxieties bound Americans together. Contemporary fear throws wedges between us. This isolation, in turn, renders the public ever more fearful. What’s more, media outlets, politicians, and businesses all have learned to capitalize on this distinctly modern sense of dread, and thus profit from finding ways to cultivate it. Until we find a way to resist fear, we’ll live at the mercy of these emotional entrepreneurs—and in doing so, be party to the personal, cultural, and political consequences.

http://www.utne.com/politics/overcoming-american-fear-culture-on-eve-of-new-presidency.aspx

The academic, clergy, and process theologian, Terry Biddington in the UK, just posted a note about his experience reading my first draft of a ms. Here it is:

A new book on Fearlessness

Posted on July 11, 2017 by terrybiddington

I’ve just finished a peer-review of Canadian philosopher of fear R Michael Fisher’s new book:

Fearless Engagement in the Life and Work of Four Arrows: An Indigenous-based Social Transformer, publisher: Peter Lang 2018

 It’s a study of the life of Four Arrows – an Indigenous educator also known as Dr Don Trent Jacobs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Arrows

It’s a highly unusual book that takes the reader on a journey into the worldview of both Four Arrows and Fisher from fearless to fearlessness, courage and bravery. The thesis is that fear has become socialised to the point where we no longer recognise its influence in our lives, thinking and society.  So Fisher speaks of fearism – like racism or sexism: invisible, insidious and infectious. But for both Fours Arrows and Fisher fear isn’t the opposite of love (like ‘perfect love casts out fear’) but on a continuous spectrum with it. They point out that, while there are plenty of good studies about the impact of fear on our lives, there is no equivalent history of the world’s fearlessness teachings.

And it is Fisher’s life mission to achieve this. See for a good start, his The World’s Fearlessness Teachings (University Press of America, 2010).

https://terrybiddington.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/a-new-book-on-fearlessness/

Late last year, R. Michael Fisher blogged about my memoir Days of Shock, Days of Wonder and invited me to join him in a fear analysis of my writing. Searching for "Rafiq" here at the Fearlessness Movement website will show you the artifacts of our exchange. Since that time, Dr Fisher and I have continued our dialogue offline, and I hope to eventually write an article about what I have been able to distill about his ideas regarding fear.

Recently, I shared a new review of Days of Shock, Days of Wonder with Dr Fisher, and he encouraged me to post it here, perhaps as a way to direct readers to our earlier exchange but also to encourage readers to support writers like ourselves whose ideas are so far outside mainstream paradigms and the dominant worldview that our work rarely receives enough exposure for us to find an audience.

For me, both fearlessness and the constructive use of fearfulness are closely tied to our deepest perceptions of reality, and these perceptions in turn are inseparable from our capacity for spiritual experience, understood as the sensation of connection to a whole that is larger than the self. Just as fear is one of the great dividers of people from one another and from the earth, it is also one of the great inhibitors of this kind of spiritual awareness rooted in notions of diversity within unity and variety within essence.

So without further preamble, here is the brief review, recently posted at Amazon. If it inspires you to ponder my earlier exchange with Dr Fisher, all to the good. If it inspires you to read my book, all to the better. For I am sincere in my belief that in this age without prophets, it is up to us to inspire each other.

Found this posted on FB. Not sure who wrote it but worth knowing how religion and fear really have infiltrated America through changes to the original constitution.

FEAR: A SOCIAL MALADY (THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE)

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

1.0     INTRODUCTION

We are living in a society where the human person is discouraged day in day out, either because of what is happening around him/her or what he/she must have heard. What engineers these discouragements is nothing other than fear which is virtually a universal phenomenon. As that which discourages, it is a vice, is not just a vice but a social vice. It is important to note that, there is nothing in life that is as dangerous as a social vice. This is because, everyone is a target. Fear cuts across all works of life and strata of the society. As it stretches its ambient, it maladies towers. It starts by manipulating one person which is a tool to reach out to the society at large. This is because reality is interconnected. It begins by projecting or entering into one person (microcosm) from where it extends to others in the society (macrocosm). These influences permeate the life of the people through adaptation and environmental influence. And so, it spreads, affecting people as an individual, groups and gradually the society at large. When such a vice (s) through a person begins to permeate gradually till virtually every human person sees such an act as a comfort zone, it becomes (a) Social malady (ies).

As a result of these, this write-up attempts to x-ray some of the various ways the phenomenon fear has permeated the sphere of Nigerian social polity, causing a defeatist mentality that has held most Nigerian citizens spellbound to mediocrity in their quest to achieve their purpose in life and provide a way out.

2.0     Definition Of Term

• Fear

According to Philip Holder, a specialist in Therapeutic Hypnosis, “fear is an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by the anticipation of ‘loss’ it may be loss of face (disease or danger to the body) or it may be loss of face (damage to the ego, pride or image).”

• Societal Malady

According to Encarta Dictionary, malady is a situation or condition that is problematic and so requires a remedy. So, talking about fear as a social malady, it means that fear is a problem in the society that requires remedy.

Societal Fears in Nigeria

In Nigeria, there are four common ways fear has grinded the engine of both the individual and national development, they are:

3.1   Fear Of 419

According to the Online Urban Dictionary, the name “419” is derived from the section of the Nigerian law that Con Artistry and Fraud comes under”. It is the act of duping or scamming someone by working on the person psych either physically or via social media. It is very unfortunate when some persons, sees being stupid, scamming or ever cunning as being smart or wise. These same sets of people also call those who had compassion on them before falling victim of their surreptitious agenda, “Mugu”, and “brainless” people. As a result of these, people are afraid even to help people who are genuinely in trouble.

3.1 Fear of Telling the Truth

We are living in a society where injustice of man to man have shut many out from the bounty of God’s creation due to the mixing and mincing of truth with falsehood. This mixing is either for profit maximization or to escape corporal punishment. It is quit shocking sometimes when even those we expect to voice the truth refrains from it. One may ask, “What is the reason behind this?” It may be because, everyone wants to arrive", which is guided by the Machiavellian principle which I interprets as “any way is the way and no way is a model”. This principle is applicable in virtually every sectors of life today.

3.4 Fear of Kidnapping

The issue of kidnapping is becoming unbecoming.  The number of people kidnapped daily now is about to equate the death rate in our society. Having said this, it is pertinent to point out that the way some rich people flamboyantly parade themselves especially in Nigeria is not satisfying when juxtaposed with the life of the Europeans / Americans who are wealthy. With such attitude, some rich people easily expose themselves to kidnapping. Most rich people find it difficult to help people or donate privately but derive joy in expending huge sums of money in public shows and festivities not knowing it is a process of giving an official invitation or signal to kidnappers.

However, people are often afraid of being kidnapped because of the ransom demanded and oftentimes death which occur as a result of the kidnap either because of change of environment which is not proper to some or some act which appears to be kidnapping that ends up to be abduction for ritual act  or because of power tussle. Thus, this very act put the society in a state of not knowing when to trust people, most especially when it calls for emergency. People hardly answer calls, and pay little or no attention to what the call is all about especially when it demands leaving home at night. This fear of being kidnapped has led many not to know who is who in the society and to an extent have restricted people's movement, as some road is being tagged “kidnapping path”.

3.5. Fear of Death (Thanatophobia)

“Death terrorizes us not because it is painful but because we are unwilling to lose our human consciousness permanently” says Prof.Emeka George Ekwuru. Among everything the human person fears, death remain the worst of it all. Most persons find it difficult, even when the reality of death keeps drawing closer with- and through the daily happenings of life. When we listen to radio, television, read magazines, newspaper and write ups or social-medias, one is filled with fear of the numerous and countless death recorded everyday. Most people due to fear and in their bid to protect their life, has sown their soul to the devil, thereby killing their friends and well wishers in the name of changing or expanding their life span. This same fear has led many to join occultism or cultism and these have led to series of shedding of blood in the quest to protective life.

To combat fear of death, what is needed is carefulness in dealing with people and objects that may cause harm or death not fear of them for the fearful man dies many times before his actual death. As my contemporary Sirpeter Aloh whowill emphasize following Heidegger “the knowledge of the fact that man is a being unto death will make one live better and more fulfilled as a being unto life.”

4.0  Fear as a Social Malady: A Way Out

Fear, is a societal problem. The problem and disorder it had caused the human person can never be over emphasized. But there is a way out of this monster, a way to conquer it. Paramount among it is to develop the opposing virtue— courage. Another is by being careful. Living in a society where people give wrong address, phone contact and above all claim what they are not, calls for carefulness and not fearfulness.

Fear of telling the truth is never a way forward because it has led many to live in imprisonment, early graves, unstable homes, broken friendships etc. “Before speaking, consult your inner barometer, and resist the temptation to tell people only what they want to hear” says Wayne Dyer. And so, it is pertinent for all in the society to learn how to tell the truth as it is for a better, trust worthy and happy society.  To combat fear of death, what is needed is carefulness in dealing with people and objects that may cause harm or death not fear of them, and to operate with the belief that death is due for all men. As Khalil Gibran would say, “Fear not the spectre of death whose greatness will not approved of your littleness.” No less true is what my contemporary Sirpeter Aloh who emphasize following Heidegger said “the knowledge of the fact that man is a being unto death will make one live better and more fulfilled as a being unto life.”

5.0 CONCLUSION

Our society needs not a prophet to tell us how chaotic fear is. Individually and collectively, we know that as a result of fear which leads heartbreak/heart attack many have gone. Fear of losing property or becoming poor has lead to community conflicts, killing and shedding of blood.

Thus, it is pertinent that we rise collectively and say No! To this social malady whose mission is to drive and deny us our joy and connectivity, individually and collectively and so as John Kennedy would say, when faced with societal problems, “let us never negotiate out of fear. but let us never fear to negotiate.”

The role of the fearologist has to be fundamentally concerned about health (Health) [1]... and that has to start with some philosophy, theory of "health(y) thinking"... and, I do not merely mean this is a question or inquiry about "mental health" as is so commonly the route taken, and that's why I manipulated the image above which came from a mental health website... "Health" and "Health(y) Thinking" cannot be taken accurately by dividing them... nor the later merely shuffled off under the umbrella of mental health as a field. The fearologist is quick to challenge that dissociation of the two components and also to place "Fear" central on the 'map' of the inquiry and dialogue about Health in general... so, I added Fear into this diagram from the website.... there will be more discussion about "health" when I get back to Canada...

Note: for more in depth thoughts on where I am going with this discussion see FM Ning Forum (Dec. 16, 2016) "My Becoming a Health Critic: The Last Leg of Life's Work"

End Note

1. One could include well-being as part of health; the definition of "health" has to be more than "absence of illness" (of which the generic medical establishment in the Dominant and Western worldview has too long perpetuated as the only definition worthy)

Still image of myself in the video: "Fusion Coloring" (2017). Video by Greg Wendt

I have always been interested in various lines of development in the human potential. The cognitive line, the moral line, the self line, fearlessness line, and particularly the aesthetic line. For how our development takes place along these various lines, as developmental psychologists call them, one can relate how one perceives fear and fearlessness, and thus, how one is capable to manage and/or transform fear and enhance fearlessness. That's a hypothesis of interest that requires research.

For myself, I have utilized aesthetic practices of various kinds, often related to the arts in some way, and I still practice this. The following 16 min. video is one of my first teaching videos that just begins to explore this relationship and how you can develop your aesthetic line... and assist the movement toward fearlessness... hope you enjoy this video, and feel free to pass it on, and send me comments. https://vimeo.com/220708479

If any of you have been following my work with Four Arrows (aka Dr. Don Trent Jacobs) and his CAT-FAWN model (see earlier blogs), you also want to have a look at Naomi Klein's expertise journalistic work on what she calls "shock doctrine" analysis-- where both her and Four Arrows are mounting, independently, their own attempts to help us avoid the excessively irrational negative impact of crises, fear, chaos and how it gets systematically used (manipulated) by politicians (and, other authoritarians) to push through anti-democratic and draconian policies and laws, e.g., "emergency" procedures and exceptions to law, etc. Over the decades I have taught about how to build one's own 'fear'-vaccine process with similar intentions of political and psychological resistance to fear-mongering of anykind.

This has been all well documented how this works, another form of propaganda when people are fear-full, often due to a crisis, be it individual or collective. Producing and using "crises" of all kinds, from natural to human made, is so extra powerful today shaping our world, especially with mass media, that an entirely new branch of sociology is being developed, called the "sociology of crisis" and fear is of course fundamental to all this process. Below I have linked the website of Naomi Klein and her 5 step video on how to resist being caught in the next crisis and shock that is bound to come. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w44lApffH30

Also, with Four Arrows and Naomi Klein, I would recommend (see Photo on FM ning) the work of Timothy Snyder, "On Tyranny" for other strategies of how to circumvent and resist current and future tyranny overall.