NORMATIVE FEARS Flashcards
WHY DO WE FEAR?
Evolutionary and adaptive function. Scared of things that pose threat to survival
HOW DOES OUR BODY RESPOND TO FEAR?
Body enters survival mode: Fight, flight or freeze.
GULLONE 2000
Interview study with 4-19 year olds. Average number of 2-5 fears per child. General themes: death/injury, animals, unknown and social concerns.
BAUER 1976
Interview study: Most fears decreased with age. Monsters and ghosts decreased with age. Injurt and danger low in young children and increased with age. Bed time fears increased from 4-8 years but decreased by 10-12 years.
WHAT DID OLLENDICK 1983 DO ?
Revisited Bauer’s 1976 study. Found categories of fears were Fear of danger, failure, unknown, animals and stress and medical fears
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES WITH THE INTERVIEW STUDIES ON FEARS:
Outdated and contemporary threats aren’t included.
May not capture cultural variation in childhood fears.
May not measure fear but how much a child doesnt want something to happen.
OLLENDICK, KING AND FRARY 1989
Children in USA and Australia found top fears related to dangerous situations and physical harm. Girls feared more than boys.
GULLONE AGE EFFECTS 1999
fear of death was highest fear, slightly lowered as age increased. stress and medical fears increased with age.
3 MODERATORS OF CHILDHOOD FEARS
- Gender
- Cultural variations
- Socioeconomic effects
HOW DOES GENDER EXPLAIN FEARS
Differences in fears for boys and girls were rats, spider, snakes, mice, creepy houses. Boys and girls are socialised differently.
PIERCE AND KIRKPATRICK 1992
Measuring heart rate, girls fear responses did not differ between test and retest, boys did. Boys lie to preserve their masculine image.
CULTURAL VARIATION AND FEAR:
Western countries are consistent. Fear decreases with age and girls fear more than boys. Ethnic minorities in USA may fear more than white children.
OLLENDICK 1996
Fears are higher in Nigeria and China than in US and Australia.
Ghosts (china), Looking foolish (US), Oceans (Nigeria) and Guns (Australia)
Collectivist cultures emphasise self-control and compliance with social norms which may cause fears.
SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS ON FEARS:
Low SES children fear more. They fear animals, strange people, abandonment and death and violence. They are exposed to more threats and have experience in poverty and violence.
MAURIS ET AL 2000
Worry is more common in 10-12 year olds than 4-6 year olds because it is a more complex cog process, as children grow their cognitive thinning enhances.
