People can be afraid of almost anything. What are you afraid of? Fear People can be afraid of almost anything. What are you afraid of?

How do we learn to fear? 1. We can learn to fear through our experiences and conditioning. Ex.) We get bitten by a dog. We fear all dogs we do not know. 2. We can learn by observation. Ex.) Wild monkeys learn to fear poisonous snakes by watching their parents and siblings not reach for food in the presence of the poisonous snake.

We seem to be biologically prepared to learn the fear of some things more quickly. When the fear is deeply seated in our past, we learn the fear more quickly. Ex.) We quickly learn to fear spiders, snakes, and cliffs but not cars and global warming (which are probably more dangerous to our lives in present day).

Having some fears is normal Having some fears is normal. However, there are people who fall outside the normal fear parameters. Some people have intense irrational fears of objects or certain situations (phobias). Some people have less fear than others. They can be courageous heroes or remorseless criminals. Both will thrive on risk and can function coolly in times of severe stress.

When do you lose your cool? Anger When do you lose your cool?

Someone steals the parking space you have been patiently waiting for Someone steals the parking space you have been patiently waiting for. Do you: A. Take a deep breath and move on. B. Honk and then move on. C. Repeatedly honk, yell out, pound your fists against your steering wheel, wondering how the other person got a driver’s license in the first place.

High-anger drivers have twice as many car accidents as low-anger drivers. They also report more near accidents and receive more traffic tickets. Psychologists have suggested that road rage is increasing as commutes become longer and people feel a sense of anonymity behind the wheel.

Should we “vent” our anger? It is assumed that through aggressive action (yelling at your significant other) or fantasy (hitting a punching bag while imagining it is your nemesis) we can achieve emotional release or catharsis.

Expressing anger can be temporarily calming if it does not leave us feeling guilty or anxious. Most often however, expressing anger breeds more anger. It may provoke further confrontation, causing things to blow out of proportion. Acting angry can make us feel angrier (which theory of emotion?)

Furthermore, when we use angry outbursts to make ourselves calm down, we will repeat the behavior and it becomes a habit. Ex.) When you get frustrated in practice, you yell at your teammates. You will continue to do this every time you become frustrated because it calms you down, but it is hurting the team, and no one likes you.

What is the best way to handle our anger? Wait. Let yourself naturally calm down. Do not get angry over every little thing, and do not passively let things go until you blow up over a little thing. Calm yourself in other ways such as writing, exercising, etc. Talk things out when they happen clearly and assertively.