The Psychology Of Fear And Stress

How do human emotions arise, what functions do they serve, what is their evolutionary background, how do they relate to behaviour and the brain? These questions are put, and answered, in relation to the emotion of fear in this, the second edition of professor Gray's extremely well known book, first published in 1971. In this edition, the text has been extensively modified and brought up-to-date, but the book maintains the style and general argument of the first edition. The author's approach in this book is from a biological standpoint; he emphasises the evidence that has accumulated from experiments by psychologists, ethologists, physiologists and endocrinologists. Although a lot of this evidence has been obtained from animal studies, it throws light on the psychology and physiology of fear in Man. Differences between individuals in their susceptibility to fear are treated with as much attention as the common factors are.

Fear is a normal human emotional reaction -- it is a built-in survival mechanism with which we are all equipped. Fear is a reaction to danger that involves both the mind and body. It serves a protective purpose -- signalling us of danger and preparing us to deal with it. The major components of fear are sensations, feelings, cognitions and behaviours. Fear can be individual or collective such as expressed in the national fear in the United States related to terrorism. The Washington DC sniper attacks caused widespread fear in a large geographic region far out of proportion to the real danger. Individuals must cope with fear on a daily basis in a myriad of forms: financial fears, health fears, relationship conflict fears, dental appointments, fears about the future etc. This new book collects important research which helps shed light on important issues in this field which touches all of us each day.

Covering sources of stress in every area of life: work, exams, relationships, social pressure, money, and more, this practical guide combines infographics and self-analysis questionnaires to make information easy to access and apply. This dynamic infographic program, founded on cutting-edge psychological research, enables you to deconstruct and deal with stress head-on. Stress: The Psychology of Managing Pressure helps you identify external and internal sources of stress in your life and reframe unhelpful patterns of thought into powerful psychological solutions that you can apply every day. Underpinned by psychological theory, with relevant findings from psychologists, doctors, and teachers, this book will help you smash the shadow of stress in any area of your life and emerge happier, healthier, and more productive.

Social anxiety disorder is persistent fear of (or anxiety about) one or more social situations that is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the situation and can be severely detrimental to quality of life. Only a minority of people with social anxiety disorder receive help. Effective treatments do exist and this book aims to increase identification and assessment to encourage more people to access interventions. Covers adults, children and young people and compares the effects of pharmacological and psychological interventions. Commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The CD-ROM contains all of the evidence on which the recommendations are based, presented as profile tables (that analyse quality of data) and forest plots (plus, info on using/interpreting forest plots). This material is not available in print anywhere else.

Combining popular appeal with accessibly written entries suitable for research projects, this fascinating encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction to the psychological and scientific aspects of phobias. Many people have irrational fears. Phobias affect about 19 million Americans each year. So is fear "normal"? At what point do fears become clinical phobias? Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear is the definitive volume on a broad range of topics related to fears and phobias. After an introduction to the subject of fear and phobias, the encyclopedia presents approximately 200 A–Z, cross-referenced entries that address phobias from a variety of angles-types of fears, root causes, physiological and psychological effects, classification, and treatments. The work presents accurate, authoritative, and up-to-date information based on scientific evidence. The majority of the numerous contributors are anxiety disorder researchers and clinicians who possess cutting-edge knowledge of their areas of expertise. Ideal for both high school students and general audiences, readers will be engaged by high-interest content that not only details and explains various phobias but enables them to trace the history, theories, and practices associated with the study and treatment of phobias.