It's hard to find even one child who has never experienced fear. This is normal because for each age, there is a typical set of the most common fears. But why do fears appear that go beyond the child's age and last for months, or even years?
Fear is a combination of psychological and physiological reactions to a life-threatening stimulus (real or imagined). When a person is afraid, abrupt physiological changes take place in his body: pulse and respiration become more frequent, sweating increases, blood pressure rises and gastric juice is secreted.
At the heart of fear is the instinct of self-preservation: we are afraid of what could cause us irreparable damage. Of course, fears are not always justified and really threaten our health and mind. Why, even in early childhood, do we begin to be afraid of absolutely non-dangerous things / creatures?
Children's fear can be formed in two ways: in a real situation of danger or in the process of communicating with other people. In the process of life, the child gains his own individual experience in the field of traumatic situations. It can be a fall, a burn, a fright at the sight of a large animal, illness, etc. In this case, the child is really in a situation of danger; he realizes that these situations can be life threatening, and real fear is formed. Imaginary fear, as a rule, is formed due to the careless use of various literary expressions or warnings by adults: "if you fall, it will hurt!" etc. A child with increased anxiety takes everything literally and very close to his heart. He will really think that some terrible imaginary wolf will come and threaten his life. This is how childhood phobias are formed.
In addition to such expressions, the formation of fear is influenced by restless conversations of adults in the presence of a child. Quarrels between parents, scandals, conversations about various troubles affect the child's perception of the world around him. Movies are another common cause of phobias. Parents should control how long and what programs the child watches.
The task of the parents is to notice the anxiety and fear of the child and direct all their efforts to eliminate the disease.
