Fear Itself: The Origin and Nature of the Powerful Emotion That Shapes Our Lives and Our World Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Fear Itself: The Origin and Nature of the Powerful Emotion That Shapes Our Lives and Our World Book

Fear gets a bad rap. Which other emotion can keep us from being killed? Of course, such a powerful tool can be troublesome if it gets out of control, so it behooves us to at least try to understand it. Science writer Rush W. Dozier Jr. has examined the topic carefully and reported back with Fear Itself, a highly readable guide to the biology and psychology underlying fight and flight. What is fear? Surely not just little parcels of adrenaline squeezed into our bloodstream. Dozier identifies three kinds: the primitive fear system, the rational fear system, and consciousness, which he believes developed primarily as a means for relatively defenseless hominids to handle dangerous situations. Describing these systems and their interactions using personal examples, stories from people in stressful situations, and scientific sources, he paints a picture of an invaluable system that is delicate and ripe for exploitation. (At one point, he lists the stories broadcast on an L.A. news program that seem to be designed only to provoke anxiety in viewers.) Suicide, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder all make appearances here, examples of fear gone awry. But it's not all bad; throughout the book, and especially in the last chapter, Dozier stresses fear's great value to us and suggests that by thoroughly integrating our three "systems" we might find ourselves happier, healthier, and even (when needed) heroic. --Rob Lightner Read More

from£25.21 | RRP: £15.90
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £11.38
  • Product Description

    What are you afraid of?

    In Fear Itself, Pulitzer-nominated science author Rush W. Dozier, Jr., takes on such challenging questions as: What is fear? Where does it originate? What purpose does it serve? He reveals how our daily lives are shaped by fear, and yet, how it also pushes us to fulfill our greatest potential. Succeeding in making complicated points of modern neuroscience both accessible and fascinating, Dozier takes us on a thriling journey through the science of the brain and the everyday reality of this most human emotion.

  • 0312194129
  • 9780312194123
  • Rush W., Jr. Dozier
  • 1 November 1998
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 288
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.