What Is Fear?

Fear is a sudden and strong negative emotion as a result of a real or imagined threat.  Fear causes us to withdraw from the threat rather than confront it.  Fear can be overwhelming and even paralyzing causing a person to be unable to function mentally and socially.  Fear also has physical consequences such as raised blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, tense muscles, and insomnia.  It can lead to physical disorders such as myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, and diabetes.  We live in a world in which there are many threats such as war, terrorism, crime, unemployment, disease, and natural disasters.  All of these threats can lead to overwhelming and crippling stress causing people to take drastic action.  Some fear can be healthy such as refraining from doing something wrong caused by the threat of punishment.  Healthy fear resulting in awe of something or someone powerful is called 'reverence'.  Sudden and strong fear as a result of a real or imagined danger is called 'fright'.  And if fright is so overwhelming to the point of complete withdrawal or paralysis then it is called 'dread'.  Shameful fear causing a person to withdraw from doing something praiseworthy or just in the midst of risk or even danger is called 'cowardice'.  Mild fear is called 'anxiety' or 'worry'.

Fear is typically a very basic human emotion. It is a powerful, quite unpleasant feeling of either risk or danger, which in turn could be either real or imagined. Fear can be overwhelming, almost paralyzing at times.
Fear could also be considered a feeling of possibly disquiet or apprehension. It could mean intense reverence or awe, such as you would feel toward a supreme power. It might mean a reason for either dread or apprehension.

Many eminent psychologists like Paul Ekman as well as John B. Watson, have contended that fear is actually innate in each and every human, together with some few basic emotions like joy and anger. Fear offers us a defensive, survival advantage. Thus, it may have gradually evolved in diverse organisms.

"Fear" is something that you are scared of

Fear is a painful emotion excited by the presence of danger.  The danger can be real or imagined.  Fear is a basic human emotion that can be used as a survival mechanism.  Excessive fear is usually looked down on with contempt as a sign of moral weakness, especially as it relates to standing up for a belief or a just cause.

Fear is sudden excitability in the presence of a threat that causes an individual to withdraw from it.  The threat can be real or imaginary.  Fear is used by humans and other animals as a survival mechanism.  Uncontrollable fear is usually looked down on as a sign of moral weakness when it relates to defending a belief or just cause.

The absent of trusting.