Every emotion has a function in human life. Fear, on the other hand, is an emotion that protects us from dangers from infancy and ensures our survival. Fear compared to feelings such as pleasure, joy, happiness; It can be defined as one of the emotions that make the child more challenging and difficult to cope with.
Children can develop different fears in every age period. Your child may express fear of shadows, monsters, thief, siphoning, loud noises. Especially after the age of two, the feeling of fear becomes more pronounced. At the age of two, children's imagination begins to develop. It is an age period when symbolic games begin and imaginary friends are also seen. At this age, the child's ability to use language develops and he struggles to establish himself. >Common fears in children:
-
Being alone,
-
Separation from parents (fear of death),
-
Avoiding new experiences,
-
Fear of toilet-bathing,
-
Afraid of monsters and fairy tales
-
Afraid of the dark,
-
Afraid of school,
-
Shadow Light, do not be afraid of sound,
-
Fear of animals,
-
Afraid of doctors, needles, nurses.
-
Fear of getting sick,
-
Fear of thief.
Fears Developed Through Modeling and Imitation
Children observe their parents very carefully as they grow up. They imitate their reactions to events and try to implement them. When a dog-fearing parent runs away at the sight of a dog, it teaches the child that the dog is an animal to be feared. This fear is reinforced when the child sees the parent scared more than once. The child can learn not only from the parent, but also from the sibling, peer, watched videos and pictures.
Parent's Approach. Fears Developed Due to This
Families may use threatening words to discipline the child, often without being aware of the harm it will cause to the child. “If you misbehave again, I will not talk to you.”, “If you do not listen to my word, I will give you to someone else.” Saying words such as "If you don't sleep, a revenge will come" reinforces the child's sense of fear. The overprotective approach of the parent who wants to protect the child against dangers can cause the child to fear many things.
Fears Through Learning
Some fears are the result of a negative event or experience. emerges, that is, it is learned. Negative experiences and reactions to those experiences can reinforce the feeling of fear.
It takes time for children to reach the spiritual and mental maturity to cope with fear. In childhood fears, the focus is on learning and teaching children how to deal with fears rather than their existence. Fears and their process may change according to age and developmental characteristics. If the fear becomes chronic, if you have difficulty in coping, if it negatively affects your eating, sleeping patterns and social life, you can get support from a specialist.
Read: 0
