Why Are Children Afraid?
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. Not only from his parents; They can develop a sense of fear by modeling their peers, siblings, or other adults.
Fears Developed Through Modeling and Imitation
Children grow up to be very careful with their parents. way of observation. 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. The child does not learn to be afraid only from his parents. He can also model his siblings, peers, and other adults he observes. The movie he watches, a video or picture he sees on TV, phone or tablet can also trigger his fears. Books that are not suitable for the age of the child and whose developmental suitability has not been reviewed may also cause the development of fear.
Fears Developed due to the Parent's Approach
In order to discipline the child, often making threatening words without being aware of the damage it will cause. “I will not talk to you if you misbehave again.”, “S� If you don't listen to me, I'll give you to someone else." , "If you don't sleep, there will be revenge," reinforces the child's sense of fear. Before the child's experience without danger, from the anxiety and fear bar, “Attention! You fall, don't run! Don't touch it! Don't take it to your mouth, it will get into your throat, don't let go of my hand, you will be lost!” etc. like saying words over and over again. Protecting the child against possible threats damages the child's sense of curiosity and reinforces their fears. Punishments can also trigger the child's fears. Locking the child in a room alone, being left in the dark, experiencing physical violence, etc.
Fears Through Learning
Some fears arise as a result of a negative event or experience. out, that is, it is learned. Negative experiences and reactions to those experiences can reinforce the feeling of fear. For example, a child witnessing a traffic accident may be afraid to get into the car. Or a child who is in danger of drowning in a pool may be afraid of going into the water. If the reaction of the family is too great, this fear can be experienced much more intensely and for a long time.
FEAR DEVELOPING BY AGE AND DEVELOPMENT PERIOD
❖ Fears of Infancy
In infancy, children may be afraid of unfamiliar or first-time faces and objects. When the baby is hungry, thirsty or dirty, he expresses his need by crying. If he cannot find a timely response to his needs, he feels threatened and fearful. Again, the sudden sounds and images they hear during this period also trigger fear. Around nine months, the fear of separation begins to develop in the child. Babies cry when they are scared and calm down when they are picked up.
❖Fears Developing in the Ages of Three-Four
This is where children start to develop their toilet habits. During his age, he may be afraid of falling into the toilet and going through the hole with the flush. He may also feel this fear while taking a bath. He may not want to go to the toilet alone.
A child's imagination begins to develop at this age. With this development He may be afraid of the dark, the shadow, the monsters, the thunder, the sound. During this period, children want to understand what is going on in the outside world; however, visibility distances are short in the dark. For this reason, children transform things that they cannot see concretely into different objects with their imaginations. For example, he might make the shadow of the curtain look like a monster, and the sound of the washing machine like a tiger.
Children in this period may be afraid of furry creatures or animals that they see concretely. The reason; our brain has to warn us of external dangers. So even harmless pets can seem more frightening to children than ever before.
Doctor, needle and police fears are also quite high in this period. Especially in order to discipline the child, "I will tell you to the police if you are mischievous.", "If you do not eat your food, you will get sick, the doctor will give you an injection." etc. sentences trigger the child's fears. Not being able to be alone in the room and not being able to sleep alone at night is also common in this period.
❖ Fears Developing at the Age of Five and After
p>One of the intense fears experienced by children in this age period is the fear of separation from their parents and the fear of school. These two fears complement each other. The school environment is a new experience for children. In this experience, children may feel anxiety and fear because they do not recognize the rules, people and expectations in the school environment. Children who experience intense feelings of anxiety and fear have a high need to feel safe. During these periods, it is important for parents to talk to their children to encourage them.
As they become aware of other children's lives with the school environment at this age, they may begin to fear the harm that will come to their own bodies. As they are under development to remember what it is like to be sick, to go to the doctor, to take medicine, and to establish relationships, they may fear that there will be harm to their body. At the same time, they may begin to experience fears of harming their parents during this period.
Dreams and nightmares that children see in this period are one of the intense fears specific to this age period. Since the cognitive ability of abstract thinking has not yet developed in this age group, dreams are They may also have trouble distinguishing the unreal things they see from real life.
❖ Fears Developed at Six Years Old and After
After the age of six, childhood fears mostly develop based on school and performance. Witches and ghosts may be replaced by the fear of thieves during this period. The child may be afraid of being lost, kidnapped, or punished. Fears of failure, not being able to make friends, and not being wanted by others are common. Fear of losing friends can be added to the fear of losing family. The child may be afraid of death and the death of loved ones.
Remember that fear is normal like other emotions, but if your child has difficulty separating from you, cannot be alone, is constantly on the alert, has sleep-appetite-toilet problems, do not delay in getting an expert's opinion.
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