Seventeen percent of the people questioned are worried about these creatures with big teeth. Four percent are afraid of the Easter Bunny. Most of the adults and several of the children turned the question around on me. As I reflect upon the true nature of my fears, the root concern is for security and my own well-being. Yes, I think so.
Fears have a biological base in self-preservation.
The fear of falling is instinctual in babies. The Moro reflex we see in young babies is a response to the fear of falling. Stranger anxiety makes sense from a biological point of view as well. Both of these responses increase the likelihood that the child will remain safe. Fear of job loss, can help us to consider possibilities, and the fear of alligators keeps us out of dangerous swamps.