Understanding and Overcoming Fear

Course Overview

Course No. 40010

Explore the complex dimensions of fear with sociologist Dr. Margee Kerr in this 24-lecture journey through:

✔ The biological foundations of fear
✔ Cultural manifestations of fear
✔ Practical strategies for fear management
✔ The surprising benefits of controlled fear

Key topics include:

• Neuroscience of fear responses
• Phobias and their treatments
• Societal fears throughout history
• Therapeutic approaches to trauma
• Post-traumatic growth

Video Lectures

01: What Is Fear?

Duration: 28 min
Explore fear’s biological basis through nervous system responses and individual variations in fear experiences.

02: Why Do People Want to Be Scared?

Duration: 32 min
The psychology behind haunted houses and horror entertainment – what brainwaves reveal about “fun-scary” experiences.

03: How We Sense Fear

Duration: 30 min
Modern theories of constructed emotion and why no two fear experiences are identical.

04: Understanding Specific Phobias

Duration: 33 min
Categories of pathological fears and evidence-based treatment approaches.

05: How We Learn to Fear

Duration: 29 min
How our mental predictions shape fear responses to creepy dolls, clowns, and robots.

06: Why We Feel Afraid: The Science of Emotion

Duration: 29 min
The body’s predictive systems during voluntary fear experiences like rollercoasters.

07: The Function and Meaning of the Scary Story

Duration: 27 min
How horror narratives help process the unknown and transmit cultural warnings.

08: Monster as Metaphor

Duration: 29 min
From Godzilla to serial killers – how monsters reflect societal anxieties across cultures.

09: Fear of Criminal and Deviant Behavior

Duration: 29 min
The sociological function of labeling behaviors as terrifying or reprehensible.

10: Fear of Confinement

Duration: 31 min
Psychology behind “total institutions” and their paradoxical popularity as tourist attractions.

11: Fear of Crowds

Duration: 30 min
Distinguishing crowd panic myths from realities of crowd collapse dynamics.

12: Facing Fears as a Nation

Duration: 27 min
Evolution of American fears and military contributions to fear science.

13: Fears for Our Kids

Duration: 27 min
Changing parenting attitudes about risk and childhood anxiety trends.

14: How Avoiding Risk Can Increase Fear

Duration: 28 min
The risk management paradox – why safety measures sometimes amplify fears.

15: Fear of Cybercrime

Duration: 29 min
Internet security anxieties and legal frameworks addressing digital vulnerabilities.

16: Fear of Pandemics

Duration: 28 min
Examining fear’s role in COVID-19 response – motivation versus panic.

17: Fear of Climate Change

Duration: 30 min
Rise of eco-anxiety and behavioral responses to environmental threats.

18: Fear of Corrupt Government Officials

Duration: 28 min
Historical cases of broken trust in government and paths to restoration.

19: Fear of the Supernatural

Duration: 29 min
Neuroscientific perspectives on paranormal beliefs and experiences.

20: How Society Shapes Our Fears of Death and Dying

Duration: 27 min
Cultural shifts in death familiarity and their psychological impacts.

21: Confronting Our Own Mortality

Duration: 27 min
Channeling mortality awareness into meaningful living beyond terror.

22: Understanding Trauma and Fear

Duration: 28 min
Factors influencing trauma responses from genetics to bodily awareness.

23: Managing Fear with Mindfulness

Duration: 28 min
Post-traumatic growth possibilities through interoceptive awareness.

24: Using Fear to Fight Fear