The Core of the Opinion: Fear as a Primary Emotion
In psychology, we often distinguish between primary and secondary emotions. While joy, sadness, and anger are distinct, fear is unique because of its proximity to our survival instinct. 1. Anger as a Mask When we feel anger, it is frequently a secondary emotion used to protect a more vulnerable primary emotion: fear. The logic: It feels "safer" and more powerful to be angry than to admit we are afraid of being rejected, failing, or losing control. The "Melt": If you sit with intense anger long enough and peel back the layers, you often find a fear of powerlessness at its core. 2. Anxiety: Fear Projected Forward Anxiety is essentially fear that has lost its specific object. While fear is a response to a present danger (a snake on the path), anxiety is the "melting" of that fear into the future—fearing things that might happen. It is a chronic state of "pre-fear." 3. Grief and the Fear of Loss Even deep sadness or grief can be traced back to...