EXISTENTIAL

Fear arising from being human

Some fears cannot simply be solved because they emerge from the conditions of existence itself.

These might include:

Death, uncertainty, isolation, meaninglessness, responsibility, freedom and/or the passage of time

The existential question is:

“What am I afraid of about existence itself?”

INTRAPERSONAL

Fear within the self

Threats to our sense of self, identity, adequacy, emotional stability, autonomy or internal coherence.

These might include fear of: 

Failure, inadequacy, shame, losing control, emotional overwhelm and/or becoming someone we do not want to be

The intrapersonal question is:

“What am I afraid might happen to me or within me?”

INTERPERSONAL

Fear between ourselves and others

Human beings depend upon relationships for attachment, belonging, validation and connection. Relationships can therefore become powerful locations of both safety and threat.

These might include fear of:

Rejection, abandonment, judgement, conflict, intimacy, betrayal and/or loss

The interpersonal question is:

“What am I afraid might happen between me and another?”

SYSTEMIC

Fear within the wider world

We do not experience fear independently of the social, cultural, economic and institutional systems in which we live.

Threat may arise from:

Exclusion, discrimination, financial insecurity, organisational instability, inequality, power, status and/or social expectations

The systemic question is:

“What within the world around me makes safety, belonging or agency feel uncertain?”