Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Dark

Are you afraid of the dark?  Don't laugh....Many people are!

Professionals agree that it's normal for children, ages 3-6 years, to be afraid of the dark.  This developmental fear is usually outgrown by the time children reach adulthood.  But what about adults?

As we grow older, we learn to rationalize things.  But we also learn to fear what can't be seen.  If we literally can't see what's in front of us, we begin to think about what COULD be there.  Our minds start to play all kinds of tricks on us!  Not to mention, many predators hunt at night!

There are a variety of words to describe fear of the dark:
  • achluophobia - a fear of the dark that reaches pathological severity
  • nyctophobia - a fear of night
  • scotophobia - a fear of darkness
  • lygophobia - a fear of twilight
I'm not sure there would be so many words for it if it wasn't so common.  How about you?  What do you fear might jump out from the dark to grab you? 

7 comments:

  1. My feet are afraid of the dark recesses under beds and couches. I don't know exactly what they're afraid is down there, but it sure scares them!

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    1. I totally sympathize with your feet! I hate the thought of stepping down off the bed in the middle of the night, as if someone/thing is going to grab me.

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  2. Chris, mine are too but that's because I read a Stephen King book where he hid boogie men under the bed :)

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    1. I think my fear might stem from Child's Play, when Chucky sliced open the one character's Achilles tendon.

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  3. I am more afraid of the dark if I am excessively tired. You know, that tired when you shouldn't be driving because you keep seeing things in the shadows. I hate that.

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    1. Yes, I think when we're very tired, it's easy for our minds to play tricks on us!

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    2. Yes, I think when we're very tired, it's easy for our minds to play tricks on us!

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