Ways in Which Societies Depend on Fear as a Control Mechanism Essay

Fear refers to an unpleasant thought or emotion that a person develops when worried or frightened by something bad, dangerous, or painful that may happen. According to Dawabsheh, the result of fear might be either useful or harmful to the involved party (7). Due to its catastrophic foreseen consequences, psychologists argue that fear can be manipulated to favor or dismiss or warn people against certain customs that are non-acceptable in the society (Dawabsheh 8). It, therefore, directs members of a society on the acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Societies set out laws or regulations and consequences for breach of the; these consequences create fear among the members and control their behaviors.

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Different communities have diverse believes that bind their members together. In the current generation with advanced technology, the process of controlling a large group of people has proved to be futile. In a bit to maintain order, governments establish regulations that provide specific guide specific behaviors expected from the citizens (Maren et al. 417). These regulations later became laws that govern an entire nation. To restrict people to tune to the set-out laws, penalties that would befall those who go against the regulations are outlined. Penalties instill fear among the people, forcing them to abide by the laws because they would be fined if they acted contrary.

During the ancient times, strong rulers were believed to possess frightening characteristics, which made allowed them to rule for a longer time (Hogarth, 97). They became dictators whose decisions were final. Their actions were aimed at the betterment of their power and the accumulation of public property for personal gains. The oppressed people under their rule never had peaceful times as they lived in fear of their ruler. They were not allowed to castigate or oppose the government. Threats and taboos were being used by the kings or rulers to thwart any chance of rebellion. For example, there were belief systems that made people believe that leaders were gods and that by going against their rules one would be cursed (Hogarth, 98). Such beliefs instilled fear in the members of the community and lived by the societal norms.

Another instance where fear is applied to control the behavior of people is within learning and formal institutions. According to Maren et al., punishments are used to encourage or enforce good morals as defined by the family, society or organization (417). In a bid to discourage certain bad behaviors in a learning institution or an organization, diverse punishments are put in place. For instance, the fear of being sacked from an organization controls the behavior of all employees. None of the employees would wish to lose his or her job; therefore they are forced to abide by the organizational rules and regulations. In the learning sector, certain outlawed common behaviors among learners are dealt with the school administration. The administration can expel or suspend a learner for a specified period depending on the nature of crime or offense committed as indicated in the administration's rules. The process of setting out punishments for certain offenses by the learning institution ensures the learners follow proper and acceptable behaviors. Thus, application of fear to control the behavior of students greatly gauges the learner's behavior.

In the religious paradigm, the sacred books contain laws that guide and direct the members on the acceptable behaviors as well as undesired ones. The Bible, for instance, alludes that those who fail to adhere to the Christian laws will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Similarly, the Quran redirects its followers to strictly follow the scriptures lest they will burn in hell. The followers are warned on the outcomes of their bad actions if they fail to repent. But since they are governed by the religious laws, they have to meet the conditions indicated in the religious books to escape the wrath of the creator. By following the scripture, they become law-abiding people thus mentor them to do the best all the time. These religious laws create fear among the members as the consequences are thought to be tough. It is out of the fear of facing the tough consequences that members conform to societal prescribed behaviors.

Conclusion

Overall, fear is created through laws and regulations that spell out consequences for deviants. Fear affects the perceptions of a person towards something throughout the entire human life. It teaches people to be afraid of certain expected and non-expected result brought by an activity or poor decision. Fear makes people afraid of losing jobs, suspensions, or expulsion from schools, jail, or imprisonment, among others. Leaders in ensuring that their subjects abide by their rules and regulations have maximized the above repercussions. Bearing this in mind, all people ought to understand the aspect of fear and how it can be used for the betterment of the community. Fear guides an individual's actions when the outcomes of those actions are clear.

Works cited

Dawabsheh, Mohammed. "The Fear of the Other: The Palestinian and Israeli Literary Works as a Model." RSU International Journal of College of Government 3.1 (2016): 7-13.

Hogarth, Robin M. "Deciding analytically or trusting your intuition? The advantages and disadvantages of analytic and intuitive thought." The routines of decision making. Psychology Press, 2014.97-112.

Maren, Stephen, K. Luan Phan, and Israel Liberzon. "The contextual brain: implications for fear conditioning, extinction, and psychopathology." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14.6 (2013): 417.