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Exploring the Nature of Fear: What Do People Fear the Most and Possible Correlation with the Spiral Dynamics

All of us, in one way or another, have fears in our lives. Of course, everyone has fears, but this does not change the essence because their nature is always the same. But still, what do people fear most of all? What is the spirit of fear, and can we fight it?

To answer these questions thoroughly and exhaustively, we would have to write more than one three-volume book because this topic is deep and vast. But we will make a small attempt to clarify these things, in small. And we should start with the definition of fear as such.

What is fear?

Fear is an internal human state caused by a perceived or actual threatened calamity. Psychology views fear as an emotional process with a negative connotation.

According to the American psychologist Carroll Ellis Izard's theory of differential emotions, fear belongs to the basic emotions; in other words, it is innate - its physiological component, facial expressions, and specific subjective experiences have a genetic basis.

Fear drives a person to avoid danger, adjust his behavior in a certain way, and perform various actions that he believes can protect him.

Everyone has their fears: from the banal fear of insects or mice to the fear of poverty and death. There are even phobias - persistent, irrational fears of something. In short, as many people as there are fears. But some fears are common to many people; people fear the same things. Below we have listed the most "popular" fears that concern people all over the world:

trypophobia - fear or disgust of closely packed holes,
acrophobia - fear of heights,
agoraphobia - fear of open spaces,
apeirophobia - fear of eternity,
arachnophobia - fear of spiders,
claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces,
emetophobia - fear of vomiting or seeing others being sick,
megalophobia - fear of large objects or things,
thalassophobia - fear of large and deep bodies of water (sea, oceans, pools, or lakes),

see the full list of fears below after the charts.

According to the Spiral Dynamics theory, a person goes through different stages in his development (spiral turns, colors). As the external conditions of life change, so do fears. Is there a connection between a person's fears and their stages of development (spiral turns, colors)? How random or stable is this connection? Mathematics in psychology answers these questions used by Dr. Clare W. Graves, who developed Spiral Dynamics.

As Ben Yoskovitz, co-author of Lean Analytics, wrote:

“Finding a correlation between two metrics is a good thing. Correlations can help you predict what will happen. But finding the cause of something means you can change it. Usually, causations aren’t simple one-to-one relationships–there are lots of factors at play, but even a degree of causality is valuable.

You prove causality by finding a correlation, then running experiments where you control the other variables and measure the difference. It’s hard to do, but causality is really an analytics superpower–it gives you the power to hack the future.”

Below you can read an abridged version of the results of our VUCA poll “Fears“. The full results of our VUCA poll “Fears“ are available for free in the FAQ section after login or registration.

Fears

ChartsCorrelation

VUCA

Critical value of the correlation coefficient

Normal distribution, by William Sealy Gosset (Student) r = 0.0315

Non Normal distribution, by Spearman r = 0.0013

Show only results > r = 0.0315

Distribution	Non Normal	Non Normal	Non Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal
All questions All questions My greatest fears are
My greatest fears are
Answer 1	-	Weak positive 0.0519	Weak positive 0.0249	Weak negative -0.0201	Weak positive 0.0938	Weak positive 0.0393	Weak negative -0.0148	Weak negative -0.1536
Answer 2	-	Weak positive 0.0160	Weak negative -0.0089	Weak negative -0.0381	Weak positive 0.0645	Weak positive 0.0505	Weak positive 0.0138	Weak negative -0.0948
Answer 3	-	Weak negative -0.0036	Weak negative -0.0099	Weak negative -0.0465	Weak negative -0.0421	Weak positive 0.0504	Weak positive 0.0770	Weak negative -0.0232
Answer 4	-	Weak positive 0.0441	Weak positive 0.0306	Weak negative -0.0266	Weak positive 0.0174	Weak positive 0.0382	Weak positive 0.0265	Weak negative -0.1041
Answer 5	-	Weak positive 0.0220	Weak positive 0.1235	Weak positive 0.0108	Weak positive 0.0747	Weak positive 0.0006	Weak negative -0.0155	Weak negative -0.1747
Answer 6	-	Weak negative -0.0019	Weak positive 0.0038	Weak negative -0.0625	Weak negative -0.0102	Weak positive 0.0264	Weak positive 0.0858	Weak negative -0.0359
Answer 7	-	Weak positive 0.0103	Weak positive 0.0310	Weak negative -0.0672	Weak negative -0.0302	Weak positive 0.0540	Weak positive 0.0709	Weak negative -0.0528
Answer 8	-	Weak positive 0.0651	Weak positive 0.0685	Weak negative -0.0275	Weak positive 0.0124	Weak positive 0.0401	Weak positive 0.0177	Weak negative -0.1337
Answer 9	-	Weak positive 0.0752	Weak positive 0.1592	Weak positive 0.0059	Weak positive 0.0602	Weak negative -0.0071	Weak negative -0.0483	Weak negative -0.1823
Answer 10	-	Weak positive 0.0747	Weak positive 0.0607	Weak negative -0.0134	Weak positive 0.0271	Weak positive 0.0335	Weak negative -0.0111	Weak negative -0.1346
Answer 11	-	Weak positive 0.0632	Weak positive 0.0502	Weak negative -0.0089	Weak positive 0.0089	Weak positive 0.0283	Weak positive 0.0252	Weak negative -0.1282
Answer 12	-	Weak positive 0.0426	Weak positive 0.0888	Weak negative -0.0328	Weak positive 0.0321	Weak positive 0.0353	Weak positive 0.0263	Weak negative -0.1530
Answer 13	-	Weak positive 0.0700	Weak positive 0.0916	Weak negative -0.0386	Weak positive 0.0291	Weak positive 0.0440	Weak positive 0.0155	Weak negative -0.1638
Answer 14	-	Weak positive 0.0811	Weak positive 0.0861	Weak negative -0.0041	Weak negative -0.0124	Weak positive 0.0081	Weak positive 0.0148	Weak negative -0.1207
Answer 15	-	Weak positive 0.0548	Weak positive 0.1223	Weak negative -0.0347	Weak positive 0.0118	Weak negative -0.0133	Weak positive 0.0266	Weak negative -0.1157
Answer 16	-	Weak positive 0.0702	Weak positive 0.0202	Weak negative -0.0390	Weak negative -0.0397	Weak positive 0.0747	Weak positive 0.0185	Weak negative -0.0767

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The correlation analysis revealed intriguing patterns that can be utilized in practice across various domains. Here's how you can leverage this valuable information.

Understanding Cultural Variations: By examining the correlation between fears and Spiral Dynamics colors across different countries and languages, we gain deeper insights into cultural variations in how fears manifest and are influenced by different value systems. This understanding can be invaluable for individuals and organizations operating in multicultural settings, helping them navigate diverse perspectives and tailor strategies accordingly.

Personal and Professional Development: Recognizing the correlation between fears and Spiral Dynamics colors can give individuals powerful self-awareness and personal growth opportunities. By understanding how their fears align with specific color values, individuals can gain insights into their own value systems and areas for personal development. This awareness can also enhance interpersonal dynamics and collaboration within teams.

Leadership and Team Management: The correlation between fears and Spiral Dynamics colors can have practical implications for leadership and team management. Leaders can leverage this knowledge to identify potential sources of fear within their teams and implement targeted strategies to address them. Leaders can enhance trust, teamwork, and overall team performance by fostering an environment that acknowledges and supports individuals' fears based on their value systems.

Cross-Cultural Collaboration: The correlation findings provide a unique opportunity for cross-cultural collaboration. Professionals from different countries and languages can use this knowledge to bridge cultural gaps, empathize with others' fears, and build meaningful connections based on a deeper understanding of diverse value systems. It can catalyze more inclusive and effective collaboration.

Psychological and Societal Insights: The correlation between fears and Spiral Dynamics colors over time and across countries and languages offers valuable insights into psychological and societal dynamics. It can contribute to our understanding of how fears evolve, adapt, and shape individuals and communities. This knowledge can inform research, policy-making, and interventions to address societal challenges and promote well-being.

The intersection of fears and Spiral Dynamics colors opens up many possibilities for personal growth, leadership effectiveness, cross-cultural understanding, and societal impact. Let's leverage these findings to foster a more empathetic, inclusive, and supportive world.

I invite you to dive into the full research report, engage in meaningful discussions, and explore how these insights can be applied in your personal and professional endeavors. Together, we can make a difference!

The list of fears continued:

aerophobia - fear of flying (in an airplane),
aichmophobia - fear of sharp objects,
ailurophobia - fear of cats,
aquaphobia - fear of water,
anatidaephobia - fear that somewhere, a duck or goose is watching you,
androphobia - fear of men,
anthropophobia - fear of people, crowds,
astraphobia - fear of thunder and lightning,
atelophobia - fear of imperfection,
athazagoraphobia - fear of forgetting someone or something, as well as a fear of being forgotten,
atychiphobia - fear of failure,
autophobia or monophobia - fear of being alone,
cherophobia - fear of happiness, a person has an irrational aversion to being happy,
coulrophobia - fear when you see clowns or clown images,
cynophobia - fear of dogs,
dentophobia - fear of dentistry,
dermatophobia - fear of getting a skin disease,
erythrophobia - fear of blushing,
entomophobia - fear of insects,
gamophobia - fear of commitment or marriage,
glenophobia - fear of looking at dolls or special situations,
glossophobia - fear of public speaking,
gynophobia - fear of women,
hemophobia - fear of seeing blood or getting tests or shots where blood may be involved,
haphephobia - fear of being touched,
hypsophobia - fear of heights,
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - the fear of long words,
homicidophobia - fear of committing murder,
herpetophobia - fear or aversion to reptiles, commonly lizards and snakes,
maniophobia - fear of madness,
mephobia - fear of becoming so awesome that the human race can't handle it and everybody dies,
misophobia - fear of hatred,
mysophobia - fear of contamination and germs,
nosophobia - fear of injury, incurable disease, infection,
nomophobia (NO MObile PHone PhoBIA) - fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile phone contact,
nyctophobia - fear of the dark,
ophidiophobia - fear of snakes,
ombrophobia - fear of rain, from intense weather to a drizzle,
pediophobia - fear of children, dolls, or inanimate objects that look real,
philophobia - fear of falling in love,
phobophobia - fear of being afraid,
phonophobia - fear of sound,
pantophobia - all-encompassing compulsive fear,
pistanthrophobia - fear of trusting people or getting hurt by someone in a romantic relationship,
sitophobia - fear of eating,
scoptophobia - fear of scrutiny that can interfere with your daily activities in many ways,
scopophobia - fear of being seen in public or stared at by others,
social phobia - fear in social settings, fear of situations in which you may be judged negatively,
somniphobia - fear of sleep,
suicidophobia - fear of committing suicide,
taphophobia - fear of being buried alive,
thanatophobia - fear of sudden death,
tokophobia - fear of pregnancy and can lead to avoidance of childbirth,
trichophobia - fear of seeing or touching hair,
trypanophobia - fear of needles,
venustraphobia - fear of beautiful women,
xenophobia - fear of the unknown; in modern usage, the word has evolved to mean the fear of strangers or foreigners — but its original meaning is much broader.

2023.04.07

FearpersonqualitiesprojectorganizationalstructureRACIresponsibilitymatrixCritical ChainProject Managementfocus factorJiraempathyleadersbossGermanyChinaPolicyUkraineRussiawarvolatilityuncertaintycomplexityambiguityVUCArelocatejobproblemcountryreasongive upobjectivekeyresultmathematicalpsychologyMBTIHR metricsstandardDEIcorrelationriskscoringmodelGame TheoryPrisoner's Dilemma

Valerii Kosenko

Product Owner SaaS SDTEST®

Valerii was qualified as a social pedagogue-psychologist in 1993 and has since applied his knowledge in project management.
Valerii obtained a Master's degree and the project and program manager qualification in 2013. During his Master's program, he became familiar with Project Roadmap (GPM Deutsche Gesellschaft für Projektmanagement e. V.) and Spiral Dynamics.
Valerii is the author of exploring the uncertainty of the V.U.C.A. concept using Spiral Dynamics and mathematical statistics in psychology, and 38 international polls.

This Post has 1 Comments

Rally Oleg

18.09.2023

Very useful! Thank you!

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