Odd Fear Conditioning

[Lynoxus]

I'm afraid it's my first post here and I wasn't sure whether to put this or advice or just in off topic, but this seems like a reasonable enough place.

I read a post about when your childhood died and while mine was just through bullying it made me realise something that started around the same time.

I have a complete lack of fear for normal things, I'm not trying to be macho or trying to impress people, but I honestly don't fear death, pain ect. I just feel I would strongly dislike it. I do however have one fear. That is letting other people down. I have no idea why but if I feel someone will be dissapointed or angry at something I've done I can get extremely distressed.

Let me give you an example, I had been bullied for a long time, at one point I remember someone who punched me right in the stomach and pushed me into a wall. (This was one of the strongest people in my year, no one in my position would ever fight him) But even though he was going to hit me again, I just raged and shouted at him (Wasn't that effective). With normal people the fight or flight responce should have kicked in.

I would like to know if anyone has any idea why this might be? Is it possible that I have somehow unlearned it? My idea was that it could be possible that I learnt that the reaction of Fight/Flight didn't work.

Ehh, that was long. I would like to know your opinion on my situation, I am starting to be think this could leave me in danger in some situations in later life.

Edit: Reading some more on fear responces, I have seen that tunnel vision is one of them, I get, well basically exactly the opposite in situations I would have fear, time seems to slow down slightly and I can see every detail in my peripheral vision well?

 

[Stasisesque]

That would be your fight or flight instinct. You didn't make an attempt to run, but you used pent up rage to attempt to make him back off verbally.

In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response

 

[DefunctTheory]

EDIT: Don't know why I quoted.

Many people do not fear death. Its not really that unusual or strange. The only universal is that 99% of people will ALWAYS fight to stay alive, even if they do not fear death.

Your not fighting back in school is not unusual either.

EDIT:

That would be your fight or flight instinct. You didn't make an attempt to run, but you used pent up rage to attempt to make him back off verbally.

In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response

Score.

 

[Lynoxus]

Thanks for the responses, it's hard to make it clear what I am trying to say. While you might be right about the response being correct, it's not just death, but, well anything. I think a more accurate way of describing it would be to say that in usual fear (more psycologically based) you imagine scenarios in your head where bad things could happen. I had threats from people where this doesn't happen. I had people that say they are going to hurt me at lunch time, none of these scenarios I seemed to fear.

Maybe it's just psycological fear, but... take amnesia, the dark decent (I know off topic board, but it's relevent) everyone I know who played it said it was ridiculously scary and the best psycological horror ever. I play it, I go away thinking it had a nice atmosphere. (Not to say this can compare to a real life example but harder to find those I want to share with people over the internet)

Of course maybe I'm just looking too much into it and being a hypocondriac.

 

[Shadow_Kid]

this reminded me of a story that the Escapist did, here's the link:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106243-Woman-Missing-Some-Brain-Is-Totally-Fearless-As-a-Result