Abstract
Ninth grade students (N = 2728) wrote essay responses to the questions: “Most of us, as children, were afraid of something—the dark, dogs, being alone. What caused you the greatest fright when you were young? Show, by example, how you reacted to fear. What has helped you to overcome or conquer fear?” Reported fears and coping strategies were recorded by subjects' sex and fears were categorized as singular, primary, or secondary. Fear and coping strategy categories were recorded once only for any subject. Fear of the dark was most frequently mentioned, with People, Spooks, Being Alone, and Animals being other frequently mentioned fears. Sex differences were found for singular or primary fears, with boys significantly more fearful of Animals and Heights and girls significantly more afraid of Being Alone, Death/Injury, Insects, and Fathers. About half of all subjects reported coping strategies, with nearly 55% reporting the strategy of Reason/Age. Boys reported significantly more In vivo Densensitization/Flooding and Destroy coping strategies, with girls reporting significantly more People, Escape, and Took Control strategies. Possible explanations for the various reported fears are provided.
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