Culture of fear

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Culture of fear (or climate of fear) is the concept that people may incite fear in the general public to achieve political or workplace goals through emotional bias. It was developed as a sociological framework by Frank Furedi[1] and has been more recently popularized by the American sociologist Barry Glassner.[2]

In politics

Nazi German politician Hermann Göring explained how people can be made fearful and to support a war they would otherwise oppose:

The people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.[3]

In her book State and Opposition in Military Brazil, Maria Helena Moreira Alves found a "culture of fear" was implemented as part of

political repression since 1964. She used the term to describe methods implemented by the national security apparatus of Brazil in its effort to equate political participation with risk of arrest and torture.[4] Cassação (English: cassation) is one such mechanism used to punish members of the military by legally declaring them dead. This enhanced the potential for political control through intensifying the culture of fear as a deterrent to opposition.[5]

Alves found the changes of the

hopelessness" prevailed, in addition to "withdrawal from opposition activity."[7]

Former

demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue".[8][9]

irrational fears for the future."[10]

British academics Gabe Mythen and Sandra Walklate argue that following the September 11 attacks,

public safety and created the simplistic image of a non-white "terroristic other" that has negative consequences for ethnic minority groups in the UK.[11]

In his 2004 BBC documentary film series

Research Fellow in the International Policy Institute, King's College London, saying that to call this network an "invention" would be too strong a term, instead asserting that it probably does not exist and is largely a "(projection) of our own worst fears, and that what we see is a fantasy that's been created."[14]

In the workplace

Ashforth discussed potentially destructive sides of

conflicts or dealing with disagreements, on the other. An authoritarian style of leadership may create a climate of fear, with little or no room for dialogue and with complaining being considered futile.[18]

In a study of

public-sector union members, approximately one in five workers reported having considered leaving the workplace as a result of witnessing bullying taking place. Rayner explained the figures by pointing to the presence of a climate of fear in which employees considered reporting to be unsafe, where bullies had been tolerated previously despite management knowing of the presence of bullying.[17] Individual differences in sensitivity to reward, punishment and motivation have been studied under the premises of reinforcement sensitivity theory and have also been applied to workplace performance. A culture of fear at the workplace runs contrary to the "key principles" established by W. Edwards Deming for managers to transform business effectiveness. One of his fourteen principles is to drive out fear in order to allow everyone to work effectively for the company.[19]

Impact of the media

The consumption of mass media has had a profound effect on instilling the fear of terrorism in the United States, though acts of terror are a rare phenomenon.[20] Beginning in the 1960s, George Gerbner and his colleagues have accelerated the study of the relationship that exists between media consumption and the fear of crime. According to Gerbner, television and other forms of mass media create a worldview that is reflective of "recurrent media messages", rather than one that is based on reality.[21] Many Americans are exposed to some form of media on a daily basis, with television and social media platforms being the most used methods to receive both local and international news, and as such this is how most receive news and details that center around violent crime and acts of terror. With the rise in use of smartphones and social media, people are bombarded with constant news updates, and able to read stories related to terrorism, stories that come from all corners of the globe. Media fuels fear of terrorism and other threats to national security, all of which have negative psychological effects on the population, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.[20] Politicians conduct interviews, televised or otherwise, and utilize their social media platforms immediately after violent crimes and terrorist acts, to further cement the fear of terrorism into the minds of their constituents.

Publications

Sorted upwards by date, most recent last.

See also

References

  1. ^ Furedi, Frank (1997). The Culture of Fear: Risk-taking and the Morality of Low Expectation. Continuum International Publishing Group.
  2. Black Rose Books
    . pp. 23–24.
  3. ^ Gustave Gilbert (1947) Nuremberg Diary.
  4. ^ Alves, Maria (1985). State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Brazil: University of Texas Press. p. 352.
  5. ^ State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 43.
  6. ^ State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 125.
  7. ^ State and Opposition in Military Brazil. p. 126.
  8. ^ "Terrorized by 'War on Terror' by Brzezinski". Washingtonpost.com. March 25, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Zbigniew Brzezinski While the true nature of the threat can't be established: it can be less it can be worse. (March 25, 2007). "Terrorized by 'War on Terror' How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America". Washington Post. Retrieved December 3, 2010. The "war on terror" has created a culture of fear in America ...
  10. ^ Frank Furedi. "Epidemic of fear". Spiked-online.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  11. ^ Communicating the terrorist risk: Harnessing a culture of fear? Gabe Mythen Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, Sandra Walklate University of Liverpool, UK
  12. ^ "The Power of Nightmares: Your comments". BBC. London. August 3, 2005. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  13. ^ a b Jeffries, Stuart (May 12, 2005). "The film US TV networks dare not show". The Guardian. London. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  14. ^ "Exploring The Best Pro hormone Stacks". www.daanspeak.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  15. ^ Petty tyranny in organizations, Ashforth, Blake, Human Relations, Vol. 47, No. 7, 755–778 (1994)
  16. .
  17. ^ a b Helge H, Sheehan MJ, Cooper CL, Einarsen S "Organisational Effects of Workplace Bullying" in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)
  18. ^ Salin D, Helge H "Organizational Causes of Workplace Bullying" in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2010)
  19. ^ Acquate. "The W. Edwards Deming Institute". deming.org. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  20. ^
    S2CID 145162485
    .
  21. .

Further reading