eibmoZach reyalScott

Welcome, foolish mortals. I am eibmoZach reyalScott. As my name implies, I am fascinated with the concept of zombies (or rather, the methods of survivability in the face thereof). I've become somewhat of a connoisseur regarding zombie lore and hypotheses, and have put an admittedly unhealthy amount of thought into the subject. As such, I have come to wonder why it is that people, such as myself, have developed such an odd interest- dare I say love- for such frightening, unnatural beings. This has led me to the topic on which my paper will be focused.

 I want to prove, once and for all, that the general human populace has developed a strong desire to scare themselves. Some may believe this is false and that we still prefer peace and comfort over paralyzing chills of terror. While it's true that some people don't like to be scared, there seems to be a larger population that does. We lie in wait and jump out to startle our friends, we go watch horrific movies to keep ourselves awake at night, we fantasize what may be beneath the bed with the dustballs or lurking among the coat-hangers in the closet, and we constantly recreate the monsters we're familiar with, such as:
  • Werewolves

Half-man, half animal, these beasts prowl the full moons of our minds.
  • Vampires

Wait, what the??? NO NO NO! THESE:
 
Terrifying children of the night seeking helpless humans to drain dry.
  • Ghosts
 
They appear as specters of souls long past, with motives unknown.
  • Demons
 
Grotesque nightmares incarnate, desperate to steal human souls.
  • And yes, even Zombies
 
Shambling, reanimated corpses eager to feast on human flesh.

We never let these iconic symbols of terror die. We bring them back in various incarnations over and over... but why?

 My goal is to explain the reason behind mankind's obsession with being scared. To do so, I will analyze explanations for this behavior such as our ancestral instinct from primal man's aversion to the creatures that roamed outside his cave in the night. Another theory of note is the idea that we seek scares to fulfill our desire for thrills and adrenaline rushes brought on by our fight-or-flight mentality. I hope to prove that our obsession stems from a mix of both concepts. Along the way, to better understand why we use the things we do to scare ourselves, I will investigate where the above monster archetypes, so deeply ingrained in the dark corners of our minds, originate from.

 If you, dear reader, are interested in these questions, stick around for a while... if you dare.

 --eibmoZach reyalScott

3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 2, 2012 at 10:50 PM

    I think this is very intriguing! I personally, love being scared but I have never known why! I just love the thrill and the feeling you get from being scared and even just the memories that are creating from getting scared. But like you said, it should be the opposite! However, I don't think you can generalize everyone into that category. I don't think everyone has desires to be scared. A lot of people do just want peace and comfort. It just depends on the person. So what kind of people do you think strive for these scary experiences? What makes them different from other people? I think it will be interesting to read about ancestral instincts and how that plays into it! Great, interesting idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ParanormalInvestigatorsNovember 4, 2012 at 2:39 PM

      Cami Agle-

      Thank you for your interest and support. You'll notice, however, that I didn't "generalize everyone into that category." I said, "that the general human populace has developed a strong desire to scare themselves. Some may believe this is false and that we still prefer peace and comfort over paralyzing chills of terror. While it's true that some people don't like to be scared, there seems to be a larger population that does."

      I clearly pointed out that there are, indeed, many who don't enjoy fear such as you and I do. However, my claim is that the number of people who DO is steadily growing over time, and has started to outnumber those who avoid scary situations.

      As to what kind of people strive to experience fear- look into a mirror. You said yourself you "love being scared." So, allow me to answer your question with a question- what kind of person are you? Honestly, I'd like to know as it would give insight into the "type" of person my research is based on. I thank you in advance for any help you can give through your own self-analysis.

      While you think on that, I will try to explain what the general "type" of phobophilic is. Generally, people who love or greatly enjoy experiencing fear or watching horror movies are the kinds of people who don't experience the feelings present in such events very often (i.e. most of us). In the average person's life, its likely they won't have to go through situations where their lives are actually in danger or something truly scary is happening. People say "oh man, my mom/dad is going to kill me" often, but very, very rarely mean it (unless their dad is like Jack in The Shining- then they probably mean it).

      This isn't true of all phobophilics though. There are people, such as members of the military, who experience life-or-death situations yet still love a good slasher flick. Ergo, it isn't really possible to identify a "type" of person who is somehow more inclined to crave fear than another. Truth be told, the possibility is in all of us...

      --eibmoZach reyalScott

      Delete
  2. kkvaughnNovember 6, 2012 at 11:37 PM

    I love this topic! The first thing I thought of while reading this was about something I learned in high school about ancient Greek arts. They totally believed in what you are arguing. They said that the reason that people like to watch thrilling things, in their case just in plays and theatrical performances, is because seeing those things is the only way to release those kinds of emotions. If you think about it, we feel a lot of things; anger, jealousy, love, respect, etc...but we feel them on a regular basis in every day settings. Fear or horror is not something that is often felt, which is why we kind of enjoy getting those emotions out. The Greeks thought of this as healthy and.. relieving almost. That would be super interesting to include in your paper. I also personally believe that fear brings people together in a strange way. For example, if you see a scary movie with friends, no matter how mighty they make themselves appear, at the end you are on the same level as them and I think that is a way to connect. Obviously that isn't any scientific research, but you might be able to find something about that. Why do people bond over scary situations? What hormones does fear release in our bodies? Does fear have a physical effect on our health? Why/how do those with the "fight" instinct react differently to scary situations than those with the "flight"? What makes one scary movie more appealing than another? Why do some people enjoy surprises while others don't? ..Just a few questions to expand your research, but I really love where this is going and I'm excited for how it turns out. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)