Striking the Balance: Harnessing Dreams and Fear for Growth
The balance between dreams and fear plays a key role in shaping personal development and in choosing a behavioral strategy in risky situations. On one hand, dreams and a creative surge awaken the desire for new achievements and risk, inspiring the search for the unknown and stimulating active actions. On the other hand, the fear experienced in risky situations can serve as a cautionary signal, protecting against impulsive steps. It is important, however, that fear does not become paralyzing but takes on an active form, urging the individual to recognize potential dangers while simultaneously feeling drawn to pursue ambitious goals.As noted in one study:"Risk psychology, its creative uplift, and emotional tension clearly indicate that the psychology of risk is not only deeply connected with the experience of fear, but that it should also recognize a secondary expression (alongside depression) of fear. Thus, fear in its expression can have both passive and active forms—it can trigger mental and psychophysical depression, but it can also manifest as the experience of risk, as the drive to plunge towards danger. The new understanding of fear, first outlined by St. Hall, is fully confirmed in what we observe in young children: a child, while experiencing 'terrible' feelings that are clearly visible on his face, also looks on with curiosity and interest at that which provokes his fear. All that is mysterious attracts children—the tension is so clearly written on their faces, and at the same time, the forbidden, the dangerous, pulls them in: it is both frightening and pleasing." (source: link txt)Thus, by combining dreams with an active perception of fear, an individual is capable not only of overcoming difficulties but also of using risk as a source of personal growth. The emotions evoked by dreams help in building ambitious plans and spotting opportunities for development, while active fear facilitates an objective assessment of the situation and awareness of potential threats. This balance allows one to develop a behavioral strategy in which risk becomes a stimulating force for creativity and self-realization rather than merely a source of danger and anxiety.