Conceptual Foreknowings: An Integrative Review of Feeling Afraid

Area of Science:

• Phenomenology
• Human Science Research
• Qualitative Inquiry

Background:

• The experience of fear is a universal aspect of human existence.
• Understanding the essence of fear requires interdisciplinary exploration.
• The humanbecoming paradigm offers a framework for studying lived experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illuminate the conceptual foreknowings of the universal human experience of feeling afraid.
• To explore the essence and meaning of fear through diverse disciplinary perspectives.
• To identify paradoxical themes inherent in the lived experience of fear.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of literature from various disciplines.
• Utilizing Rosemarie Rizzo Parse's humanbecoming paradigm as a guiding framework.
• Synthesizing findings to develop thematic representations of fear.

Main Results:

• Three paradoxical themes emerged from the literature synthesis.
• Theme 1: Feeling afraid surfaces with the known-unknown.
• Theme 2: Feeling afraid emerges with sureness-unsureness.
• Theme 3: Feeling afraid arises with trust-mistrust.

Conclusions:

• The experience of fear is characterized by inherent paradoxes.
• These paradoxes reflect the rhythmical patterns of human living within the humanbecoming paradigm.
• Fear is intricately linked to the interplay of certainty and uncertainty, knowledge and the unknown, and trust and mistrust.