Fear of the Self among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol21.Iss3.1206Keywords:
The fear, obsessive – compulsive disorder, the self.Abstract
The present study seeks to examine fear of the self among university students, a construct defined as the aversive feelings an individual experiences toward aspects of the self that he or she wishes to avoid or suppress. To fulfil the study’s objectives, the researcher adopted the Fear of the Self Scale, which was translated from English into Arabic and subsequently subjected to procedures for ensuring linguistic, psychometric, and factorial validity.
The study aimed to:
- Assess the overall level of fear of the self among university students.
- Examine differences in fear of the self as a function of gender (male/ female).
- Investigate the prevalence of fear of the self within the student population.
The scale was administered to a sample of 150 students (both males and females). Data were analysed using the t-test for one sample (α = 0.86) and the two-sample t-test (α = 0.79). The findings revealed that:
The sample, as a whole, exhibited a high level of fear of the self.No statistically significant gender differences were found between male and female students.Prevalence analysis showed that 22 % of all participants—both male and female—experienced high self-fear. Among males, 16 % reported such levels, whereas 36 % of females did so.
Downloads
References
المصادر:
- الطائي، حيدر حبيب عذيب (2023): الانهيار النفسي وعلاقته بأساليب التعامل مع الضغوط لدى مدرسي المرحلة الإعدادية، مجلة لارك للفلسفة واللسانيات والعلوم الاجتماعية، المجلد (15)، العدد (4).ص529. https://doi.org/10.31185/lark.Vol3.Iss51.3133
- كريم، هبة نعيم (2025): فجوات الهوية الشخصية لدى طلبة الجامعة، مجلة لارك للفلسفة واللسانيات والعلوم الاجتماعية، مجلد (17)، العدد (2). ص 621.https://doi.org/10.31185/lark.4155
- هادي، نور محمد (2022): العمر الذاتي وعلاقته بالسعادة النفسية، رسالة غير منشورة، الجامعة المستنصرية، بغداد/ العراق.
1. Aguilar, S. L, Arnáez, S., Aardema, F., Soriano, G. G (2021): “Therelationshipbetweenobsessionsandtheself: Fearedandactualself-descriptionsinaclinicalobsessive–compulsivedisor dersample”. ClinPsycholPsychother,p 642–651, DOI:10.1002/cpp.2656.
2. Boss, S. R., Galletta, D. F., Lowry, p. B., Moody, G. D., Polak, P., “What Do Systems Users Have to Fear? Using Fear Appeals to Engender Threats and Fear that Motivate Protective Security Behaviors”.p14-15. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2607190.
3. Godwin, t. L., Godwin2, H. J., Simonds, l. M. (2020): “Whatistherelationshipbetweenfearofself,self-ambivalence, andobsessive–compulsivesymptomatology?Asystematic literaturereview”. ClinPsycholPsychother, DOI:10.1002/cpp.2476.
4. Jaeger, T., MOUldiNg, R., NgliM, J. (2015): THE ROLE OF FEAR OF SELF AND RESPONSIBILITY IN OBSESSIONAL DOUBT PROCESSES: A BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODEL, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 34, No. 10, pp. 839-858.
5. Kent, G., Keohane, S. (2001): “Social anxiety and dis®gurement: The moderating eåects of fear of negative evaluation and past experience”. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, (40). 23- 34.
6. Aguilara, S.L., Sorianoa, G.G., Ronceroa, M., Barradab, J.R. (2019): Validation of the Spanish version of the Fear of Self Questionnaire. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2018.12.006
7. Lench, C. H, Levine, L (2005): “Effects of fear on risk and control judgments and memory: Implication for health promotion messages”. Cognition and Emotion,. 19 (7). 1049-1069.
8. Li Li, “A Study on the Effect of Fear Mediation between College Students' Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety”. The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology, Vol. 1, Issue 9: 37-41, DOI: 10.25236/FSST.2019.010907.
9. Mironn, L.R, Sherrill, A.M, Orcutt, H.K (2015): Fear of self-compassion and psychological inflexibility interact to predict PTSD symptom severity, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science,vol 4, pp37–41.
10. Sturzaker, J, Lord A, “Fear: an underexplored motivation for planners’ behaviour?”.
11. Tamir, M., Ford, B. Q.(2009): “Choosing To Be Afraid: Preferences for Fear as a Function of Goal Pursuit”. American Psychological Association, Vol. 9, No. 4, 488–497.
12. YÜCEL, S.(2023): Fear of Self with Definition, Causes and Effects, Current Research and Reviews in Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol 3(2), pp59-66.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 م.م. نور محمد هادي
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
