Fear in Extended Adventures

Abstract

There is relatively little empirical research on fear in adventurism, especially the long-haul forms of adventurism, such as expedition mountaineering. A brief overview is given on the findings from laboratory studies on fear and anxiety which have promoted certain ideas about fear in adventurism that are contrary to the findings of field researchers. This chapter compares and contrasts conclusions between lab studies and field studies on fear in adventure sports, with a focus on the long-haul or forms of mountaineering. For example, the assumption that adventurists either do not experience the emotion of fear or have a pathological relationship to fear, is essentially a laboratory-derived hypothesis that has never been externally validated. In contrast, empirical field research has revealed how the emotion of fear is heavily relied upon as a messenger or guide that helps to enhance safety during dangerous ventures, partly by virtue of being a catalyst in rapid risk assessment and wise decision-making. The chapter concludes with different definitions of anxiety and fear which have emerged through the field research of multiple investigators on several continents, and which happen to fit well with definitions of fear found in archaic dictionaries from centuries ago.