Protective Value Of Fear Stephen King Summary

The Protective Value of Fear
Have you ever watched something that happens on a screen, yet still it feels real? Imagine feeling scared out of your mind or pumped up by something that is not really happening. Images and sounds can make your heart rate increase, your palms wet, your muscles tighten, and the hair on your arms rise. How healthy can it really be?
Suspension of disbelief is the phenomenon, which makes it possible to believe a premise you would never accept in the real world. “This is a semi-conscious decision in which you put aside your disbelief and accept the premise as being real for the duration of the story” (MediaCollege). This phenomenon creates a virtual experience built upon on fantasy and illusion, which is the central
King assumes that all humans demonstrate cruel and aggressive impulses occasionally. In order for people to express and unleash these natural impulses in a controlled and safe environment, they engage in these types of entertainment, which enables them to forestall their needs to act it out in real life. King refers to it as the “safety valve” theory of catharsis, implying that there is a process of cleansing, which occurs when people allow themselves to utilize this outlet, thereby controlling urges that are deemed socially
King believes that fear is a natural, healthy phenomenon. He states, “Children are literally afraid of their own shadows at the right time and place.” However, King also points out that children are able to manage their fear and use their imagination in order to protect themselves from true dysfunction. King explains that children use “selective forgetting” which forms the basis of both nostalgia and childhood fears. Adults look back upon these childhood experiences with fond memories, even of the most fear inducing moments and desire that lost feeling because they feel protected and threatened all at once. One example provided by King states that “It is the parents, of course, who continue to underwrite the Disney procedure of release and rerelease, often discovering goosebumps on their own arms as they rediscover what terrified them as children.” Therefore, the “safety valve” of catharsis theory provides that this is a safe way to experience fear and, in fact, positive memories ensue as adults.
In conclusion, I believe that the theory of desensitization and the “safety valve” theory of catharsis are not mutually exclusive and one is not necessarily more “correct” than the other. However one enables us to understand