ABSTRACT
This chapter first discusses some considerations about how fear of physical injury develops throughout childhood and adolescence, in both boys and girls. Fear of physical injury includes matters that are perceived by human beings that depend on reality testing, abstraction ability, and capacity for self-preservation. Then, after examining some clinical examples, the chapter looks at how diagnosis and treatment selection are affected. Treating people who are afraid of physical injury involves helping them to understand the realities of life and to acknowledge their reality perceptions of danger. In cases where the reality of the danger is miniscule or non-existent but reality testing is adequate and abstraction ability good, insight-directed work can help people understand the contributions to their fears of physical injury from various stages of development where they experienced difficulty. This type of treatment is usually at least ameliorative if not curative. Finally, the chapter summarizes some brief comments upon cultural, national, and international implications of this ubiquitous fear.
