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Is Failure Really The End Of The World?

Failure, or fear of failure, can drive us to extreme lengths.

As the San Diego therapists put it very well, humans are born with an innate drive to be successful, regardless of whether it is in their careers, family, social life or other dimensions and areas. The problem here is that today’s driven society only accepts success and totally discards the lengthy or difficult part of achieving it. According to Erik Erikson, the creator of the theory of social development, individuals are prone to undergo several stages in their lives, which are focused on achieving success in a certain aspect of life. However, in order to be able to achieve the successful stage, the individual must first experience failure.

About expectations and hopes and their relationship with failure

It often happens that individuals who fail at achieving something are immediately punished, be it by their children, spouses, employers, colleagues, parents, etc. While it is true that a person cannot be 100% confident all the time, and a little bit of fear can be a motivational stimulus, it can also become an obsession or even a phobia that will prevent that person from trying in the future.

Based on this fact, several researchers have wondered whether the paralyzing fear of failure can be linked to a high desire to achieve success. Even though there have been several studies on this topic, the results attained are mixed and cannot provide a clear answer. Therefore, some studies indicated that individuals who want to be successful badly are actually scared of failing. Other studies suggest the opposition fear-success has nothing to do with the goals and expectation a person has, but rather that the individual prefers a conservative approach to things. In other words, even though they would like to be successful, they will not risk taking any chances and hence, will not make risky decision in order not to fail.

Can the fear of failure be treated?

There are several methods a therapist can use in order to treat the fear of failure. These include, NLP, hypnotherapy, energy psychology, etc. And, the good news is that patients undergoing these treatment options usually respond positively to the therapies and are prepared to reach their full potential. The hypnotherapist’s role is to re-program the subconscious and minimize the impact of fear of failure, while the NLP practices can help an individual create his own perspective. The energy psychology is a rather new therapy mostly used in treating phobias. Even though some therapists compare this therapeutic approach to acupuncture, individuals reluctant to holistic methods should rest assured that it is very effective.

The most common treatment options for the fear of failure are the cognitive-behavioral therapies since they help the person discover new ways of thinking about his available options. The psychoanalytic approaches are used less frequently and are most effective in circumstances when there are underlying conflicts involved. In general, San Diego therapists adapt the techniques to the client and if the individual feels he has no control over his life, then he will start doing exercises that teach him how to make decisions independently.

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