PSE Factor
Anyone who has known me for long at all is likely aware of my biggest fear...I would even say phobia. Spiders. For as long as I can remember, the sight of a spider was enough to instantly shoot adrenaline to the tips of my toes and perhaps even bring tears to my eyes, depending on the intensity of the encounter.It is completely irrational, I am the first to admit. One of my pet peeves is definately those obnoxious people who try to tell me all the reasons why it doesn't make sense for me to be afraid of spiders. I feel like saying, "Wow...thanks for pointing out that daddy long legs are harmless and probably more afraid of me than me of them. I wish the thought had occurred to me. Or if only someone had told me previously..." Idiots!
It seems to me that just about everyone has at least one irrational fear. Roller coasters, the dark, clowns, needles, snakes, heights, dogs, plaid. Some are just better kept secrets because they are not often encountered. Sometimes I wish I could trade my irrational fear for someone else's that I would only encounter every few years (ie. needles) as opposed to almost daily in my carport.
On the other hand, I'm quite happy that it's not very life-altering like some people's fears can be. But I do frequently rate activities on a "PSE Scale". It's a self-invented measuring device that is less than scientific. It's largely based on personal experience and perceived threat. PSE = Probability of Spider Encounter. Blogging is quite low on the PSE scale. Stacking firewood tends to have a very high PSE factor. The PSE factor does weigh on the enjoyability of different activities, and so in a way I suppose it could contribute to choices I make, and thereby be slightly life-altering.
Spider encounters vary widely in intensity, based on a variety (or combination, ughh) of the following factors:
1. Population. Multiple spiders is scarier than one. Being outnumbered always makes this worse.
2. Size. I think I've determined that if a spider is smaller than the very tip of my pinky finger, I can handle it. The rest are scary, and of course increasingly so according to size.
3. Movement. A spider on the move is worse than a spider at rest.
4. Proximity. It stands to reason that a spider six inches away is scarier than a spider at the other side of the room.
5. Height. If a spider is on the wall at torso level, it could potentially fall onto my leg or foot. Yuck. If the spider is above my head, aaaahhhhh...very scary. It could fall into my hair or onto my shoulder and out of sight where I panic while determining the wherabouts. The floor is almost always the best place for a spider.
6. Footwear. (Mine, not the spiders) This is related to #5. If I am barefoot, a spider on the floor is still very scary because I'm virtually defenseless. Sandals are better, but still scary because what if I step and miss and the spider somehow ends up on top of my foot or between the bottom of my foot and the sandal? Closed-toe shoes are much better. Steel-toe boots are best.
7. Clothing. Encountering a spider while wearing shorts and a tank top is scarier than in pants and a long-sleeved shirt. The more skin exposed, the greater the likelihood of the spider touching me directly.
8. Ugliness. There isn't any spider that I find cute, but stripes or a fat body or hairiness all make a spider scarier.
These are the factors that I've determined thus far. I will amend the list if other factors come to mind.
So, what are some of your ridiculous fears?
posted by sibbie751 @ 1:23 a.m.
7 Comments:
Heights..and my parents dying..
Seriously..I hate heights..the swings at Crystal palace I hang on..close my eyes..and cry..
I have more..heights being the main one..but I am such a worry wart...given the opportunity.
hmmm. yes, i think i was one of those annoying people who tried to educate you about spiders.
uh, for me, lemme see....my fears are more social---like anxiety of the seminary/college cafeteria, fear of the DBMD--good thing that doesn't matter anymore. :)
TERRIFIED.....of frogs.
lol..that made me laugh
spiders and social situations a lot of people fear...but frogs?
Krystle...I take it you wouldn't want to ride the roller coasters with me at Canada's Wonderland?
Jo...when I first read your comment, I somehow read DBMD as DMV, and I was thinking, "Hmmm...the Department of Motor Vehicles is excruciatingly slow sometimes, but I wouldn't have thought scary..." Then I read it correctly and laughed.
Melinda...my aunt (Jenn's mom) is also very afraid of frogs. You could start a Fellowship of Frog-Haters.
You got it! I actually went to Canada's wonderland when I was 12. My parents were like we have to go on atleast one rollercoaster...so I went on the one that goes through the waterfall...It was an okay rollercoaster because there's parts of it that you're in a tunnel..but it's dark..and it turns sharply..and then all of a sudden it SHOOTS you out of the tunnel over the air atleast 1 km and then suddenly you turn left.....
NOT FUN...I don't even bother going to fairs..or amusement parks..I think I could handle Crystal Palace..except for the swings..and anything else I have forgotten about..
I love this post! 1. b/c you said "IDIOTS" and I can hear you muttering it outloud! haha!
2. Your list of PSE! Esp. the one about being 'defenseless' depending on your footwear! Defenseless!!! SO FUNNY!
3. You are facing your fears (by examining them and dare I say TRINIDAD?)
4. Melinda and Dale are scared of FROGS!!! bahh!! (sorry)
I am terrified (in a stranger way than you) and drawn to SHARKS!!! Terrified so much that I do NOT swim in any ocean for fear of be 'defenseless' in the water should one want to eat me! Also, these animals don't merely bite you - they EAT YOU!!! Not worth the risk....I could go on and on.
However I can't not peel myself from the Discovery Channel when showing documentaries on sharks. Bascially anything shark related gets my full attention. I think it's the 'educate yourself' factor. I must learn everything about them - so as not to be eaten by them. As you remember I'm one up on them...for now at least.
I also HATE birds - not scared of them, they just make me gag. I am however trying to get better with that one. After seeing a bird one day and saying 'ew GROSS a bird', I overheard Mya responding to them in the same way the following week and was mildly scolded by the husband since he knew where she got that from....
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