Fearlessness is often promoted as a character strength--especially in heroes like Green Lantern, Daredevil, and Batman. Similarly, inspirational posters in schools and all over the internet encourage people to "be fearless!". However, fearlessness is not actually a strength. Real people feel fear every day, including our heroes. Fear is an important part of real life and we needn’t avoid it. We just need the courage to act while feeling fear. In this presentation, I will highlight the important role of fear and anxiety and the real fears that drive the superheroes that only appear fearless. By normalizing the experience of anxiety and highlighting the strength to persist while feeling fear, we become more like our comic book heroes than if we tried to be fearless.
*All scheduled events are subject to change