Why is it, do you think, that people fear change?

Question

I've been thinking and observing folks around me and I can't help but notice a common thread. Discontent. It seems that people perpetuate there situation by not making change. Why is this?

Is this more prevalent in American society, do you think?

Answer 1

People fear the unknown. They fear something that is different, something they don't really know about. Human nature I guess!

Answer 2

We all fear change because we are stuck in a moment that either makes us comfortable and we choose to stay in this situation. Another reason would be, personally, because I am afraid to fail at what ever comes next in my life and the negative side of fear is that it would take away the excitement of a new opportunity and the possibility of having a good result.

Answer 3

Some people have answered saying that it is human nature to fear change, but is it?  The reason that we have survived as a species is this very ability...the ability to adapt to change, to thrive in it, to survive in different situations and climates, on different terrains, etc etc. etc.  I don't believe that it is "human nature" to fear change.  

I think it has more to do with today's society.  In today's world we as a society at large have become very comfortable in our little niches.  Surrounded by scientific advances, hi-tech everything and what I call animal kingdom imperialism, I find there to be a sense of infallibility, almost a disbelief that life could be different than what it is at this living moment.  This drives fear of change, simply the fact that we no longer accept it as a part of our everyday life.  

How would you react today if you found out that your town or city no longer has enough food supply  for its citizens?  How might you have reacted three hundred years ago?  In today's world I think one might picket a local elected official's office, drive around looking for a farmers market of worse comes to worse, loot a grocery store.  What might you have done three hundred years ago?  Picked up and found a place where there was a more abundant supply, perhaps?  We were more versatile back then, less dependent on others to act for us and thus less fearful of change.

In a nutshell, the loss of self-sufficiency fuels the fear of change because our fate no longer lies in our hands.  This does not necessarily have to be applied to material things.  The loss of the ability to meet one's emotional needs could fuel the fear of walking away from a bad relationship, etc.

Sorry this is drawn out!  I do tend to ramble... and yes I do realize tis a less than perfect argument, but I thought you might get tired of reading the same answer!

Answer 4

Fear of the unknown.  Yes, people would rather wallow in their misery ( a "known" environment) than face a change they may ultimately have no control over.  

Answer 5

i'm not scared of change bring it on!

what i don't like is bad change. like taking God's name off of things... that bothers me.

Answer 6

Great fear of the unknown causes people not to take chances and to stay in situations where they’re not very happy. As soon as people think about change they start playing the “what if?” game.

• What if I make a mistake?

• What if it’s worse than what I have now?

• What if I fail?

Change is scary because we can't see the future You tell yourself the “grass is greener” and bury any thoughts of changing your situation for the better. You think you should stay where you are, just in case. You don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future so you can’t tell for sure what the consequences of your actions will be. You do know what you have now and you tell yourself that if you think about it, it’s really not that bad. Right? The fear of the unknown is what stops most people from ever making positive changes in their lives.

If you let it, your imagination can dream up a never ending supply of terrible things that could happen. But let’s think about it. You have the ability to imagine the absolute worst thing that could happen so that means you also have the skill to use your energy to imagine the absolute best thing that could happen. It’s a matter of focus. Why do you waste so much time imagining the worst when there’s just as much of a chance of the best outcome happening? In Susan Jeffers book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, she says that whatever option you choose will provide you with new opportunities and surprises that you may never have imagined happening.

    ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€ÂœI can’t lose – regardless of the outcome of the decision I make. The world is a place for opportunity, and I look forward to the opportunities for learning and growing that either pathway gives me.” - Susan Jeffers

As she says, there is no wrong decision, there’s just different opportunities. It makes it far easier to face the unknown if you think of all your options as exciting and worthwhile. You just need to decide which one you want to do right now. There is no wrong choice. Doesn't that make you feel better when you think of it that way?