Top 10 Things Men Fear

Men live with the pressure of competing with all the macho men of the silver screen. Men feel they should have the moxie of John Wayne, the humorous bravado of Bruce Willis and the sophistication of James Bond (take your pick). And if men can’t be all those things – they feel the urge to fake it. Welcome to the fears of men.

Universal Fears Among Men

10. Going to the Doctor

To go to a doctor means you are not immortal. You are afraid it will make you look bad in front of your family – or employer. You want to be considered reliable , but sometimes fear makes it difficult to accept that even men can get sick from time to time.

9. Being wrong

It is often inferred that as a man you need to have all the answers to every question that comes up. The fear of being wrong  can sometimes have negative consequences. Why? Because even when you are wrong a person who has this fear will work to explain away the issue and can cause further problems for themselves and others.

8. Public Speaking

This fear may be the result of trying not to appear foolish. It may be linked to a feeling that you don’t possess the qualifications needed to discuss the topic with skill and style. No man ever wants to feel foolish.

7. Commitment

Men sometimes will have difficulty gaining the courage to get married because deep down they wonder if they might just mess this up too. Believe it or not men keep a laundry list of personal failings and work overtime trying to figure out ways to avoid making mistakes in the future.

6. Inadequate lover

A man’s sexual identity is very important to them. Many will fear not being able to satisfy their partner or leaving them frustrated. This fear may actually contribute to the fear of commitment.

5. Poor health

This may seem similar to the fear of going to the doctor, but it is actually an extension of that fear. If the man can gain enough confidence to visit the doctor he may fear the long term implications of a chronic health condition.

4. The risk of financial loss

Men pride themselves on being providers for their family. Even in today’s society where women often share in the financial burden of a family men still feel as if the weight of responsibility is theirs to bear. The prospect of not being able to provide for a family is a strong fear-inducer in men.

3. Not being a good husband or father

Being a husband or father is an investment – not just in the life of the child and wife, but in the deepest part of the heart of man. Some men can be broken if they come to a place where they admit failings related to their family.

2. Appearing to need help

This fear is often why men won’t stop to ask for directions and will walk down every aisle of a store six times instead of asking where they keep their 3/4 inch grommets. Man are supposed to know stuff. Fear can cause men to make things more difficult then they need to be.

1. Failure

The biggest fear in the hearts of men is failure. Everything goes back to this. Men want to be dependable in every way, but if there is real or perceived failure many men run the risk of spiraling out of control and throwing all relationships and good sense out the window because instead of realizing a mistake was made that could be learned from they move toward the complete assumption they are failures at everything.

Wrap Up

As tough as men are they can also be somewhat fragile. I think it is hardwired into the minds of men to be the strong arm that holds a family together. If a wife understands the potential fears their husband faces they may find a greater interest in providing verbal support for their partner.

In all cases guys should understand they will make mistakes along the way, the doctor may deliver some bad news from time to time, but that this, too, is a challenge they can rise to the occasion to face.

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