The habit of reading about illness and worrying over the possibility of being
stricken by it. The habit of reading patent medicine advertisements.
THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE
The original source of this inherent fear needs but little description, because it
obviously grew out of man's polygamous habit of stealing his fellow-man's mate,
and his habit of taking liberties with her whenever he could.
Jealousy, and other similar forms of dementia praecox grow out of man's inherited
fear of the loss of love of someone. This fear is the most painful of all the six basic
fears. It probably plays more havoc with the body and mind than any of the other
basic fears, as it often leads to permanent insanity.
The fear of the loss of love probably dates back to the stone age, when men stole
women by brute force. They continue to steal females, but their technique has
changed. Instead of force, they now use persuasion, the promise of pretty clothes,
motor cars, and other "bait" much more effective than physical force. Man's habits are
the same as they were at the dawn of civilization, but he expresses them