Fear Thesaurus Entry: Letting People Down

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Flaws That May Emerge
Cowardly, Defensive, Fussy, Inhibited, Insecure, Irrational, Martyr, Needy, Obsessive, Oversensitive, Perfectionist, Pessimistic, Self-Destructive, Subservient, Timid, Weak-Willed, Workaholic

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Struggling to function at work or school due to fear of failure or making mistakes
Struggling with low self-esteem and depressive disorders
Feeling a lack of true connection to certain people (parents, a boss, etc.)
The character being unable to do the things that make them personally happy because they’re too busy doing what others want
Being taken advantage of due to a lack of personal boundaries
Constantly flirting with burnout
Frequently falling ill due to a lack of self-care
The character believing that their own opinions and ideas aren’t as important as other people’s

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Receiving a poor grade or performance assessment at work
Being asked to do a large or difficult task
The character learning that someone wasn’t happy with their work
Having to make a crucial decision—e.g., marriage, attending college, choosing a career
Being punished or penalized for making a mistake
Someone critical or harsh re-entering the character’s life
Getting invited to two events at the same time and having to choose one
Being asked or pressured to do something the character isn’t comfortable with
A significant other not appreciating a thoughtful gift

Other Fear Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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