I Fear, Hence I Am. Fear as Political Identity.

Fear has become a new "zeitgeist" and it is an essential component of contemporary politcs, since one of its most important features is the ability to bridge ideological differences. This theoretical study seeks to examine the connection between fear and political identity. It is proven that the emotional dimension plays an important role in the process of identity formation and identity-maintenance. In this article I would like to argue that fear is a universal experience which in some way forms the identity of all, and it can have a political relevance as well. The paper consists of two main parts. The first chapter deals mainly with studies related to fear from the field of social sciences, and discusses the complex nature of this emotion. It distinguishes individual and social level of fear, and it also differentiates between the universal and the constructed nature of the studied phenomenon. The second part of the study analyzes political identity as group identity, and it seeks to show the potential connection points between identiy and fear. The study found that in developing and maintaining group identities, negative emotions can be as important as their positive peers, that is, being afraid of someone is often stronger experience than the empathy or the appreciation for our own group members. Furthermore, the study also found that, in the case of political identities, the constructed nature of fear come into fore.