Sigmund Freud's View Of The Uncanny Valley

Issue/ Topic of Research:
What are the causes fear, but more specifically what is the significance of fear- primarily the fear of the unknown - on the mind, and society.
Research of Literature:
The part of the brain that triggers the sensation of fear is the amygdala. Studies by Christof Koch, reveal the right side of the amygdala responds strongly to animals and would explain why movie monsters have features like fangs and claws. However, brain scans done by Thomas Straube at Friedrich Schiller University show that scary movies do not actually trigger responses from the amygdala, rather other parts of the brain associated with troubleshooting, self-awareness, and analyzing visuals were activated. Definition of horror has been fairly arbitrary;
The theory defines the level of human resemblance something has. Looking at the graph on the left, the highest point with the greatest familiarity and complete likeness is recognized as a healthy person and at the other end is something we can identify as non-human. The valley lies within the space where something shares too many similarities, but also too few to actually be human, leading to a feeling of revolt and uneasiness. Sigmund Freud has also dealt with the idea of uncanny, he developed the concept of “uncanny”. He explains it as a result of the ego supressing thoughts, so when encountering something that is strangely familiar it becomes terrifying, this creates a feeling of dissonance that leads to revolt. Carl Jung gives his explanation to the allure of horror due to the use of important archetypes the he said “resided in the collective unconscious.” A physical anthropologist may describe the Uncanny Valley’s function as a signal for our human ancestors to avoid those that have disease and find healthy partners for
As an adaptive trait, fear is used as a signal for responses of “fight or flight” in cases of danger. For example, when there is a venomous snake or an approaching tornado, it is the sense of fear that drives us to avoid getting hurt. However, what really interests me is the fear we feel when there is no clear threat present. The question then comes to mind is “Why”? How is it possible that a large number of people fear horror movies or scary stories, when in reality they can’t cause harm? Another aspect of this type of fear that draws in my curiosity, is that although we feel the uneasiness, many of us can’t take our eyes off of it. Leading up to this, is the role ambiguity plays in causing fear when there is no potential threat. Ambiguity can present itself in many ways and our responses to such situations are also very intriguing because unlike most scary experiences, it causes a lingering effect on our minds. My motivation to analyze this specific type of fear is because even though we have all experienced it at one time or another, very few really understand “why” they feel this way. I hope to provide an answer as to why we fear the unknown and help to explain the uneasiness that is