
The Infested Mind
Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects
Jeffrey Lockwood(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 26. December 2013
Book
Hardback
228 pages
978-0-19-993019-7 (ISBN)
Description
The psychological connections between humans and insects are tantalizing and complex. Through both evolutionary associations and cultural representations, insects have deeply infested our minds. They frighten, disgust, and sometimes enchant us. Whatever the case, few of us are ambivalent in the face of wasps, cockroaches, spiders, maggots, crickets or butterflies. They arouse terror, nausea, fascination-but rarely, if ever, indifference. And the costs of fear can be high, both in terms of the quality of individual lives and with regard to our social responses, from soaking our food with insecticides to overlooking our dependence on the ecological roles of insects (including those on the brink of extinction). The book is an examination of what scientists, philosophers, and writers have learned about the human-insect relationship. Jeffrey Lockwood is an entomologist himself and yet still experiences bouts of entomophobia; in fact, his seemingly paradoxical response to certain insects and scenarios is what prompted him to write this book. The book explores the nature of anxiety and phobia and the line between them. It examines entomophobia in the context of the nature-nurture debate, posing the question: how much of our fear of insects can be attributed to our ancestors' predisposition to avoid insects to benefit their own survival, and how much is learned through parents? Using his own and others' experiences with entomophobia as case studies, Lockwood breaks down common reactions to insects, distinguishing between fear and disgust, and inviting the reader to consider his/her own emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions to insects in a new light.
Reviews / Votes
This provocative book is valuable for psychologists, entomologists, or general readers who would like to understand how irrational fears of insects and their relatives distort people's view of reality. Highly recommended. * E. R. Lee Jr., Choice, * If someone is interested in a solid and interdisciplinary background about the mechanisms and manifestations of entomophobia as well as techniques to overcome this fear, this book provides a good foundation. * Rick Vetter, American Entomologist *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
36 b/w halftones
Dimensions
Height: 243 mm
Width: 168 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
549 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-993019-7 (9780199930197)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€18.49
Available for download

Jeffrey Lockwood
Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects
Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects
E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
Oxford University Press, USA
€39.39
Available for download
Person
Jeffrey Lockwood is a Professor of Natural Sciences & Humanities at the University of Wyoming and author of Six-Legged Soldiers (OUP; April 2010)
Author
Professor of Natural Sciences and HumanitiesProfessor of Natural Sciences and Humanities, University of Wyoming
Content
PROLOGUE. Entomophobia from the inside: Swallowed by a swarm ; CHAPTER 1. The Nature of Fear-and the Fear of Nature ; CHAPTER 2. Entomophobia: A product of our genes? ; CHAPTER 3. Entomophobia: Practice Makes Perfect? ; CHAPTER 4. Disgust: Horror's Other Half ; CHAPTER 5. The Terrible Trio: Imagining Insects into Our Lives ; CHAPTER 6. Treating the Horrified: Finally, some good news ; CHAPTER 7. Entomophilia: Insects as sources of wonder ; EPILOGUE. Tales of Terror: Bed bugs in New York City