Fear Narratives and Self Doubt: I think the first thing I need to say is that I did not expect to feel anything at all. It was just another political speech. Another warning about danger, another reminder that we are not prepared, another call to spend more, act faster, fear more. We have all heard that tone before, and I honestly thought I had grown immune to it.
It’s been almost a year since Rutte’s NATO speech calling for higher defence spending (BRUSSELS, 12th Dec 2024). Something hit me in a way I did not expect. It was not fear. It was not even anger at first. It was something else, something that made me stop in a way I could not immediately explain. Until I could…
Self doubt.
That little voice inside asking me:
“Hang on Gregg… is this real, or is this manipulation? Am I misreading it?”
And that feeling bothered me far more than the speech itself. Because I trust my instincts. I know the patterns of fear based language. I work with narrative. I recognise when urgency is real and when urgency is political. I’ve learnt to tell when a message is designed to inform and when it is designed to push. Even if it was the hard way!
So why did I suddenly question myself this time?
In reflection, I believe it was the tone. That formula. The way fear was shaped and delivered.
According to Reuters, the speech warned the alliance that ‘we are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years’ and called for a shift to a wartime mindset.
The way the public was addressed, not as informed adults, but as people who needed to be frightened into agreement. Something in the delivery created a tiny crack in my clarity, and that crack felt wrong.
When Fear Narratives Become Psychological Pressure
What I did not realise in the moment, but understand now, is that the speech did something very specific. It used fear to create self doubt. And for me, that is the line that should never be crossed.
Because when fear makes you question your intuition, your understanding of the world, your own sense of what feels true, it becomes something else entirely. It becomes psychological pressure. And in my opinion, using that kind of fear is possibly one of the cruelest tactics anyone in a position of power can use.
It reminded me of something I learned early in life, something a lot of people understand in their own ways: when someone who is meant to protect you uses fear instead of clarity, it creates confusion that sinks deeper than the moment itself. You lose trust in your own sense of reality. You shrink a little. You second guess what you already know.
Fear Narratives Create Self Doubt
That is what made my blood boil. Not the message, but the way it made me doubt myself. That moment threw me into a kind of emotional freeze and a rush to verify, to check, to read everything I could find, even though some part of me already knew I had recognised a pattern. I was not imagining it.
Because that is what it feels like when the protector becomes the abuser. When someone who claims to keep you safe uses fear in a way that collapses your clarity instead of strengthening it. It does not matter whether they intend it or not. It lands the same way. It destabilises something inside you.
This was the beginning of my journey into fear narratives: not the fear of the world outside, but the fear that quietly arrives inside us when someone speaks with authority and leaves us doubting our own truth.
Once you see how that works, you cannot unsee it.
Fear Narratives Part Two – Coming Soon
This piece is Part One in a four part series.
Next week I will explore how leaders use fear narratives to shape public opinion, influence climate policy, and control the stories we tell about our future.
IMAGE CREDIT: Image of Mark Rutte: © European Union 2025, CC BY 4.0. Edited and used in a digital collage by Gregg the Artivist.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A dramatic battlefield scene filled with fire, smoke, tanks, soldiers, drones, missiles, and fighter jets moving toward the camera. On the right, Dutch politician Mark Rutte stands smiling in a suit, creating a sharp contrast between calm authority and chaotic war imagery. The image symbolises how leaders use fear based messaging to influence the public and provoke self doubt.
Further ‘off site’ Reading
FAQ’s
Why do fear based speeches make us question ourselves?
Fear can create emotional pressure that disrupts clarity and intuition. When fear comes from a trusted authority, it can cause self doubt and destabilise our sense of what feels true.
What does “the protector becomes the abuser” mean in a social or political context?
It describes the moment when someone in a position of authority uses fear instead of guidance. It is less about intention and more about the emotional impact on the people who rely on that authority.
How do fear narratives influence our views on climate change and global issues?
Fear narratives often focus on urgency and threat without offering clarity. This can overwhelm people and weaken their ability to act, even when the issue—like climate change—is real and important.
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