Difference between Fearful vs. Scared

[dylan...@hotmail.com]

Whats the difference between Fear and Sadness? I want to hear
everyone's opinion...

[dylan...@hotmail.com]

opps, i meant to say the difference between fear and being scared.

[Lexie]

I think fear is obsessive and being scared is natural. Fear is
encompassing and it can lead to paranoia, it can become excessive.
Being scared though is just normal. Little kids are scared of the dark
and they may need a night light for a while, but they get over it.
When it comes to fear, maybe the dark will conjure up images of
gargoyles and ghosts and demons and it can last for a big part of your
life. That leads to nightmares and if I had a legitimate fear of the
dark, I don't think I could sleep. Sometimes I am scared of the dark
though, and I tough it out and move on. I guess one's excessive and
the other's just a natural, inborn feeling.

[Tanya Voytus]

Good ideas, Lexie.

Dylan - why don't you talk about why this question came up to you, or what your original thoughts about it were, so that we can have an idea of what you're asking.  One of the dictionary definitions of "scared" is "fearful", so the two might be interchangeable.  What ideas did you have about this?