In his 2004 BBC documentary film series , '' The Power of Nightmares '' , subtitled '' The Rise of the Politics of Fear '' , the journalist Adam Curtis argues that politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society . Though he does not use the term " culture of fear , " what Curtis describes in his film is a reflection of this concept . He looks at the American neo-conservative movement and its depiction of the threat first from the Soviet Union and then from radical Islamists . Curtis insists there has been a largely illusory fear of terrorism in the west since the September 11 attacks and that politicians such as George W Bush and Tony Blair had stumbled on a new force to restore their power and authority ; using the fear of an organised " web of evil " from which they could protect their people . Curtis 's film castigated the media , security forces and the Bush administration for expanding their power in this way . The film features Bill Durodié , then Director of the International Centre for Security Analysis , and Senior Research Fellow in the International Policy Institute , King 's College London , saying that to call this network an " invention " would be too strong a term , but he asserts that it probably does not exist and is largely a " ( projection ) of our own worst fears , and that what we see is a fantasy that 's been created . " Ashforth discussed potentially destructive sides of leadership and identified what he referred to as petty tyrants : leaders who exercise a tyrannical style of management , resulting in a climate of fear in the workplace . Partial or intermittent negative reinforcement can create an effective climate of fear and doubt . When employees get the sense that bullies are tolerated , a climate of fear may be the result . Several studies have confirmed a relationship between bullying , on one hand , and an autocratic leadership and an authoritarian way of settling conflicts or dealing with disagreements , on the other . An authoritarian style of leadership may create a climate of fear , with little or no room for dialogue and with complaining being considered futile
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Culture of fear