Anxiety- “dizziness of freedom”.

Classical concepts, general overview.

What is anxiety? o  Psychological & physiological state characterized by somatic,

emotional, cognitive & behavioral components.

o Normal reaction to stressor.Stressor= environmental condition or stimulus.

o Prolonged time frame o Classically response to stress/frustration.

consequence of events. way of dealing with personal issues.

o Anxiety and fear?- fear – concrete danger, occurs in present time. -anxiety – paranoia of something frightening, may or may not be actual. Time perspective – future.

Causes• Individual

• genetic factors • environmental• Gender

• Exposure to situations in which ones ego is/may be harmed. – view of world incompatible with situation – inability to peruse personal reassessment & values.

• Conflicts and frustration• Threats and harm –

• Physical harm • Psychological harm – to ones self-esteem

• Pressure to perform beyond ones capability.

Types - classification• Sigmund Freud;– objective anxiety • Normal response to external danger. • Synonymous with ‘fear’.

– neurotic anxiety• A result of a unconscious conflict within the

individual – unaware of situation.

• Modern forms: • Social anxiety• Phobia• Obsessive-compulsive • Post-traumatic stress.

“Test anxiety”• Test anxiety is the uneasiness or nervousness felt by

students who had a fear of failing an exam.• Fear of negative evaluation. • Optimal level of stimulation is necessary for maximal

performance – such as writing exams.– When the anxiety or level of stimulation exceeds that

optimum, results in a decline in performance. • Association of grades with personal worth • Fear of embarrassment by a teacher• Fear of alienation from parents or friends • Time pressures• Feeling a loss of control.

Major theories / concepts

• Freud - Anxiety as an unconscious conflict.

• Social learning theory - Anxiety as a learned response.

• Anxiety as a lack of control.

Anxiety as an unconscious conflict.

• Result of an unconscious conflict between the id impulses- (sexual or aggressive types) & constraints imposed by the ego & the superego.

• Many id impulses pose as a threat to the individual, seem contradictory to personal or social values.

• Application of methods for protection, such as defense mechanisms to cope.

The social learning theory.

• Doesn’t focus on the internal conflicts, instead weight is put on the ways in which anxiety becomes associated with certain situations - via learning.

• Things that we are taught as children.• Conflict in social interactions or expectations which differ from

own beliefs or that of the taught behaviour - anxiety appears, we become anxious. ‘What we are & what were expected to be’.

• Problem !– Learned behaviour for temporary control. Results in subject often do

not dealing with the issue, instead we just avoid it. – leads to avoidance responses – in turn never gives us a chance to

explore & realize that the situation might not be so bad. (ex. Running away from a dog – fear we never learn that most dogs are friendly).

Anxiety as a lack of control.

• Feeling of being helpless and not in control.• Central most theories;

– Psychoanalytic theory, anxiety arises when the ego is threatened by impulses it cannot control.

– Social learning theory- people become anxious when they are threatened by painful stimuli that they can only control by avoidance.

Coping / management.

• Degree of anxiety depends on our level of control.• Realization – dealing with problem.

• Major ways: • Problem-based – appraise the anxiety producing

situation and do something about the problem – either change it or avoid it.

• Emotion-based – a way to reduce the feelings intensity instead of directly dealing with the problem itself.

• Combination of both methods is most common.

Treatment /Alternatives.

• CBT – Cognitive behavioral therapy• PAM –Parental Anxiety Management• Hypnotherapy treatment – also proved useful in generalized anxiety, phobias &

posttraumatic stress disorders

• Alternative decrease in caffeine intake• Combined treatment, CBT & PAM.