The concept of anxiety in psychology. f) neurotic anxiety is a term that covers all of the above types of anxiety, with the exception of objective, i.e. a) and b) in contrast to c) and d), which are covered by case g)

Psychology. Illustrated Dictionary

Anxiety. Due to the expectation of something dangerous. It is diffuse in nature, not associated with specific events. In the presence of anxiety at the physiological level, increased respiration, increased heart rate, increased blood flow, increased blood pressure, an increase in general excitability, a decrease in the threshold of sensitivity.

The ABC of a Social Psychologist-Practitioner

Anxiety- personally stressful, sometimes personally traumatic, sometimes personally destructive of the emotional state of the subject, who finds himself in circumstances that he assesses as vaguely threatening and forms his idea of ​​possible negative consequences for him in the near or distant future. If we compare anxiety with a rather related emotional state - fear, then, unlike it as a reaction to a really existing specific danger, anxiety, as a rule, is not caused by an immediate, in fact, objective threat, but is associated with a subjective feeling of the possibility of its appearance and an acute anxiety about the difficulties that will prevent you from coping with it and avoiding it.

Large psychological dictionary

Anxiety(eng. anxiety) - the experience of emotional discomfort associated with the expectation of trouble, a premonition of impending danger. In contrast to fear as a reaction to a specific, real danger, T. is the experience of an indefinite, diffuse, unobjective threat. According to other t. Sp., Fear is experienced with a "vital" threat (the integrity and existence of an organism, a person as a living being), and T. - with a social threat ( personality, self-image, self-needs, interpersonal relationships, position in society). In many contexts, T. and fear can be used interchangeably.

Distinguish situational T., characterizing the state of the subject at a certain moment, and anxiety as a relatively stable formation, a personal property (R. Cattel, C. Spielberger, Yu. L. Khanin). Depending on the presence of an objective threat in a situation, “objective”, “real” T. and T. “inadequate”, or actually anxiety, which manifests itself under neutral, non-threatening conditions, are also distinguished.

On physiological level T.'s reactions are manifested in an increase in the heartbeat, an increase in respiration, an increase in the minute volume of blood circulation, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in general excitability, and a decrease in the threshold of sensitivity. On psychological level T. is felt as tension, anxiety, nervousness, a feeling of uncertainty and impending failure, the inability to make a decision, etc. An alarming series of phenomena). The optimal level of T. is necessary for effective adaptation to reality ( adaptive T.). An excessively high level, as well as an excessively low one, is a maladaptive reaction, manifested in a general disorganization of behavior and activity.

T. m. B. weakened arbitrarily - with the help of vigorous activity to achieve the goal or special techniques (see. Autogenic training, Psychological self-regulation methods, Neuromuscular relaxation, Relaxation), as well as as a result of the action of unconscious defense mechanisms (see. Psychological protection).

Concept. T. was introduced to psychology S. Freud(1925), breeding a specific fear ( Furcht) and indefinite, unaccountable fear - T., which is deep, irrational, internal ( Angst). In philosophy, such a distinction was introduced by Kierkegaard and is consistently carried out in the philosophy of existentialism. (A.M. Prikhozhan.)

Psychological encyclopedia

Anxiety (anxiety ). Freud described the early sources of T. in the following chronological sequence: a) the absence of a mother; b) punishments leading to fear of losing parental love; c) fear of castration or its female equivalent during the Oedipus period; d) disapproval from the super-ego or punishment of oneself for actions that the individual considers unacceptable, unfair or immoral. In these cases, the child's self may react with anxiety. The child can become frightened of his instinctive desires and begin to worry, which allows him to resist the instinctive desire, forcing the ego to resist the desire that caused him anxiety.

There are other theories, for example. the theory of Melanie Klein, who conducted psychoanalysis of young children and came to the conclusion that the source of T. lies in the fear of death. Klein distinguished two types of anxiety: haunting ( persecutory) generated by the fear of destruction of the I; and depressive, associated with the child's fear of harming external and internal objects of love due to their destructive impulses.

Rollo May characterized T. as a fear caused by a threat to values, to-rye the individual considers necessary for his existence as a person. GS Sullivan understood anxiety as an extremely unpleasant state of tension arising from the experience of disapproval in interpersonal relationships. He describes how, due to the empathic bond between the baby and the mother, anxiety and tension in the mother causes anxiety in the infant.

Samuel Kutash developed the T. theory, taking into account the latest advances in the study of T. and stress. T., or a state of loss of balance, occurs when the stress level experienced by a person does not correspond to the optimal one for his constitution. Calmness, or a state of equilibrium or pseudo-equilibrium ( malequilibrium), occurs when the optimal level of stress, corresponding to the constitution of the individual, both in the case of a healthy balance (equilibrium) and in the case of an unhealthy balance (pseudo-equilibrium). T. can be adaptive, if it is sufficiently pronounced and signals the individual about the need for changes, and maladaptive, if its level is so high that it causes immobilization, or it is too low to motivate to take any action.

Learning and behavioral theories. E.S. Kaplan described the main difference between the behavioral theories of T. (including the theory of learning), on the one hand, and psychodynamic or psychoanalytic theories of T., on the other hand: the former focus on the nearest (proximal) stimuli, while how the latter give importance to distal (distal) causes. Butzin and Max describe it as follows: “In psychodynamic theory, anxiety or avoidant behavior is interpreted as a sign of an underlying intrapsychic conflict (distal stimulus); in theories of learning and behavioral theories, anxiety is considered a response to some immediately preceding stimulus, supported by reinforcing consequences (proximal stimuli). " Immediate reasons can be external, such as waiting for an upcoming exam or rejection by significant others, or internal, such as belittling oneself or imagined dangers.

With behavioral t. Sp., Important data are contained in the research. Pavlovian (classical) conditioning, similar to the first such study by JB Watson and R. Reiner on the child. More modern modifications of the theory of classical conditioning attach importance to information processing. and expectations, not just the formation of a connection between stimulus and response based on reinforcement. According to A.R. Wagner and R. Reskole, for example, Pavlov's conditioning of conditioned stimuli occurs due to the new information provided by them. about an unconditioned stimulus, such as its magnitude or frequency of occurrence. Issled. avoidance learning shed additional light on this issue, starting with Maurer's two-process theory as applied to the first process, Pavlov's conditioning of fear to a neutral (conditioned) stimulus; the second process occurs when the body avoids the situation, which is reinforced by a decrease in fear. More recent studies, however, have led to conclusions, such as Hernstein's, that conditioned stimuli signal the possibility of reinforcement or punishment, but do not fulfill the function of reinforcement or punishment. Bandura emphasizes the predictive value of neutral stimuli combined with aversive ones. Once established, defensive behavior persists because avoidance deprives the subject or experimental animal of any opportunity to know that the original stimuli may have changed and are no longer dangerous.

The second group of important behavioral research. based on the model of operant conditioning, in which reinforcement or punishment depends on the reaction of the subject or experimental animal. Theorists in this area focus on avoidance behavior and its results; the therapeutic intervention includes positive reinforcement of increasingly accurate reproduction of the desired proximity behavior. The emphasis is on reinforcing and signaling (differentiation) stimuli rather than conditioned stimuli.

I. L. Kutash

Conflict Resolution Dictionary

Anxiety is a negative emotional state that arises in situations of uncertain danger and manifests itself in anticipation of an unfavorable development of events. Unlike fear as a reaction to a specific threat, T. is a generalized, diffuse, or pointless fear. In humans, T. is usually associated with the expectation of failure in social interaction and is often caused by the unconsciousness of the source of danger. Functionally, T. not only warns the subject of a possible danger, but also encourages the search for and concretization of this danger, to an active study of the surrounding reality with the installation to determine the threatening object. Empirical studies distinguish situational T., which characterizes the state of an individual in this moment, and T. as a personality trait (anxiety) - an increased tendency to experience T. about real or imagined dangers. T. is weakened with the help of protective mechanisms - repression, replacement, rationalization, projection, etc.

General psychology. Dictionary

Anxiety- an emotional state that arises in situations of uncertain danger and manifests itself in anticipation of an unfavorable development of events. In comparison with fear - a reaction to a specific threat - T. is a generalized, diffuse or pointless fear caused not by the presence of danger, but by the inability to avoid it if it appears. Typical biological conditions for the development of T. are a new, unknown situation and the absence of habitual means of protection (for example, the ability to hide). In humans, T. is usually associated with the expectation of failures in social interaction and is often caused by the unconsciousness of the source of danger; therefore, subjectively, it is experienced as a feeling of helplessness, self-doubt, powerlessness in front of external factors perceived with an exaggeration of their power and threatening nature. Functionally, T. not only warns the subject of a possible danger, but also encourages the search for and concretization of this danger, to an active study of the situation with the attitude to determine the threatening factor. For this reason, it can frustrate other activities, disrupt their focus and productivity. T., which is formed on the basis of internal contradictions in the development and structure of the human psyche (for example, due to an overestimated level of claims, insufficient moral justification of motives, etc.), is one of the reasons for the development of psychopathological symptoms. Prompting a search for a threat, T. of pathological origin can lead to inadequate beliefs about the existence of danger to a person from other people (delirium of persecution), in one's own body (hypochondria), and in the results of one's own actions (psychasthenia). T. is weakened with the help of protective mechanisms - repression, rationalization, projection, substitution, etc. Along with T. as a special state of the individual, anxiety is distinguished as a personality trait.

VC. Vilyunas

Clinical psychology. Dictionary

Anxiety- (English anxiety) - a negative emotional state associated with a presentiment of impending danger.

The concept of T. was introduced into psychology by Z. Freud, who divorced specific fear (Furcht) and indefinite, unaccountable fear - anxiety that is deep, irrational, internal (Angst). Such a distinction was introduced into philosophy by S. Kierkegaard, and then it was consistently carried out by the philosophy of existentialism. From this understanding of T., one should distinguish "anxiety" according to G. Selye (English - alarm-reaction) - the first stage of the adaptation syndrome, a signal to mobilize the body's defenses.

In modern psychology and psychotherapy, T. and fear are used interchangeably. Nevertheless, they differ qualitatively in terms of the certainty of the threat and the object of the threat. In the first case, T. is associated with an uncertain, diffuse, objectless threat, and fear - with an explicit and definite threat. In the second case, the object of threat can be: (a) social and personal, associated with ideas about oneself, the needs of the "I", values, interpersonal relationships, position in society and other factors causing T .; (b) but, on the other hand, the object of threat can be "vital", threatening the integrity and existence of the human body, which naturally causes fear.

There are also situational anxiety, which characterizes the state of the subject at a certain moment, and anxiety as a relatively stable personality formation (R. Cattell, C. Spielberger, Yu. L. Khanin). At the physiological level, T.'s reactions are manifested in an increase in the heartbeat, an increase in respiration, an increase in the minute volume of blood circulation, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in general excitability, and a decrease in sensitivity thresholds. At the psychological level, T. is felt as tension, anxiety, nervousness, a sense of uncertainty, impending failure, inability to make a decision, etc. As the state of T. increases, the manifestations of T. undergo a series of natural changes. The optimal level of T. is necessary for effective adaptation to reality (adaptive T.). An excessively high level of T. (as well as an excessively low one) cause a maladaptive reaction, manifested in a general disorganization of behavior and activity. T. can be weakened arbitrarily - with the help of vigorous activity to achieve the goal or special psychotherapeutic techniques, and also involuntarily - as a result of the action of the protective mechanisms of the psyche.

A. M. Prikhozhan

Anxiety is one of the individual psychological characteristics of a person, manifested by a person's increased tendency to worry, anxiety, fear, which often does not have sufficient grounds. This state can also be characterized as an experience of discomfort, a premonition of a certain threat. Anxiety disorder is usually referred to the group of neurotic disorders, that is, to psychogenically determined pathological conditions, characterized by a varied clinical picture and the absence of personality disorders.

Anxiety can manifest itself in people of any age, including young children, however, according to statistics, most often young women in their twenties or thirties suffer from anxiety disorder. And although from time to time, being in certain situations, everyone may experience anxiety, anxiety disorder will be discussed when this feeling becomes too strong and uncontrollable, which deprives a person of the opportunity to lead a normal life and engage in familiar activities.

There are a number of disorders that have symptoms of anxiety. It is a phobic, post-traumatic stress disorder, or panic disorder. Ordinary anxiety is usually referred to in generalized anxiety disorder. An overly acute sense of anxiety makes a person worry almost constantly, as well as experience various psychological and physical symptoms.

Reasons for development

The exact reasons contributing to the development of increased anxiety are unknown to science. In some people, the state of anxiety appears for no apparent reason, in others it becomes a consequence of the psychological trauma experienced. It is believed that the genetic factor can play a certain role here. So, in the presence of certain genes in the brain, a certain chemical imbalance arises, which causes a state of mental tension and anxiety.

If we take into account the psychological theory about the causes of anxiety disorder, then the feeling of anxiety, as well as phobias, may initially arise as a conditioned reflex reaction to any irritating stimuli. Subsequently, a similar reaction begins to occur in the absence of such a stimulus. Biological theory says that anxiety is a consequence of some biological anomalies, for example, with an increased level of production of neurotransmitters - conductors of nerve impulses in the brain.

Also, increased anxiety can be the result of insufficient physical activity and poor nutrition. It is known that maintaining physical and mental health requires a proper regimen, vitamins and minerals, as well as regular physical activity. Their absence negatively affects the entire human body and can cause anxiety disorder.

In some people, the state of anxiety may be associated with a new, unfamiliar environment, seemingly dangerous, his own life experience, in which unpleasant events and psychological trauma took place, as well as character traits.

In addition, a mental condition such as anxiety can accompany many somatic diseases. First of all, this includes any endocrine disorders, including hormonal disruption in women with menopause. A sudden feeling of anxiety is sometimes a harbinger of a heart attack, and can also indicate a drop in blood sugar levels. Mental illness is also very often accompanied by anxiety. In particular, anxiety is one of the symptoms of schizophrenia, various neuroses, alcoholism, etc.

Views

Among the existing types of anxiety disorder, adaptive and generalized anxiety disorder is most often encountered in medical practice. In the first case, a person experiences uncontrollable anxiety in combination with other negative emotions when adapting to any stressful situation. In generalized anxiety disorder, the feeling of anxiety persists permanently and can be directed to a wide variety of objects.

There are several types of anxiety, the most studied and most common of them are:

For some people, anxiety is a character trait when a state of mental tension is always present, regardless of specific circumstances. In other cases, anxiety becomes a kind of means of avoiding conflict situations. At the same time, emotional stress gradually builds up and can lead to phobias.

For some people, anxiety becomes the flip side of control. As a rule, the state of anxiety is typical for people striving for perfection, with increased emotional excitability, intolerance to mistakes, worried about their own health.

In addition to various types of anxiety, its main forms can be distinguished: open and closed. A person consciously experiences open anxiety, while such a state can be acute and unregulated, or compensated and controlled. Anxiety that is perceived and meaningful for a particular person is called “implanted” or “cultivated”. In this case, anxiety acts as a kind of regulator of human activity.

Latent anxiety disorder is much less common than overt anxiety disorder. Such anxiety is, to varying degrees, unconscious and can manifest itself in human behavior, excessive external calmness, etc. In psychology, this state is sometimes called "inadequate calmness."

Clinical picture

Anxiety, like any other mental state, can be expressed at various levels of human organization. So, at the physiological level, anxiety can cause the following symptoms:

At the emotional-cognitive level, anxiety manifests itself in constant mental tension, a feeling of one's own helplessness and insecurity, fear and anxiety, decreased concentration, irritability and intolerance, and the inability to concentrate on a specific task. These manifestations often force people to avoid social interactions, look for reasons not to attend school or work, etc. As a result, the state of anxiety only intensifies, and the patient's self-esteem also suffers. By concentrating too much on his own shortcomings, a person may begin to feel disgust for himself, avoid any interpersonal relationships and physical contacts. Loneliness and a feeling of "second-rate" inevitably lead to problems in professional activity.

If we consider the manifestations of anxiety at the behavioral level, then they can consist in nervous, meaningless walking around the room, rocking in a chair, tapping fingers on the table, fiddling with one's own strand of hair or foreign objects. Nail biting can also be a sign of increased anxiety.

With anxiety disorders of adaptation, a person may experience signs of panic disorder: sudden attacks of fear with the manifestation of somatic symptoms (shortness of breath, palpitations, etc.). In obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive disturbing thoughts and ideas come to the fore in the clinical picture, forcing a person to constantly repeat the same actions.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of anxiety should be carried out by a qualified psychiatrist based on the patient's symptoms, which should be observed over several weeks. As a rule, it is not difficult to identify anxiety disorder, but it can be difficult to determine its specific type, since many forms are the same. Clinical signs, but differ in time and place of origin.

First of all, when suspecting an anxiety disorder, the specialist pays attention to several important aspects. First, the presence of signs of increased anxiety, which may include sleep disturbances, anxiety, phobias, etc. Secondly, the duration of the course of the existing clinical picture is taken into account. Thirdly, it is necessary to make sure that all the existing symptoms do not represent a reaction to stress, and are also not associated with pathological conditions and lesions. internal organs and body systems.

The diagnostic examination itself takes place in several stages and, in addition to a detailed survey of the patient, includes an assessment of his mental state, as well as a somatic examination. Anxiety disorder should be distinguished from the anxiety that often accompanies alcohol addiction, since in this case a completely different medical intervention is required. Based on the results of the performed somatic examination, diseases of a somatic nature are also excluded.

Anxiety in psychology can mean a short-term emotional state, or it can be a stable trait of a person's character. Anxiety as an emotion is inherent in all people and is necessary for optimal adaptation of a person to the world around him. Anxiety, as a part of a person's personality, is a violation in his personal development and interferes with a full life in society.

Constant feelings of anxiety and fear are the result of intrapersonal conflict. This can be a contradiction between the image of an ideal self and a real self, which is the discrepancy between the level of self-esteem and the level of human claims. Anxiety always signals the need to satisfy a need, and a feeling of constant anxiety is an indicator that the need is not satisfied.

The feeling of anxiety is also a fact of the dissatisfaction of a person's socio-psychological needs.

Increased anxiety is closely related to the patterns between the emotional and motivational-need spheres of the personality. Intrapersonal conflict leads to unmet needs, which creates tension and anxiety.

After constant fear and anxiety is fixed in the human psyche, this new part of the personality is capable of negatively influencing further motives of behavior - on his communication with other people, motivation for success, vital activity and actions.

Anxiety, along with emotions such as fear and hope, is in a special position. As Fritz Perls, the great German psychiatrist, said: “The formula for anxiety is very simple. Anxiety is the gap between now and then. "

Sometimes we have conflicting feelings that we cannot explain. At home, at work and in personal life, everything seems to be fine, but something still haunts. Many people are familiar with such a state as anxiety. This is a vague feeling when you are expecting something bad. Let us consider in more detail what kind of feeling it is, what causes it, symptoms and whether it is normal to experience it.

What is meant by anxiety

If you turn to various dictionaries, you can find more than one definition of this condition. But they all give one explanation, only in different formulations. For example, one of them: "Anxiety is a negatively colored state, a painful inner feeling of discomfort from uncertainty."

This emotion is often called the expectation of danger or trouble. But it may not always be real. For some people, anxiety arises unreasonably, like the fruit of a wild fantasy, although the experiences are quite real. The excitement is rather associated not with a specific threat, but with the possibility of its manifestation.

Anxiety makes you feel terrified, which is accompanied by rapid breathing, palpitations, increased blood pressure, nausea, dizziness and sweating. At such moments, a person becomes tense, restless, helpless and anxious. Constant excitement can even destroy emotionally from the inside out.

People in this state perceive the circumstances as a threat, consider them potentially dangerous. In this, fear and anxiety are similar, but they still have differences.

How anxiety differs from fear

Fear is an emotional response to a real threat. That is, there is a danger object. But the reasons for anxiety are vague and vague. This means that excitement arises from the possibility of a danger that may not exist at all. It is also associated with the difficulty of avoiding and overcoming this threat.

Let's give an example. The student did not prepare for the exam and is afraid of failure. and it is quite reasonable. But with a responsible excellent student, the situation is different. He knows the subject well and is confident that he will pass the exam, but he still feels anxious and cannot explain why. From such people you can often hear: “What if I forget something?” Anxiety of this kind is simply groundless and not adequate to the current situation.

That is, experiencing fear, a person can clearly say what he is afraid of. But in the case of anxiety, it is impossible to accurately determine the cause of the fear.

Symptoms of anxiety

What signs can indicate unreasonable anxiety in the soul?

• cardiopalmus;
• lack of air;
• feeling of jittery;
• stiffness, muscle tension;
• chills, severe sweating;
• pain in the head and other parts of the body;
• depressed mood;
• violation of appetite;
• intermittent sleep;
• lack of interest in activities.

The natural outcome of this condition is deterioration in appearance, depression, or a psychosomatic illness. Of course, with constant excitement, the quality of life itself will deteriorate.

Causes of anxiety

Although the anxiety state does not have an object of experience, we will still try to understand it. possible reasons... So, a person can feel unreasonable anxiety on several occasions.

1. Experience of the past. A person is afraid of repeating negative events that have already happened to him. For example, a woman has once been cheated on and expects other men to do the same.

2. Projecting someone else's experience. It is natural for a person to be afraid of troubles that happened not with him, but with other people. For example, a man crashed in a car, and his colleague begins to drive the car more accurately. In the case of a plane crash, people generally start refunding tickets for other flights. That is, a person is worried that the same thing can happen to him as to others.

3. Return of the boomerang. A person worries that they will do to him the same way as he did to others. For example, a thief has anxiety, anxiety that he may be robbed, and the unfaithful husband is constantly trying to convict his wife of cheating.

4. Excessive suspiciousness. People who constantly ask themselves the question: "What if?" - are simply overly anxious and suspicious. They love to invent problems for themselves out of nothing. They think that they are all deceived, betrayed, they are always in danger, and the child is generally scared to let one out of the house.

5. Excessive impressionability. People tend to be afraid of fictional events that have happened to others. It's about the feelings that arise after watching thrillers, horror films and detective stories. A person understands that cinema from beginning to end is a fiction, and there have never been heroes and terrible incidents in reality. Despite this, after such films, many people cannot fall asleep for a long time, they are afraid of the dark and any extraneous sounds.

Is anxiety normal?

From time to time we have great anxiety. It can act as an adaptive feeling or a natural response to external changes... Such experiences are associated with a real life situation or an upcoming event. For example, one of the relatives is in the hospital, after a few days you need to take an exam, the first date with the person you like, and so on. Adaptive anxiety resolves when these situations are successfully resolved.

In other words, we can say that this feeling is quite normal and natural for anyone. healthy person... It is not permanent, passes over time and is episodic. Moreover, adaptive anxiety is simply necessary to mobilize a person's mental and physical capabilities.

We are all living beings, and it is quite natural for us to worry when there is not enough information, there are some doubts, a reason for tension and negative forebodings. Anxiety in the soul of this nature warns of danger, without disrupting the process of life.

Pathological anxiety

If negative experiences last long enough or situations have ended, and bad feelings have remained or new feelings have appeared out of nowhere, then this is a reason to think that something is wrong in life. Such anxiety is called pathological anxiety. It is not associated with real danger, but it can significantly spoil the usual course of a person's life.

Severe unreasonable excitement can be the result of a mental disorder or illness. A person invents danger, he is seized by a feeling of horror in front of uncertainty. Constant anxiety takes control of emotions and paralyzes the will, so you need to fight it.

Who is more likely to be anxious?

According to statistics, women between the ages of 20 and 30 most often suffer from unreasonable strong excitement. There is also information about the inheritance of such a state, that is, about the transfer from one generation to another. Anxious parents usually have anxious children. Adults make it clear that the world is extremely dangerous and aggressive, and literally infect their child with psychasthenia. Also high is observed in dysfunctional (dysfunctional) families.

How does anxiety get in the way of life?

Constant and strongly expressed tension prevents a person from concentrating on what is really important. He constantly thinks about the same thing, over and over again scrolls threatening situations in his head, reliving them many times over. Persistent and intense anxiety can lead to depression and depletion of mental strength. Often, against such an emotional background, suicidal attempts take place.

People who are too restless are usually vulnerable, suspicious, indecisive, resentful, and insecure. They also present to themselves high requirements, are insanely afraid of failure and painfully take criticism. Such people simply limit their potential and, out of fear, do not do much of what they could do.

Constant excitement has a devastating effect on our health. Everything that sits in the head begins to gradually pass into the body. This is how psychosomatic diseases appear.

As you know, therefore, anxious people, constantly thinking about the negative, simply attract unhappiness. Moreover, they reluctantly program for the troubles of their relatives and friends. Unconsciously, parents give negative attitudes with the help of statements such as "Careful, you will fall," "Don't touch, you will cut yourself," "Nobody will marry you," and so on.

In this context, anxiety is a destructive emotion and needs to be dealt with urgently.

How to deal with anxiety?

The most important thing is to turn anxiety into fear. That is, you need to try to determine what exactly you are afraid of, so that later, as they say, meet this face to face. To do this, you need to do a lot of serious work. As a rule, you cannot do without a specialist who can offer competent assistance. Suitable for one occasion drug treatment, for another - psychotherapy.

If you want to take a fresh look at your behavior and positively perceive the causes of anxiety, then immediately begin to change. Like all emotions, anxiety obeys our consciousness.

Basic approaches to defining anxiety

A very large number of studies are devoted to the problem of anxiety, and not only in psychology, but also in biochemistry, physiology, philosophy, sociology. According to some sources, the number of publications on this issue is increasing exponentially.
It is known that it was 3. Freud who introduced the problem of anxiety into the everyday life of psychology.
The concept of "anxiety" is multifaceted. It has been noted in dictionaries since 1771. In the psychological literature, you can find different definitions of the concept of "anxiety", although most studies agree on the recognition of the need to consider it differentially - as a situational phenomenon and as a personal characteristic, taking into account the transitional state and its dynamics.
Anxiety is understood as the experience of emotional discomfort associated with the expectation of trouble, a presentiment of impending danger. Anxiety is defined in the same way as a feeling of an indefinite threat, the nature and / or timing of which cannot be predicted, as a feeling of diffuse fear and anxious expectation, or as an indefinite uneasiness.
Anxiety consists in anticipatory emotional experience of a possible situation, the unsuccessful outcome of which a person estimates with a fairly high degree of probability.
So A.M. Prikhozhan points out that anxiety is an experience of emotional discomfort associated with the expectation of trouble, with a presentiment of impending danger. Distinguish between anxiety as an emotional state and as a stable property, personality trait or temperament.

According to R. S. Nemov's definition, "Anxiety is a constantly or situationally manifested property of a person to come into a state of heightened anxiety, to experience fear and anxiety in specific social situations"

According to S.S.Stepanov's definition“Anxiety” is an experience of emotional distress associated with a presentiment of danger or failure ”.
The understanding of anxiety and anxiety is also based on 3. Freud's theory of the structure of the mental sphere of the individual. According to his concept, anxiety is a function. The ego and its purpose is to warn a person of an impending threat. The content of anxiety is a feeling of uncertainty and a feeling of helplessness, which are characterized by three main features: a specific feeling of unpleasantness, corresponding somatic reactions, and awareness of this experience.

Anxiety reactions manifest themselves simultaneously on three levels: biological, psychological and socio-behavioral.

At the biological level, anxiety manifests itself in the form of an increase or increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, a feeling of suffocation, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in general excitability, sweating, tremors, dry mouth, nausea, and so on.

On the psychological level, anxiety is represented as tension, anxiety, nervousness, irritability, inability to make a decision, anxiety and helplessness. The psychological sphere of an anxious child is manifested in a decrease in the level of personality claims, its self-esteem, determination and self-confidence.
The social level of manifestation of anxiety includes all the richness of the child's behavioral activity and the features of his relationship with the people around him. The specificity of these manifestations will depend on in which area of ​​the relationship the child feels the greatest danger for himself. The child's anxiety associated with relationships with relationships in the family system is expressed in his anxiety and uncertainty about whether he is interesting to his parents, whether they love him, which is clarified by constant attempts to attract attention and in an exaggerated desire to achieve their love and emotional closeness. ...

Thus the concept, "anxiety»Psychologists designate a person's condition, which is characterized by an increased tendency to experiences, fears and anxiety, which has a negative emotional connotation.
Allocate two main types of anxiety.

The first of them is the so-called situational anxiety, i.e., generated by some specific situation, which objectively causes anxiety. This condition can occur in any person on the eve of possible troubles and life complications. This condition is not only completely normal, but also plays a positive role. It acts as a kind of mobilizing mechanism that allows a person to seriously and responsibly approach the solution of emerging problems. Rather abnormal is a decrease in situational anxiety, when a person in the face of serious circumstances demonstrates carelessness and irresponsibility, which most often indicates an infantile life position, insufficient formulation of self-awareness.
Another type is the so-called personal anxiety. It can be viewed as a personality trait that manifests itself in a constant tendency to experience anxiety in a wide variety of life situations, including those that objectively do not have this, are characterized by a state of unaccountable fear, an indefinite sense of threat, a willingness to perceive any event as unfavorable and dangerous. A child susceptible to this state is constantly in a wary and depressed mood, it is difficult for him to contact the outside world, which he perceives as frightening and hostile. Anchoring in the process of character formation to the formation of low self-esteem and gloomy pessimism.
Situational anxiety dominates among children of primary school age. Among the reasons causing children's anxiety, in the first place, according to E. Savina, is the wrong upbringing and unfavorable relations between the child and the parents.

Manifestation of anxiety

Anxiety is an experience of emotional discomfort associated with the expectation of trouble, a premonition of impending danger. Unlike fear as a reaction to a specific, real danger, anxiety is the experience of an indefinite, diffuse, unobjective threat.

According to another point of view, fear is experienced with a "vital" threat (the integrity and existence of a person as a living being, the human body, and anxiety - with a social threat (personality, self-image, self-needs, interpersonal relationships, position in society).
Distinguish between situational anxiety, which characterizes the state of the subject at a certain moment, and anxiety as a relatively stable formation (R. Kettel, Ch. Spielberger, Yu. L. Khanin). Depending on the presence of an objective threat in the situation, “objective”, “real” anxiety and “inadequate” anxiety, or anxiety proper, which manifests itself under neutral, non-threatening conditions, are also distinguished.
At the physiological level, anxiety reactions are manifested in an increase in heartbeat, increased respiration, an increase in the minute volume of blood circulation, an increase in blood pressure, an increase in general excitability, and a decrease in the sensitivity threshold.
At the psychological level, anxiety is felt as tension, anxiety, nervousness, a feeling of uncertainty and impending failure, inability to make a decision, etc. As the state of anxiety increases, the phenomena that express it undergo a number of regular changes that make up the phenomena of an alarming series. The optimal level of anxiety is necessary for effective adaptation to reality (adaptive anxiety.). An excessively high level, as well as an excessively low one, is a maladaptive reaction, manifested in a general disorganization of behavior and activity. Anxiety can be weakened arbitrarily - with the help of vigorous activity to achieve the goal or special techniques, as well as as a result of the action of unconscious defense mechanisms.
The concept of "anxiety" was introduced into psychology by Z. Freud (1925), who divorced a specific fear and an indefinite, unaccountable fear - anxiety, which has a deep, irrational, internal character. In philosophy, a similar distinction was introduced by Kierkegaard and is consistently carried out in philosophy.
Anxiety is an individual psychological feature that manifests itself in a person's tendency to frequent and intense experiences of the state, as well as in a low threshold for its occurrence. It is considered as a personal education and / or as a property of temperament, due to the weakness of nervous processes. The question of the causes of anxiety is open, at present the point of view prevails, according to which anxiety, having a natural basis (properties of the nervous and endocrine systems), develops in vivo as a result of the action of social and personal factors. In preschool and primary school age, anxiety can mainly be generated by internal conflicts, mainly of a self-evaluating nature.

There is a stable anxiety in any sphere - a private “connected” (school, examination, interpersonal, etc.) and general “spilled”, freely changing objects depending on the change in their significance for a person. There is also an adequate anxiety, which is a reflection of a person's ill-being in a particular area, although a specific situation may not contain a threat, and anxiety is inadequate, or anxiety itself in areas of reality that are safe for a person.
Anxiety is an indicator of poor personal development and, in turn, has a negative impact on it. The same influence has the insensitivity to real trouble, "security" arising under the influence of protective mechanisms, primarily repression, and manifested in the absence of anxiety even in potentially threatening situations. Anxiety can be a harbinger of neurosis, as well as its symptom and mechanism of development. It is included as one of the main components in the "post-traumatic syndrome", i.e. a complex of experiences caused by the experienced mental and / or physical trauma. Among other types of mental disorders, phobias, hypochondria, obsessive compulsions and schizophrenia are also associated with anxiety.

Anxiety, as an individual psychological feature, the experience of emotional discomfort associated with the expectation of trouble, a premonition of impending danger.