Anxiety as a psychological concept

The concept of “anxiety” was introduced into psychology Z. Freud is now considered by many scholars as a kind of fear. Anxiety is the result of the activity of the imagination, the imagination of the future. Anxiety occurs in humans due to the presence of unfinished situations, blocked activity, which does not allow to discharge the excitement. In this regard, anxiety is perceived as an emotional state of acute internal painful meaningless excitement, which is associated in the mind of the individual with the prediction of failure, danger or expectation of something important, significant for a person in uncertainty.

To better understand the nature of anxiety, let’s look at what it is and what it is not. For example, anxiety can be distinguished from fear in several ways. When you are afraid, your fear is usually directed at a specific external object or situation. The event you are afraid of is usually within your reach. When you feel anxious, on the other hand, you often cannot determine what you are worried about. The focus of anxiety is more internal than external. This is like a foggy, distant or even unrecognized danger. You may be worried about “losing control” of yourself or a situation.

Anxiety affects your whole being. This is a physiological, behavioral and psychological reaction at once. At the physiological level, anxiety can include reactions such as rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, nausea, dry mouth, or sweating. At the behavioral level, it can sabotage your ability to act, express yourself, and cope with certain everyday situations on your own.

As E. writes.Acutely, anxiety is like feeling hungry. A person who is anxious does not perform a certain action and is busy suppressing the growth of aggression, resulting in apathy.

Izard believes that anxiety is not a separate independent phenomenon, but a combination of fear with one or more other emotions: anger, guilt, shame, interest.

Individuals who belong to the category of highly anxious, tend to perceive a threat to their self-esteem and life in a wide range of situations and respond to a very intense state of anxiety.