The Theory of Predatory Imminence: what it is and what it says about anxiety

In today's society there is a tendency to use the term anxiety to describe a negative state, an unpleasant sensation, which affects the life of the individual and is not adaptive.

We are used to hearing about anxiety as a negative state, which affects the functionality of the person, not allowing him to lead a normal life. In diagnostic manuals for psychological disorders such as DSM 5 or ICD 10, anxiety appears as a group of disorders related to different causes that provoke anxiety.

But... Is the feeling of anxiety always maladaptive? Does it always have a negative impact, and can it develop a disorder? In this article we will present the theory of predator imminence.a, which describes a state of anxiety, presented in certain circumstances, which can be functional for the individual, thus avoiding negative consequences.

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What is the Predatory Imminence Theory?

As we have already pointed out previously, we tend to link anxiety with a negative state, which we want to avoid, which does not contribute anything good and only affects our functionality by creating discomfort.

Fanselow and Lester, with their theory of predatory imminence, presented a new vision of anxiety, hinting and demonstrating that it can sometimes become functional for the individual, preventing further damage.

This theory is presented from a biological perspective; the authors describe an evolution of individuals throughout history (phylogenetics), which allows to be able to adapt to the different dangers that have been presented according to the way of life, according to the context. They mention different sensations such as fear, intuition, perception of danger or the aforementioned anxiety, which can help the person, and even prevent death.

The dangers that are presented to us today as a society have varied with respect to those that were presented in previous times. For example, in prehistoric times we were more likely to die from an attack by a lion, whereas today, with the change in our way of life, we are more likely to be robbed on the street. Therefore, for anxiety to be adaptive it has to adapt over time and varies according to the dangers that we are most likely to encounter.

Therefore, taking into account the contribution of Fanselow and Lester, anxiety could be seen, in some occasions, as a marker of future danger, thus allowing the individual to act and avoid problems greater. Anxiety acts as a defensive behavior, being one of the most effective, keeping us alert to possible dangers in the future.

Given the adaptive function that anxiety can have on certain occasions, we should not simply try to make it disappear, eliminate it, but rather the appropriate thing would be to look at what is signaling this feeling of anxiety, because it appears and thus be able to act according to future events that may happen.

It would not be functional not to show anxiety in situations where our life can be threatened. For example, if we want to cross a street, it will not be adaptive to cross without looking if we know that this can lead to being run over. Therefore, in this situation, the anxiety of a possible run over would alert us to the future danger of being run over, making us stop and look for cars to avoid suffering a accident.

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Continuum of predatory imminence

The continuum of predatory imminence was described by Fanselow and Lester as the perception that prey has about the probability of being consumed by a predator. In other words, predatory imminence is directly correlated with the feeling of danger, for For example, a greater predatory imminence would lead to a greater sense of danger to be hunted by the predator.

The authors divide the continuum into phases, observed with the performance of laboratory studies. with rats, results that have been shown to be extrapolated to environmental situations natural.

The continuum will present the predatory imminence, perceived threat level, in a dimensional way. That is, from less to more perceived danger. On the axis of predatory imminence, from low to high, there will be three types of defense phases or defense phase, which will be activated by certain environmental stimuli, showing a manifest defense behavior related to the perceived danger situation. Finally, reference is also made to a psychological construct, linked in the same way to each stage of defense.

At the lowest level of predatory imminence, the change in eating pattern and cautious approach, linked to the pre-encounter defense stage, where the psychological construct or present state is anxiety or worry.

With a higher degree of predatory imminence, we will move on to post-encounter defense, with manifest behaviors such as immobilization, enhancement of reflexes and analgesia (the non-sensation of pain), in this stage of defense, the psychological state shown is the afraid.

Finally, in the last stage of defense, where predatory imminence, the sense of danger is higher, the defense presented would be the circa-strike, related to the state of panic, with manifest behaviors such as outbreak of activities, escape behavior and attack.

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Manifest behaviors according to the level of predatory imminence

At the lowest level of predatory imminence, in the pre-encounter defense state, as the name indicates, the behavior would be activated by the perception of possible danger., that is, in the event of an attack situation not yet present. The feeling will be one of anxiety, with adaptive behaviors of cautious action, trying to reduce risk factors and thus protect your life.

Then in the post-encounter stage, with a sensation of moderate threat, the overt behavior will tend to immobilization, to stay frozen. A state of fear will be displayed upon detection of the threat, although at this point the attack is not yet immediate or safe.

In the highest predatory imminence phase, where the situation of danger is higher, the defense stage will receive the name, as we have already anticipated, the circa strike defense. In this last phase, in which there is already direct contact with the threatening stimulus, the manifest defense behavior is already more active, showing highly variable behaviors, such as biting, jumping or escape behaviors.

As we have pointed out, in the pre-match defense phase, where the feeling of threat or danger is not so high, there is more flexibility in overt behaviors, acting mostly by trial and error. On the other hand, when the danger is already present, in the defense phase circa strike, with a higher level of predatory imminence, it is no longer It will act by trial and error, but pre-programmed behaviors will be carried out, which are known to have a more effective result in the face of danger Present.

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Innate mechanism of action

Given the information presented in the previous section, we will say that in the situation of maximum perception of danger, where there is already direct contact with the threatening stimulus, the activation of the subject's brain mechanisms will be necessary, which instinctively select the innate defensive response that is most adaptive given the situation; It will not be functional to waste time with trial and error tests.

Yes, it has been seen that learning by classical or Pavlovian conditioning can help select what kind of innate response is the most appropriate to certain sets of stimuli environmental

Variables that influence predatory imminence

It has been proven, with the observation of animals in nature, that there are different variables that influence the feeling of predatory imminence; It is multifaceted, such as the spatial distance with the threat stimulus, time, the identity of the threat, etc. But it has been obtained that the psychological perception of how imminent the danger is is one of the variables that most influences the level of predatory imminence, feeling of danger.

Therefore, with this model the authors would demonstrate that the psychological constructs of anxiety, fear and panic (which are generally conceived as sensations unpleasant), on certain occasions, where the danger is likely to appear in the imminent future or is already present, they would be useful to protect the individual and thus survive. They act as markers of threat or danger, activating different appropriate behaviors in the subject., allowing a good adaptation to the situation.

These defense mechanisms initially lead to a lower level of threat and more flexible behaviors, becoming more predetermined and innate as the level of danger perceived in the situation increases, so that the most effective behavior is executed more quickly, protecting the subject.

Answering the questions posed in the introduction, after knowing the questions posed in the theory of predatory imminence, anxiety is not always maladaptive nor does it always have a negative impact on the individual. The authors have verified that in certain situations where the possibility of an attack occurring is real, feeling anxiety, Having a sense of danger or threat is functional, since it makes us alert and allows us to act, avoiding or being prepared for it. danger.