The 3 main theories of anxiety

Anxiety is a complex phenomenon with psychological and physiological components. It is linked to the visualization of negative events in the future. For example, an anxious subject who is about to play a game of chess will lose before having moved the first piece.

Theories of anxiety are diverse, but they all agree that the individuals who present it feel threatened in some way by everyday and harmless situations.

Current knowledge regarding anxiety theories is constantly advancing. This progress is largely due to the many research studies that have been generated to date and especially those that are still open. Most studies are designed to test and create effective treatment approaches.

• Related article: "Emotional psychology: main theories of emotion"

anxiety theories

Let's look at some of the anxiety theories out there. To a large extent these contributions have focused on the relationship between information processing and emotion.

Despite the fact that a varied number of anxiety theories have been postulated, there are three basic orientations:

• Bioinformational Processing of Images and Affects, by Carl Lange.
• Bower's concept of associative network.
• Beck's concept of schema.

These three theories of anxiety are based on the belief that there are cognitive structures concerning anxiety disorders. Let's analyze its features.

1. Emotion and Image: Bioinformational Processing

For the bioinformational theory, the way in which the information is stored is not relevant, but the types of information stored and the results produced by the activation of such information. It assumes that all the information processed by the human mind is encoded in the brain abstractly and at the same time.

Specifically, the bioinformation theory points out that the basis of thought is based on logical relationships that could be expressed through propositional logic formulations. The propositions are grouped in psychic networks, the networks constitute an associative structure or associative memory of the emotion, which constitutes a kind of "affective program". In the psychological treatment of phobias, generally emotional memory is activated, through a verbal method.

2. Associative network concept (Bower)

Emotions are represented in memory in the form of units or nodes, in the form of an associative network (semantic network). The nodes are related to other types of information: relevant situations to facilitate emotion, visceral reactions, memories of pleasant or unpleasant events, etc.

The activation of an emotional node facilitates accessibility to mood-congruent material (mood congruence hypothesis).

Memorized material is best remembered when there is a match between the conditions in which it was learned. originally and the conditions under which it is intended to be remembered (state-of-remembering hypothesis) cheer up).

Biases operate at different levels of processing: attention, interpretation, and memory. Experimental data tend to indicate that depression is primarily associated with elaboration biases and not memory biases.

• Related article: "How do emotions affect our memories? Gordon Bower's theory"

3. Schema concept (Beck)

Bower and Beck have in common that they both believe that in patients with an anxiety disorder, there must be a dysfunctional cognitive structure that leads them to produce certain biases in all aspects of information processing. They developed her theory thinking more about depression than anxiety.

Thus, for Beck, there is a poorly adaptive cognitive scheme that maintains high anxiety when applied to analyze and interpret reality. However, the reasons why the prevalence is maintained in a certain way is not sufficiently explained.

Therapies associated with this psychological alteration

Some of the most effective therapies for anxiety disorders

1. cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is a general strategy of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Has as purpose modify the way of interpretation and subjective assessment of the subject, through dialogue and maieutics.

• You may be interested in: "Cognitive restructuring: what is this therapeutic strategy like?"

2. exhibition techniques

When the anxious subject is afraid of public speaking, he may skip class to avoid giving a presentation in front of his fellow students. The objective of these techniques is that through repeated and controlled exposures by the therapist, the subject gradually acquires control over anxiety, until it disappears.

3. Systematic desensitization.

Instead of immediately confronting the subject with the feared situation or object, treatment and exposure begin with a situation that is only slightly threatening, in an environment controlled by the therapist, to progress step by step to the aim.

should go to therapy

Going to therapy will always be the best way to overcome anxiety or learn to control it. Science shows that psychotherapy is the best option to help the patient; it gives you relaxation techniques and helps you see situations from a healthy perspective.

Bibliographic references:

• Nuss, P (2015). «Anxiety disorders and GABA neurotransmission: a disturbance of modulation». Neuropsychiatrist Dis Treat 11: 165-75.
• Rapee R. m. Heimberg R.G. (1997). "A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia". Behavior Research and Therapy. 35 (8): 741–56.
• Rosen JB, S. J. (1998). "From normal fear to pathological anxiety". Psychological Review. 105 (2): 325–50.