Negative emotions: FEAR and ANXIETY

We talk a lot about emotions, but what exactly are emotions? Emotions are psychophysiological, cognitive and behavioral responses produced before an internal external event. These reactions are involuntary and of biological origin. Emotions are the internal engine that pushes us to live, or rather to survive, since the main function of emotions is to ensure our survival. The part of the brain responsible for producing these reactions is the limbic system.

Each emotion is different, but we can differentiate two main types of emotions: positive and negative emotions. Emotions are divided into positive and negative according to whether they feel pleasant or unpleasant. However, all emotions are necessary and the most important thing is to listen to them and know how to understand them, something that is not so easy with emotions considered negative. Therefore, in this Psychology-Online article, we will focus on some negative emotions: fear and anxiety. In this article you will find out what negative emotions are, what they are and how they are controlled.

Index

1. What are negative emotions
2. What are negative emotions
3. The fear
4. The anxiety
5. How to control negative emotions

First of all, it is necessary to clarify that the division between positive and negative emotions it is a popular classification and that the correct thing is to speak of adaptive and maladaptive emotions. It is important to know that no good or bad emotionsRather, all emotions are first and foremost necessary for survival. Emotions work like compasses guiding us towards what is best for us or our survival. Therefore, all emotions can help us adapt to the situations and needs of each moment. All emotions, also those considered negative emotions, consist of a survival mechanism. Each emotion has its function and it is essential to listen to the emotion and understand it.

Once the topic of negative and positive emotions has been introduced, we are going to see what negative emotions are. The considered negative emotions are the ones that produce an unpleasant sensation or negative feeling. Why do they give us an unpleasant sensation? To indicate that the situation we are facing has any danger, risk or challenge for us and invites us to have a behavior adapted to the needs of the situation. For example, if we are facing a difficult exam and we feel fear, it is totally normal, adaptive and good for us, because in this way we know that we are facing a complicated situation, which is a challenge. Fear makes us more prudent and cautious, that we are alert to details. This will translate into our behavior making us give the exam the importance it deserves, dedicate more time to study and be very attentive during the exam.

Among the considered negative emotions there are basic or primary emotions and secondary or complex emotions.

The considered basic negative emotions are sadness, disgust, fear and anger. On the other hand, the considered secondary negative emotions or negative feelings are:

• Loneliness
• Despair
• Culpability
• Indifference
• Apathy
• Empty
• Melancholia
• Shame
• Repentance
• Disappointment
• Aversion
• Humiliation
• Rejection
• Unsafety
• Anxiety
• Ridiculous
• Terror
• Burden
• Futility
• Insufficiency
• Worry
• Frustration
• Aggressiveness
• Hate
• Distrust
• Fury
• Hostility
• Rage
• Resentment
• Jealousy
• Pain

As we have seen, one of the considered negative emotions is fear. Next, we will delve into what fear is, what types of fear are there according to Rachman, what is what triggers fear and how to overcome fear if it is not an adequate reaction to fear situation.

Definition of fear

Fear in psychology It is one of the considered negative emotions. What is fear? Fear is a basic and universal emotion essential to ensure our survival that is activated by a stimulus that poses a danger. The fear consists of a signal that warns of an approaching danger or challenge, a complex situation or something that can cause physical or psychological harm.

Types of fear

Canadian psychologist Stanley Rachman distinguishes between acute fear and chronic fear. Also, fear can be adaptive or maladaptive.

• The sharp fear it is triggered by tangible stimuli and diminishes when the trigger disappears or is avoided. For example, being afraid when you see a snake.
• The chronic fear it is more complex in terms of the situations that trigger it, it may or may not be associated with tangible sources. For example, the fear of being alone.
• The adaptive or functional fear It is the one that adjusts to the stimulus that causes it. It is considered useful. For example, the fear you feel when you are on the edge of a cliff causes you to move away and not be in danger of falling.
• The maladaptive or dysfunctional fear It is the one that does not adjust to the stimulus that causes it. It is considered harmful. For example, fear of heights prevents you from taking airplanes, elevators, going out to the terrace of a raised floor.

What causes fear?

The main triggers for fear are the perception of harm or danger, both physical and psychological. In addition, through the conditioning process, originally neutral stimuli, which are repeatedly associated with signals of real damage, end up producing an emotional response of fear as well. That is, although these stimuli objectively lack danger, they become new triggers of fear specific to each person. It may be that this process is adaptive and useful for survival, however, on occasions, it produces fearful reactions to situations without real or significant danger, giving rise to phobias (irrational and persistent fears).

According to the American psychologist Richard Lazarus, when faced with an event, what we do is analyze it and categorize it as a threat or not a threat to us. If we have categorized it as a threat, we proceed to assess whether we have the necessary coping strategies to face what the situation requires. If we believe not having the necessary resources to face a threat, the situation makes us afraid.

Another factor that influences is to make an assessment in which it is estimated to have a low capacity for control and future prediction of the situation. That is, you feel the emotion of fear when you believe not being able to control or predict what will happen.

Effects and symptoms of fear

Fear is one of the most intense and unpleasant emotions that exist. The subjective effects of fear are apprehension, restlessness, and discomfort. Its main characteristic is the feeling of nervous tension and worry for one's own safety or health, usually accompanied by a feeling of loss of control.

The physiological effects of fear are as follows:

• Incrise of cardiac frecuency
• Increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure
• Increased cardiac contractile force
• Reduced blood volume and peripheral temperature (this causes the pale and coldness of the typical "freezing cold" fear reaction)
• Increased muscle tension
• Increased respiratory rate (artificial and irregular respiration)
• Stiff feeling

Next we will delve into what anxiety is, the types of anxiety and the effects and symptoms of anxiety.

Definition of anxiety

Anxiety is one of the considered negative emotions. What is anxiety? The definition of anxiety it's a agitated and restless state, similar to that produced by fear, but lacking a specific triggering stimulus, although it is sometimes associated with specific stimuli, as is the case with social anxiety. The distinction between anxiety and fear is that the fear reaction occurs in the face of danger real and the reaction is proportionate to it, whereas the anxiety is disproportionately intense. Also, no dangerous stimuli are physically present.

Anxiety can lead to psychopathological disorders called anxiety disorders, As the generalized anxiety disorder or phobias. These are related to an excessive and inappropriate fear reaction. Anxiety is the reaction that produces the largest number of mental, behavioral and psychophysiological disorders.

Types of anxiety

Two types of anxiety reactions are distinguished:

• The specific anxiety: it is triggered by a specific stimulus that may be real or symbolic, but is neither present nor imminent.
• The nonspecific anxiety: it is not associated with specific stimuli.

What Causes Anxiety?

The origin of anxiety depends on multiple factors that are related to each other. The main factors are:

• The personality. Depending on personality traits, a person may have a greater or lesser predisposition to anxiety.
• Receive an over-protective educational style.
• Live traumatic events or unpleasant experiences.
• See traumatic events or unpleasant experiences lived by other people.

Triggers of anxiety are not stimuli that can directly harm the person, but are learned reactions threat, and are determined by personal characteristics. Therefore, anxiety originates and is maintained, to a large extent, by the effect of learning. According to psychologist Stanley Rachman, expectations of danger can be generated through three different learning processes:

• Classical conditioning: When a neutral stimulus is associated with a stimulus that generates fear, the neutral stimulus can end up generating anxiety.
• Observational learning: when you observe other people and learn from their behavior and the events that happen to them.
• Transmission of information that contributes to the appearance of expectations of danger.

For anxiety to originate, situations have to be valued as very important to the physical and mental well-being of the person and contrary to the goals that the person. They are also valued as difficult to deal with, since they depend on something external. It is also appreciated that in this situation, a certain degree of urgency is necessary to act.

In the case of pathological anxiety, the mere memory of unpleasant situations or simply thinking about the future with a certain fear, are typical triggers for these reactions.

Effects and symptoms of anxiety

The subjective effects and symptoms of anxiety are: tension, nervousness, malaise, worry, apprehension and it can even lead to feelings of dread or panic, difficulties in maintaining attention and concentration, together with intrusive thoughts.

Regarding the physiological activity of anxiety, the physiological effects are similar to those produced by fear, although less intense. Anxiety also produces pupillary dilation and increased sweating. There is also a significant increased adrenal activity, which increases the secretion of adrenaline and norepinephrine and reduces the levels of catecholamines. It also increases the secretion of carbohydrates and lipids into the bloodstream.

All these changes in physiological activity can be so marked that they cause the person to perceive them, that is, it can produce sensations such as rapid heartbeat, dizziness, flushing, stomach tension, or sweating. The perception of such physiological alterations in turn becomes a trigger for the anxiety itself.

Finally, fear and anxiety can lead to panic attacks, which are extreme conditions of blockage accompanied by hyperventilation, tremors, dizziness and tachycardias, as well as highly catastrophic feelings and total loss of control of the situation.

Faced with any type of emotion, and especially with negative emotions and feelings, what is necessary is learn to manage them. Namely, accept them, listen to them and take advantage of the information they offer. What does not help with emotional management is repressing or denying emotions. In this article we focus on what are considered negative emotions: fear and anxiety.

How to overcome maladaptive fear

Fear is a normal, healthy and necessary emotion that warns us of danger. Fear motivates us to escape or fight, this response tries to promote the protection of the person. The problem comes when that fear is not appropriate to the situation or danger. That kind of fear is called maladaptive or dysfunctional. In these cases, the danger is not real and the situation does not require a fight or flight response. Therefore, the body has a reaction that does not help us, but quite the opposite: it complicates our lives. In these cases, how to overcome fear?

1. First of all, we must understand that the body reacts in response to the perception of danger in a situation. Therefore, it will be necessary to evaluate and restructure these thoughts and cognitions in this regard.
2. Second, we must learn Relaxation and breathing techniques that help to lower the excessive activation of the organism.
3. Third, we must face the situation. Through cognitive behavioral therapy techniques Directed by a psychology professional, we will get used to it and reduce the reaction to the feared stimulus. The most effective techniques for overcoming maladaptive fear are systematic exposure and desensitization.

It should be taken into account that fear is the most relevant emotional reaction in the procedures of negative reinforcement and facilitates the learning of new responses that divert the person from the danger. Therefore, when we avoid stimuli that produce dysfunctional fear, what we do is reinforce the fear. That is, we are reminding the body that this is dangerous and each time the fear response is greater.

It should also be taken into account that, in the fear response, the organism responds by mobilizing a large amount of energy to execute the response much more intensively than under conditions normal. However, if the reaction becomes excessive, the efficiency decreases, since the relationship between activation and yield maintains the inverted U shape.

How to control pathological anxiety

Anxiety is a state of hypervigilance that allows an exhaustive exploration of the environment as threatening information is amplified and irrelevant information is neglected. The problem comes when the anxiety is disproportionate and is no longer useful to cope with the situation. When anxiety complicates the performance of daily activities that were previously carried out normally, we are surely facing an anxiety disorder. In these cases, it is essential to learn to manage anxiety correctly. How to control anxiety?

1. First of all, we must understand that the body reacts in response to the perception of danger in a situation. Therefore, it will be necessary to have the origin of the anxiety evaluated.
2. Secondly, the factors detected as predisposing (certain personality traits, certain educational style), triggers (events, situations, thoughts) or maintainers (actions that reinforce the anxiety).
3. Third, using techniques such as cognitive restructuring, exposure, systematic desensitization, and relaxation techniques Directed by a professional psychologist, anxiety is reduced. Specifically, it is possible to increase tolerance to uncertainty, get used to anxiety symptoms, change automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs, and so on.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Negative emotions: fear and anxiety, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.

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