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Anxiety

A marble bust of the Roman Emperor Decius from the Capitoline Museum. This portrait "conveys an impression of anxiety and weariness, as of a man shouldering heavy [state] responsibilities."[1]
MeSH	D001007

Anxiety (also called angst or worry) is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.^[2] It is the displeasing feeling of fear and concern.^[3] The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, and dread.^[4] Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor. It may help an individual to deal with a demanding situation by prompting them to cope with it. When anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder.^[5]

Description[link]

A job applicant with a worried facial expression

Anxiety is a generalized mood that can occur without an identifiable triggering stimulus. As such, it is distinguished from fear, which is an appropriate cognitive and emotional response to a perceived threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is related to situations perceived as uncontrollable or unavoidable.^[6] Another view defines anxiety as "a future-oriented mood state in which one is ready or prepared to attempt to cope with upcoming negative events,"^[7] suggesting that it is a distinction between future and present dangers which divides anxiety and fear. In a 2011 review of the literature,^[8] fear and anxiety were said to be differentiated in four domains: (1) duration of emotional experience, (2) temporal focus, (3) specificity of the threat, and (4) motivated direction. Fear was defined as short lived, present focused, geared towards a specific threat, and facilitating escape from threat; while anxiety was defined as long acting, future focused, broadly focused towards a diffuse threat, and promoting caution while approaching a potential threat.

Anxiety takes several forms: phobia, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic stress.^[9]. The physical effects of anxiety may include heart palpitations, tachycardia, muscle weakness and tension, fatigue, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, stomach aches, or tension headaches. As the body prepares to deal with a threat, blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, blood flow to the major muscle groups are increased, while immune and digestive functions are inhibited (the fight or flight response). External signs of anxiety may include pallor, sweating, trembling, and pupillary dilation. Someone who has anxiety might also experience it subjectively as a sense of dread or panic.^{[citation needed]}

Although panic attacks are not experienced by every person who has anxiety, they are a common symptom. Panic attacks usually come without warning and although the fear is generally irrational, the subjective perception of danger is very real. A person experiencing a panic attack will often feel as if he or she is about to die or lose consciousness. Between panic attacks, people with panic disorder tend to suffer from anticipated anxiety- a fear of having a panic attack may lead to the development of phobias.^[10] Anxiety is the most common mental illness in America as approximately 40 million adults are affected by it.^[11]

The emotional effects of anxiety may include "feelings of apprehension or dread, trouble concentrating, feeling tense or jumpy, anticipating the worst, irritability, restlessness, watching (and waiting) for signs (and occurrences) of danger, and, feeling like your mind's gone blank"^[12] as well as "nightmares/bad dreams, obsessions about sensations, deja vu, a trapped in your mind feeling, and feeling like everything is scary."^[13]

The cognitive effects of anxiety may include thoughts about suspected dangers, such as fear of dying. "You may... fear that the chest pains are a deadly heart attack or that the shooting pains in your head are the result of a tumor or aneurysm. You feel an intense fear when you think of dying, or you may think of it more often than normal, or can’t get it out of your mind."^[14]

Nervous habits such as biting fingernails

The behavioral effects of anxiety may include withdrawal from situations which have provoked anxiety in the past.^[15] Anxiety can also be experienced in ways which include changes in sleeping patterns, nervous habits, and increased motor tension like foot tapping.^[15]

Symptoms[link]

The symptoms of anxiety include excessive and ongoing worry and tension, an unrealistic view of problems, restlessness or a feeling of being "edgy", irritability, muscle tension, headaches,sweating, difficulty concentrating, nausea, the need to go to the bathroom frequently, tiredness, trouble falling or staying asleep, trembling, and being easily startled.^[16]

Causes[link]

An evolutionary psychology explanation is that increased anxiety serves the purpose of increased vigilance regarding potential threats in the environment as well as increased tendency to take proactive actions regarding such possible threats. This may cause false positive reactions but an individual suffering from anxiety may also avoid real threats. This may explain why anxious people are less likely to die due to accidents.^[17]

The psychologist David H. Barlow of Boston University conducted a study that showed three common characteristics of people suffering from chronic anxiety, which he characterized as "a generalized biological vulnerability," "a generalized psychological vulnerability," and "a specific psychological vulnerability."^[18] While chemical issues in the brain that result in anxiety (especially resulting from genetics) are well documented, this study highlights an additional environmental factor that may result from being raised by parents suffering from chronic anxiety themselves.

Research upon adolescents who as infants had been highly apprehensive, vigilant, and fearful finds that their nucleus accumbens is more sensitive than that in other people when selecting to make an action that determined whether they received a reward.^[19] This suggests a link between circuits responsible for fear and also reward in anxious people. As researchers note, "a sense of ‘responsibility,’ or self agency, in a context of uncertainty (probabilistic outcomes) drives the neural system underlying appetitive motivation (i.e., nucleus accumbens) more strongly in temperamentally inhibited than noninhibited adolescents."^[19]

Neural circuitry involving the amygdala and hippocampus is thought to underlie anxiety.^[20] When people are confronted with unpleasant and potentially harmful stimuli such as foul odors or tastes, PET-scans show increased bloodflow in the amygdala.^[21][22] In these studies, the participants also reported moderate anxiety. This might indicate that anxiety is a protective mechanism designed to prevent the organism from engaging in potentially harmful behaviors.

Although single genes have little effect on complex traits and interact heavily both between themselves and with the external factors, research is underway to unravel possible molecular mechanisms underlying anxiety and comorbid conditions. One candidate gene with polymorphisms that influence anxiety is PLXNA2.^[23]

Varieties[link]

In medicine[link]

Anxiety can be a symptom of an underlying health issue such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, or heart arrythmia.^[24]

Abnormal and pathological anxiety or fear may itself be a medical condition falling under the blanket term "anxiety disorder". Such conditions came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century^[25] and current psychiatric diagnostic criteria recognize several specific forms of the disorder. Recent surveys have found that as many as 18% of Americans may be affected by one or more of them.^[26]

Standardized screening tools such as Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Scale) can be used to detect anxiety symptoms and suggest the need for a formal diagnostic assessment of anxiety disorder.^[27] The HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Scale) measures the severity of a patient's anxiety, based on 14 parameters, including anxious mood, tension, fears, insomnia, somatic complaints and behavior at the interview.^[28]

Existential anxiety[link]

The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, in The Concept of Anxiety, described anxiety or dread associated with the "dizziness of freedom" and suggested the possibility for positive resolution of anxiety through the self-conscious exercise of responsibility and choosing. In Art and Artist (1932), the psychologist Otto Rank wrote that the psychological trauma of birth was the pre-eminent human symbol of existential anxiety and encompasses the creative person's simultaneous fear of – and desire for – separation, individuation and differentiation.

The theologian Paul Tillich characterized existential anxiety^[29] as "the state in which a being is aware of its possible nonbeing" and he listed three categories for the nonbeing and resulting anxiety: ontic (fate and death), moral (guilt and condemnation), and spiritual (emptiness and meaninglessness). According to Tillich, the last of these three types of existential anxiety, i.e. spiritual anxiety, is predominant in modern times while the others were predominant in earlier periods. Tillich argues that this anxiety can be accepted as part of the human condition or it can be resisted but with negative consequences. In its pathological form, spiritual anxiety may tend to "drive the person toward the creation of certitude in systems of meaning which are supported by tradition and authority" even though such "undoubted certitude is not built on the rock of reality".

According to Viktor Frankl, the author of Man's Search for Meaning, when a person is faced with extreme mortal dangers, the most basic of all human wishes is to find a meaning of life to combat the "trauma of nonbeing" as death is near.

Test and performance anxiety[link]

According to Yerkes-Dodson law, an optimal level of arousal is necessary to best complete a task such as an exam, performance, or competitive event. However, when the anxiety or level of arousal exceeds that optimum, the result is a decline in performance.

Test anxiety is the uneasiness, apprehension, or nervousness felt by students who had a fear of failing an exam. Students who have test anxiety may experience any of the following: the association of grades with personal worth; fear of embarrassment by a teacher; fear of alienation from parents or friends; time pressures; or feeling a loss of control. Sweating, dizziness, headaches, racing heartbeats, nausea, fidgeting, and drumming on a desk are all common. Because test anxiety hinges on fear of negative evaluation, debate exists as to whether test anxiety is itself a unique anxiety disorder or whether it is a specific type of social phobia.

While the term "test anxiety" refers specifically to students, many workers share the same experience with regard to their career or profession. The fear of failing at a task and being negatively evaluated for failure can have a similarly negative effect on the adult.

Stranger and social anxiety[link]

Anxiety when meeting or interacting with unknown people is a common stage of development in young people. For others, it may persist into adulthood and become social anxiety or social phobia. "Stranger anxiety" in small children is not considered a phobia. In adults, an excessive fear of other people is not a developmentally common stage; it is called social anxiety. According to Cutting,^[30] social phobics do not fear the crowd but the fact that they may be judged negatively.

Social anxiety varies in degree and severity. Whilst for some people it is characterized by experiencing discomfort or awkwardness during physical social contact (e.g. embracing, shaking hands, etc.), while in other cases it can lead to a fear of interacting with unfamiliar people altogether. There can be a tendency among those suffering from this condition to restrict their lifestyles to accommodate the anxiety, minimizing social interaction whenever possible. Social anxiety also forms a core aspect of certain personality disorders, including Avoidant Personality Disorder.^{[citation needed]}

Generalized anxiety[link]

Overwhelming anxiety, if not treated early, can consequently become a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which can be identified by symptoms of exaggerated and excessive worry, chronic anxiety, and constant, irrational thoughts. The anxious thoughts and feelings felt while suffering from GAD are difficult to control and can cause serious mental anguish that interferes with normal, daily functioning.^[31]

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) includes specific criteria for diagnosing generalized anxiety disorder. The DSM-IV states that a patient must experience chronic anxiety and excessive worry, almost daily, for at least 6 months due to a number of stressors (such as work or school) and experience three or more defined symptoms, including, “restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep).”^[32]

If symptoms of chronic anxiety are not addressed and treated in adolescence then the risk of developing an anxiety disorder in adulthood increases significantly.^[33] “Clinical worry is also associated with risk of comorbidity with other anxiety disorders and depression” which is why immediate treatment is so important.^[33]

Generalized anxiety disorder can be treated through specialized therapies aimed at changing thinking patterns and in turn reducing anxiety-producing behaviors. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) can be used to successfully treat GAD with positive effects lasting 12 months after treatment.^[34] There are also other treatment plans that should be discussed with a knowledgeable health care practitioner, which can be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy to greatly reduce the disabling symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.

Trait anxiety[link]

Anxiety can be either a short term 'state' or a long term "trait." Trait anxiety reflects a stable tendency to respond with state anxiety in the anticipation of threatening situations.^[35] It is closely related to the personality trait of neuroticism. Such anxiety may be conscious or unconscious.^[36]

Choice or decision anxiety[link]

Anxiety induced by the need to choose between similar options is increasingly being recognized as a problem for individuals and for organisations:^[37][38]

"Today we’re all faced with greater choice, more competition and less time to consider our options or seek out the right advice."^[39]

Paradoxical anxiety[link]

Paradoxical anxiety is anxiety arising from use of methods or techniques which are normally used to reduce anxiety. This includes relaxation or meditation techniques^[40] as well as use of certain medications.^[41] In some Buddhist meditation literature, this effect is described as something which arises naturally and should be turned toward and mindfully explored in order to gain insight into the nature of emotion, and more profoundly, the nature of self.^[42]

Positive psychology[link]

In Positive psychology, anxiety is described as the mental state that results from a difficult challenge for which the subject has insufficient coping skills.^[43]

v t e Emotions (list) Emotions Adoration Affection Agony Awe Amusement Anger Anguish Annoyance Anxiety Arousal Attraction Caring Compassion Contempt Contentment Defeat Dejection Depression Desire Despair Disappointment Disgust Ecstasy Embarrassment Empathy Enthrallment Enthusiasm Envy Euphoria Excitement Fear Frustration Grief Guilt Happiness Hatred Homesickness Hope Horror Hostility Humiliation Hysteria Infatuation Insecurity Insult Interest Irritation Isolation Jealousy Loneliness Longing Love Lust Melancholy Neglect Optimism Panic Passion Pity Pleasure Pride Rage Regret Rejection Remorse Resentment Sadness Sentimentality Shame Shock Sorrow Spite Suffering Surprise Sympathy Tenseness Thrill Revenge Wonder Worry Diligence Zest Worldviews Compatibilism Existentialism Fatalism Incompatibilism Metaphysics Nihilism Optimism Pessimism Reclusion Social justice Weltschmerz Source: Parrott, W. (2001), Emotions in Social Psychology, Psychology Press, Philadelphia.

See also[link]

External links[link]

• Anxiety at the Open Directory Project
• Social Anxiety at the Open Directory Project

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Anxiety

Look up anxiety in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Listen to this article (info/dl)

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References[link]

Wasted Penguinz
The Wasted Penguinz perfoming at Intents Festival in June, 2011
Background information
Origin	Helsingborg, Sweden
Genres	Hard Dance Hardstyle
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Bazz Implant Records Scantraxx (2010–2012)
Website	www.wastedpenguinz.com

The Wasted Penguinz are a Hardstyle duo from Helsingborg, Sweden, consisting of Pontus Bergman & Jon Brandt-Cederhäll. They began producing together in 2006, after meeting each other on a message board and originally being rivals.

Originally producing Eurodance, the two decided to switch to producing Hardstyle in 2008. After two successful releases on Bazz Implant Records in 2008,^[1] the Wasted Penguinz were signed to major Dutch label Scantraxx in the summer of 2010.^[2] Their first Scantraxx release was on June 18, 2010. This release contained two tracks, "I'm Free" and "Anxiety", and was released on Scantraxx Silver.^[3] Their second release on Scantraxx Silver was in October 2010, containing the tracks "Hate Mondayz" and "Resistance".

All the tracks on both of their first two Scantraxx releases reached the "Hardstyle Top 100 of 2010" list from Fear.fm, the largest radio station devoted to harder styles of dance music. "Resistance" reached position 11, "Anxiety" reached position 23, "I'm Free" at 37, and finally "Hate Mondayz" at position 49.^[4] They also won the "Best New Face" award from Fear.fm.^[5] Fear.fm interviewed Pontus & Jon, who revealed that they were in contact with Scantraxx since December 2009, and it was only made official in the summer of 2010.^[6]

The image created around their music is centred around consuming large amounts of beer, with their motto/tagline being "Get Wasted N' Do It". The Wasted Penguinz' YouTube account is used to upload previews, as well as videos of drinking contests & drinking games.^[7]

In 2011, they were booked for three major Dutch festivals in the summer: Intents Festival in Oisterwijk,^[8] Defqon.1 in Biddinghuizen^[9] and Q-Base.^[10] The summer saw many new releases from the duo, all of which were released on Scantraxx.

In May 2012, the duo left Scantraxx as stated by "Wasted Penguinz Official Fan Page" on Facebook. It is not known yet if Wasted Penguinz are with a new record label company.

Releases[link]

(white labels are not listed)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wasted Penguinz Website
• Wasted Penguinz at Discogs

Charles Frazier Stanley (born September 25, 1932) is the senior pastor of megachurch First Baptist in northern Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries. Dr. Stanley also served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1984 to 1986. Dr. Stanley has an evangelical, fundamentalist,^[1] dispensationalist^[2] theology.

Biography[link]

Stanley was born in Dry Fork, Virginia, just nine months before his father died. Stanley grew up in rural Dry Fork in the outskirts of Danville. At the age of 12, Charles became a born-again Christian, and at age 14, began his life's work in Christian ministry. Stanley received his bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond. He later obtained his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth, Texas. Lastly, he received his Masters and Doctorate, both in theology – Th.M. and Th.D., respectively – from Luther Rice Seminary, in Florida (which later relocated to Lilburn GA).

Stanley joined the staff of First Baptist Church of Atlanta in 1969 and became senior pastor in 1971. As a young pastor, he was given the motivational book, Think and Grow Rich. Stanley writes "I began to apply the principles of that book to my endeavors as a pastor, and I discovered they worked!" Stanley also wrote "For years, I read Think and Grow Rich every year to remind myself that the truth of God is not just for one career field. It is for all manner of work and ministry." ^[3] In 1972, Stanley launched a half-hour religious television program called The Chapel Hour. The Christian Broadcasting Network began televising this show in 1978. In 1982, Stanley founded In Touch Ministries, and its radio broadcasts began to be syndicated. During the 1980s, the ministry's broadcasts were available in nearly every major American media market, usually on Sundays. In 2006, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley could be heard in 107 languages. Currently, it airs in more than 50 languages worldwide. In the United States, "In Touch" is broadcast on approximately 500 radio stations, 300 television stations and several satellite networks including The Inspiration Network (INSP) and Trinity Broadcasting Network. Dr. Stanley's sermons are also available on the In Touch Web site and are downloadable in the form of podcasts, along with other video and audio programming. In Touch also produces a free monthly magazine called the In Touch magazine.

Stanley's writings and broadcasts address issues such as finances, parenting, personal crises, emotional matters, relationships and Protestant Christianity. According to the ministry Web site, "Dr. Stanley fervently believes the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God, a belief strongly reflected in his teaching."^[4]

In 2005, Dr. Stanley invited Lisa Ryan to co-host a question-and-answer segment called "Bring It Home," which aired after the sermon and advertisements. The Q&A segment was intended to help the audience better grasp the content of the sermon through the use of questions the average listener might ask. The segment was discontinued in late 2006 and replaced by Dr. Stanley alone. In early 2007, Dr. Stanley began using the final segment of the "In Touch" TV and radio programs to teach on his "30 Life Principles." Related materials and teaching are available online through InTouch.org's "Life Principles Center."^[5]

In addition to his work in Christian ministry, Dr. Stanley is an avid photographer. Much of his photographic work is featured in the In Touch magazine, as well as in other materials printed by the ministry (such as the In Touch wall and desk calendars).^{[4][6][broken citation]}

Family[link]

Dr. Charles Stanley's divorce^[7] from his wife Anna in 2000 after several years of separation caused a minor controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention, a matter which was complicated by reports that Stanley had said he would resign as pastor if he was divorced. At the time, he did not believe his separation would result in divorce; however, when it did, the FBA members overwhelmingly voted to keep him on as pastor. According to church bylaws, Dr. Stanley will remain eligible to be pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta as long as he does not remarry. Dr. Charles Stanley's son Andy Stanley is the pastor of North Point Community Church in nearby Alpharetta, Georgia.

Stanley's wife of more than 40 years, Anna J. Stanley, originally filed for divorce on June 22, 1993, following their separation in the Spring of 1992; but, the two of them agreed Anna would amend the lawsuit to seek a legal separation instead ("separate maintenance"), while seeking reconciliation. She again filed for divorce on March 20, 1995. The Moody Radio Network station in Atlanta (then WAFS-AM) took Stanley's daily broadcast off the air during that time, as managers concluded there was no sign of reconciliation.

Bibliography[link]

• 1985: How to Listen to God ISBN 0-8407-9041-4
• 1986: How to Keep Your Kids on Your Team ISBN 0-7852-7351-4
• 1995: The Love of God ISBN 1-56476-532-6
• 1999: A Touch of His Power: Meditations on God's Awesome Power ISBN 0-310-21492-0
• 2000: Handle With Prayer ISBN 0-89693-963-9
• 2000: Success God's Way ISBN 0-7852-6590-2
• 2001: A Gift of Love: Reflections for the Tender Heart ISBN 0-7852-6618-6
• 2002: Eternal Security ISBN 0-7852-6417-5
• 2002: Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure? ISBN 0-7852-6417-5
• 2002: Finding Peace: God's Promise of a Life Free from Regret, Anxiety, and Fear ISBN 0-7852-7297-6
• 2002: How to Handle Adversity ISBN 0-7852-6418-3
• 2002: Success God's Way: Achieving True Contentment and Purpose ISBN 0-7852-6590-2
• 2002: The Gift of Forgiveness ISBN 0-7852-6415-9
• 2002: Walking Wisely: Real Guidance for Life's Journey ISBN 0-7852-7298-4
• 2002: Winning the War Within ISBN 0-7852-6416-7
• 2003: God is in Control ISBN 0-8499-5739-7
• 2005: Charles Stanley's Life Principles ISBN 1-4185-0572-2
• 2005: Into His Presence: An In Touch Devotional ISBN 0-7852-8013-8
• 2005: Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit ISBN 0-7852-6512-0
• 2005: Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit ISBN 0-7852-6512-0
• 2005: Living the Extraordinary Life : 9 Principles to Discover It ISBN 0-7852-6611-9
• 2005: Our Unmet Needs ISBN 0-7852-7796-X
• 2005: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible ISBN 0-7852-5677-6
• 2005: The Source of My Strength ISBN 0-7852-0569-1
• 2006: Discover Your Destiny: God Has More Than You Can Ask or Imagine ISBN 0-7852-6369-1
• 2006: Pathways to His Presence: A Daily Devotional ISBN 0-7852-2163-8
• 2006: When the Enemy Strikes : The Keys to Winning Your Spiritual Battles ISBN 0-7852-8788-4
• 2007: Landmines in the Path of the Believer: Avoiding the Hidden Dangers ISBN 1-4002-0090-3
• 2008: In Step with God: Understanding His Ways and Plans for Your Life ISBN 1-4002-0091-1
• 2008: Stuck in Reverse: Break Free From Fear and Disbelief and Enjoy the Good Things God Has for You ISBN 1-4002-0094-6
• 2008: The Power of God's Love: A 31 Day Devotional to Encounter the Father's Greatest Gift ISBN 1-4002-0093-8
• 2008: When Your Children Hurt ISBN 1-4002-0098-9
• 2009: How to Reach Your Full Potential for God ISBN 978-1-4002-0092-4

Television[link]

See Also[link]

• Southern Baptist Convention
• Southern Baptist Convention Presidents
• List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people

External links[link]

• In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanleys Biography
• Beliefnet - Interview with Charles Stanley
• First Baptist Atlanta
• The 30 "Life Principles" developed by Charles F. Stanley to help people live life at its best.

Notes[link]