Feeling anxious when there is a risk, danger, or threat is healthy. We become anxious to be able to deal with these situations. The problem arises when the anxiety episodes are not due to a real threat.
Last update: April 22, 2019
Nowadays the word anxiety has taken on a rather negative connotation. However, it should not be seen as a positive or negative stage as such, but more simply as a survival mechanism proper to the human condition. If we did not feel anxious when faced with a real danger, we would not be able to better prepare ourselves to face it. It is important, however, to make a distinction between pathological and adaptive anxiety.
This emotion works as a kind of alarm signal, activating when you perceive the presence of something potentially harmful. This activation allows us to face flight or struggle. The fundamental role of anxiety is therefore to protect us and preserve our integrity and our life. In these cases we speak of adaptive anxiety.
A different situation occurs when there is no real threat, but the anxiety is triggered by an imaginary or imprecise danger. That's when the problems arise. You may experience severe anxiety discharges when faced with an insignificant or even non-existent stimulus. In these cases, the stage tends to prolong and become very intense. This is pathological anxiety.
“Anxiety cannot be avoided, but steps can be taken to reduce it. When it comes to managing anxiety, the simple question: you have to lower it to normal levels so that it acts as a stimulus to increase self-perception, attention and the will to live. "
-Rollo May-
Let's see what are the aspects that change between pathological anxiety and adaptive anxiety.
Differences between pathological and adaptive anxiety
1. Intensity
Intensity is one of the factors that determine the difference between adaptive anxiety and pathological anxiety. In the first case, the intensity is proportional to the value we give to the potential damage of the stimulus in front of us.
If we are faced with a free lion, our activation level is likely to rise to a thousand. If we face a routine exam or if we get stuck in traffic, the intensity is likely to be lower.
In reverse, in the case of pathological anxiety the intensity tends to be very high: there is a great distance between the degree of real threat that the stimulus implies and what the person perceives. Thus, crossing a street can become a source of terror, as can looking out of the window of a tall building, even if it is closed.
2. Frequency, a factor that makes the difference
Another element that makes the difference is the frequency. When we talk about adaptive anxiety, the episodes present themselves in front of a concrete stimulus that deserves our concern, which doesn't happen very often. Several days can go by without facing a serious threat.
In the case of pathological anxiety, however, the episodes are frequent, to the point of causing various negative consequences in the person's life.
In the most extreme cases it appears continuously. Dangers are seen everywhere; if the person is at home, he fears that there may be an earthquake at any time; if she is on the street, she is afraid of being robbed or hit by a car.
3. Level of reaction
The level of reaction in adaptive anxiety is what one would expect from an average person. Run if you need to protect yourself from a falling object, hide if you see a thug or an attacking animal. Reactions common to any person.
In the case of pathological anxiety the reactions are disproportionate. The person loses control and acts erratically, even if there is no obvious danger. This is the case of those who wash 500 times a day for fear of catching a disease.
4. Duration
Another important element is the length of the episodes. In adaptive anxiety, episodes have a limited duration. They appear when faced with a risk or danger and end when the stimulus disappears or is controlled.
In the case of the pathological one, the stages have a prolonged duration. Anxiety never goes away completely, but instead creates a sort of emotional echo that is maintained over time. When the person loses control, it is not easy to regain it.
5. Depth
Suffering exists in adaptive anxiety, but it is transient and reaches a certain point. In general, it fades and leaves no trace in everyday life. After the fright has passed, the person resumes his activities without problems.
In pathological anxiety the degree of suffering is much higher. The anxiety experienced is profound and leaves a visible imprint on the person's life. The episode experienced begins to affect the development of his life.
Linked to this point, we recall another very important element. Pathological anxiety is linked to an "anticipatory element", or what a person feels when faced with the expectation that a negative stimulus experienced in the past will come back. This is why it is never quiet.
As we have seen, adaptive anxiety is a perfectly reasonable reaction that occurs in situations that activate our survival mechanisms. On the contrary, the pathological one is a stage made up of strong irrational components and which requires the intervention of a professional.
