mjhjmtu

Avoidance model

The avoidance model of worry (AMW) theorizes that worry is a verbal linguistic, thought based activity, which arises as an attempt to inhibit vivid mental imagery and associated somatic and emotional activation.^[5] This inhibition precludes the emotional processing of fear that is theoretically necessary for successful habituation and extinction of feared stimuli.^[6] Worry is reinforced as a coping technique due to the fact that most worries never actually occur, leaving the worrier with a feeling of having successfully controlled the feared situation, without the unpleasant sensations associated with exposure.^[7]

Cognitive model

This model explains pathological worry to be an interaction between involuntary (bottom-up) processes, such as habitual biases in attention and interpretation favoring threat content, and voluntary (top-down) processes, such as attentional control. Emotional processing biases influence the probability of threat representations into the awareness as intruding negative or positive thoughts. At a pre-conscious level, these processes influence the competition among mental representations in which some correspond to the assertive power of worry with impaired cognitive process and others to the preventive power of worry with attentional control or exhaustive vigilance. The biases determine threatening degree and nature of worry content the worrier attempts to resolve the perceived threat and the redirection of anticipations, responses and coping in such situations.^[8]

There are some who respond to mental representations in an uncertain or ambiguous state in regard to the stressful or upsetting event.^[9] In this state the worrier is held in a perpetual state of worry. This is because availability of an overwhelming number(maybe 2 or 3, depending upon the worry-prone individual) of possibilities of outcomes which can be generated, it puts the worrier in a threatening crisis and they focus their attentional control voluntarily on the potential negative outcomes, whereas others engage in a constructive problem solving manner and in a benign approach rather than to engage with heightened anticipation on the possible negative outcome.^[10]

Philosophical perspectives

Greek thinkers such as stoic philosopher Epictetus and Seneca advised against worry. Albert Ellis, the inventor of cognitive behavioural therapy, was inspired by the Stoics’ therapeutic ideas.^[11]

Religious perspectives

Guido Reni's 17th-century painting of John the Baptist depicts anguish and worry.

The biblical word used in Hebrew for worry (Hebrew: דָּאַג‎, daag) regards worry as a combined form of fear and sorrow which affects nephesh, the totality of our being. The bible takes a fortitude-strengthening approach regarding worrying e.g. Psalm 94:

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul. ^[12]

In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew encourages:

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ... So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. ^[13]

St. Paul writes to the Philippian church, "There is no need to worry" ^[14] and in the pastoral epistles, 2 Timothy 1:7 emboldens:

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Similarly James 1:2-4 motivates to face trials of any kind with joy, because they produce endurance (strength and courage). Further Saint Peter reveals his understanding of healthy living in Second Peter 1:3,5-7:

We have a sure hope ... this is a cause of great joy for us. ^[15]

A late Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba stated that worry is caused by desires and can be overcome through detachment:

Worry is the product of feverish imagination working under the stimulus of desires ... (It) is a necessary resultant of attachment to the past or to the anticipated future, and it always persists in some form or other until the mind is completely detached from everything. ^[16]

Management

Worry system is activated from exposure of a potential triggering event, traumatic experience or vulnerability, this brings worrisome thoughts and feelings which bring about physical stress reactions and response to avoid worrisome behavior, to ensure allostasis. But under the crisis this activity feeds back into the first worrisome thoughts and feelings which generates and strengthens the vicious worry cycle. Relaxation, risk assessment, worry exposure and behavior prevention have been proven effective in curbing the excessive worry, a chief feature of generalized anxiety disorder.^[17] Cognitive behavioral techniques hasn't branched out enough to address the problem holistically but therapy can control or diminish worry.^[18]

See also

References

External links

• Current theoretical models of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Conceptual review and treatment implications

Look up worry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: worry