THE PHENOMENON OF ANXIETY: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC PERSPECTIVES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/psy-visnyk/2024.1.7Keywords:
anxiety, semantic analysis, emotional instability, social isolation, multidimensionalityAbstract
The article analyzes the semantic diversity and psychological perception of the term “anxiety”, identifies subjective ideas about anxiety and the objective multidimensionality of this state. The information presented in the article indicates that today in scientific research there is a terminological vagueness of the term "anxiety". It is noted that the definition of the concept of "anxiety" may have different meanings and interpretations in different contexts and for different people. The study of the image of anxiety was carried out in the context of the narrative approach using the example of a subjective personified image. The analysis of the obtained results allowed to draw some generalizing conclusions. It has been established that the understanding of anxiety, which can be called classical (expectation of threat, danger for the organism and personality; feeling of uncertainty, misunderstanding of the source of this threat) was not fully reflected among the obtained subjective descriptions. During the study, a discrepancy was revealed between the external manifestations of a person (behavior, appearance) and his/her inner experiences (emotional instability, tension). At the same time, it was found that the state of anxiety is accompanied by low stress resistance, impulsiveness, self-doubt, social anxiety; the influence of anxiety on various spheres of human functioning is observed – emotional, behavioral, social, psychosomatic; focuses on the chronic, prolonged nature of the anxious state, which prevents a person from realizing his potential. It is noted that anxiety exists at several levels: individual psychological – emotional instability, insecurity, isolation, perception of the world as a threat; behavioral – avoidance of contacts, isolation, emotional disorders in communication; social – lack of support from the environment, hostility, criticism; interpersonal – lack of mutual understanding and "dialogue" between the individual and society. The study of the semantic content of the term "anxiety" will make it possible to better understand this spectrum of meanings and connotations and further use it in the system of psychocorrectional practice.
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