Generalised Anxiety Disorder: A Cognitive Explanation of Phobias (DP IB Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Claire Neeson
Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson
What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
A cognitive explanation of phobias involves considering how irrational thought processes and cognitive distortions shape the responses of the phobic person to the phobic stimulus
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) may involve the following behaviours (according to the DSM-5):
Excessive anxiety and worry (known as apprehensive expectation) which has been present for for at least six months
This anxiety may be focused on a range of events or activities in the sufferer’s life e.g. attending school, a work project, taking an exam
The sufferer finds it difficult to control the anxiety
Restlessness, feeling ‘on edge’
Fatigue i.e. ‘tired all the time’ syndrome
Irritability
Inability to concentrate
Sleeplessness
The anxiety causes great distress to the sufferer and interferes with their daily functioning e.g. absence from work, reduced social contact, reduction in once-pleasurable activities
The ‘generalised’ aspect of GAD refers to the fact that there is no single specific cause or reason for the anxiety; the sufferer’s anxiety is focused on a range of different issues for different reasons
Some celebrities who have GAD include Prince Harry, Kendall Jenner, Selina Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande and Jonah Hill
Generalised Anxiety Disorder as an explanation of phobias
GAD shares some key features in common with the descriptions of phobias e.g. excessive fear of heart attacks, of becoming ill, of being rejected by others
GAD can produce panic in sufferers which is also associated with a phobic response to adverse stimulus
Excessive and uncontrollable worry surrounding the phobic stimulus e.g. ‘If I leave the house I might get hit by a car’ is a central element of GAD: this may give rise to comorbidity i.e. someone who suffers from both GAD and a specific phobia
Worry and anxiety are not unusual behaviours and may actually be necessary (they direct attention to what is important and what requires action); it is when the worry grows out of proportion to the implied or imagined threat that it may be diagnosed as an anxiety disorder such as a phobia
Evaluation of Generalised Anxiety Disorder as an explanation of phobias
Strengths
The clear crossover between GAD and phobias means that the phobic person’s symptoms should register as evidence of an anxiety disorder with their clinician rather than being dismissed as ‘hysteria’ (which is how some disorders were negatively labelled in the past)
There are well-established treatments for anxiety disorders e.g. CBT which are led by trained therapists who are able to guide the sufferer away from their irrational thoughts and towards more positive thought processes
Weaknesses
The fact that GAD and phobias share similar features makes it difficult to distinguish between the two (e.g. does the patient have GAD or a specific phobia?) which means that targeted treatment for phobias (e.g. systematic desensitisation) may not be prescribed by the clinician
GAD does not get to the heart of what phobias are, how they function and why phobias affect some people and not others so it cannot offer a very comprehensive account of this type of anxiety disorder
Which studies investigate a cognitive explanation of phobias?
DiNardo (1998) - linked excessive worry to anxiety as an explanation of phobias
Barrera & Norton (2009) - quality of life is negatively impacted by GAD, social phobia and panic disorder
Examiner Tip
GAD is not a comprehensive, full explanation of phobias so make sure that you acknowledge this in your exam response. GAD outlines the features and effects of living with extreme anxiety and this can be linked to some extent to the experience of people with phobias but it is not per se an explanation of phobias alone.
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