Anxiety

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John, a 32-year-old complains of generalized anxiety. According to Sadock, Sadock, and Ruiz (2015), this is a condition characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry concerning day-to-day life events. Having been diagnosed with generalized anxiety, John often exhibits the habit of expecting disaster and cannot stop worrying about work, family, money, or health. In most cases, the worry depicted by people suffering from generalized anxiety is often impractical or unrealistic. The daily life of John involves a constant state of dread, fear, and worry. Borrowing from Sullivan’s viewpoint this essay explains the origin and the defense against the general anxiety that John experiences.

The origin of the generalized anxiety

Sullivan, an American psychiatrist, acknowledged that generalized anxiety arises from conflicts between the human environment and individuals (Sadock, Sadock & Ruiz, 2015). For example, John was brought up by a loving mother and a critical father; therefore, this kind of conflict potentially affects the personality development within an individual. John endured trauma while in his younger years, it is this exposure that increased the risks of developing the condition. Therefore, the diagnosis of John concerning generalized anxiety is likely to have resulted from the combination of biological and environmental factors. To support this argument, Sullivan believed that there are higher chances that the blend of environmental factors and stress contributes to the expression of genes in individuals with the vulnerability of developing generalized anxiety (Chapman, 1976). The origin...