Abnormal Psychology

256 CHAPTER 7

likely to have GAD or depression, which suggests a common underlying genetic vul-

nerability (Gorwood, 2004; Kendler et al., 2007).

Psychological Factors: Hypervigilance

and the Illusion of Control

Psychological factors that contribute to GAD generally involve three characteristic

modes of thinking and behaving: being particularly alert for possible threats, feeling

that the worrying is out of control, and sensing that the worrying prevents panic.

1. People with GAD pay a lot of attention to stimuli in their environment, searching
   for possible threats. This heightened search for threats is called hypervigilance.


2. People with GAD typically feel that their worries are out of control and that
   they can’t stop or alter the pattern of their thoughts, no matter what they do.


3. The mere act of worrying prevents anxiety from becoming panic (Craske,
   1999), and thus the act of worrying is negatively reinforcing (Borkovec, 1994a;
   Borkovec et al., 1999). The worrying does not help the individual cope with
   the problem at hand, but it does give him or her the illusion of coping, which
   temporarily decreases anxiety about the perceived threat. Some people think
   that if they worry, they are actively addressing a problem. But they are not—
   worrying is not the same thing as effective problem solving; the original con-
   cern isn’t reduced by the worrying and it remains a problem, along with the
   additional problem of chronic worrying.

Social Factors: Stressors

Stressful life events, such as a death in the family, friction in a close relationship, or

trouble on the job, can trigger symptoms of GAD in someone who is neurologically

and psychologically vulnerable to developing it. For people who develop GAD after

age 40, the disorder often arises after a signifi cant stressor occurs.

GAD also appears to be related more directly to relationships. In one interesting

study, researchers found that college students with GAD rated themselves as having

more severe global relationship problems (often being too compliant and deferential

to others) than did college students in a control group. However, when friends of

the students with GAD and friends of the control participants were asked to rate the

severity of relationship problems of the participants in the study, the ratings did not

differ for the GAD and control participants (Eng & Heimberg, 2006). This means

that the GAD students felt that they had problems with relationships, but people

close to them didn’t see it that way. People with GAD may experience increased stress

if they view themselves as having serious problems in relationships. Increased stress,

in turn, can lead to distress and negative emotions that can be diffi cult to manage

and regulate (Mennin, Turk et al., 2004).

FEEDBACK LOOPS IN ACTION:

Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Stressful life experiences (typically social factors) can trigger the onset of GAD, but

most people who experience stressful periods in their lives—even extreme stress—

never develop this disorder. Moreover, people who do develop GAD often report that

they were afraid and avoidant as children (American Psychiatric Association, 2000),

which may be explained by abnormal neurological or physiological (perhaps hor-

monal) functioning. However, such abnormal functioning in childhood could arise

from genes, might develop in childhood because of early life experiences, or could be

caused by some combination of the two. To develop GAD, a person probably must

experience three factors (see Figure 7.3): abnormal neurological functioning (which

may refl ect abnormal levels of GABA or another neurotransmitter), learning certain

kinds of worry-related behaviors such as hypervigilance for threats, and undergoing

a highly stressful event or set of events such as a death in the family. Any one of these

alone—and probably any two of these—will not cause GAD.

A construction forewoman talks with a member of

her crew. People who have GAD may be hypervigi-

lant for possible threats in their environment, for

example, constantly scanning the boss’s face

for possible signs of displeasure.

Dana White/Photo Edit

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Hypervigilance

A heightened search for threats.