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Worry: Mechanisms and Modulating Influences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Frank Tallis and
Michael W. Eysenck
Frank Tallis
Affiliation:
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London
Michael W. Eysenck
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London
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Abstract

A new model of worry is presented, differing from previous work in which worry was set within a broader theory of anxiety. It is proposed that threat is initially evaluated in terms of imminence, likelihood, and cost set against perceived self-efficacy; this evaluation can produce worry as a relatively automatic response. Worry serves the functions of alarm, prompt, and preparation; in terms of processes, it leads to an unfocused attentional style, sensitivity to emotional information, and arousal (which produces self-absorption). Threat (and worry) are maintained if there are elevated evidence requirements or inappropriate problem solving. The therapeutic implications of the model are discussed briefly.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , January 1994, pp. 37 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1994

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