Discuss the special characteristics of anxiety and how they are experienced in t
ID: 3493123 • Letter: D
Question
Discuss the special characteristics of anxiety and how they are experienced in the emergency services. What is an existential threat and what are common ways emergency responders are confronted with them? How have public safety groups constructed a culture that offers psychological protection against existential threats? What are the strengths and limitations to the death denial strategies of public safety culture? Discuss the difference between normal and neurotic anxiety. What kinds of behaviors do you see when someone is gripped with anxiety following a critical incident?
Explanation / Answer
There may be varied kind of impact of anxiety that people may showcase. However, some common ones are physiological symptoms like increased heartbeat, perspiring, palpitations, bodyaches, fidgetiness, etc. In case of emergency servies such as fire extinguishing, anxiety may be experienced by workers since the risk involvement in the job is high. A threat to life is perpetually a part of emergency services which is why the employees may experience more anxiety than others. Existential threat is that of non-existence. As a human race, we have an understanding of death as an inevitable means, however it is a perceived threat and imagining a world without the existence of self is seen as a potential threat across cultures. Common ways in which emergency responders are confronted with them could be at work sights where they may end up witnessing death right in front of them. For instance, evacuation teams at the time of calamities may put their own lives at risk while saving other lives. Public safety groups have created a culture that offers psychological protection against existential threats since they are a means to moral and emotional support to one another, providing the necessary sense of affiliation at the time of risk. Anxiety is a resulting response to anything that threatens our sense of freedom. Anything that is considered as valuable for an individual and has an associated fear of it's loss may lead to 'normal anxiety'. Day to day activities like facing a group of people could be cause of anxiety for people who confront it. Neurotic anxiety however, contains intense feelings of guilt associated with it. Psychological stagnation and giving up on own navigation of life occurs in case of neurotic anxiety.