Psychological features of the anxiety manifestation in children of different ages

Abstract

The presented material reveals the essence and main theories of the origin of anxiety based on the material of theoretical and applied research. The explanation of the causes of anxiety occurs within the analysis of system-historical, system-structural, system-functional and psychoanalytical approaches. It is emphasized that the main reason for the ambiguity and semantic heterogeneity of the concept of anxiety is that it is used to denote interrelated, but still different concepts. A certain arrangement was achieved by distinguishing two components of this phenomenon: anxiety as a mental state and anxiety as a personality property. Anxiety, as a mental state, is used to describe a method of mental reflection, which is not expressed in external objective actions, but in the activation of the central link of the analyzer and its subcortical structures, the independent significance of which is determined by the assessment of the usefulness or danger of the received information. In most modern studies, anxiety is interpreted as an individual-psychological property that reflects the potential tendency of an individual to evaluate various situations, including neutral ones, as those that hide a threat. It has been established that childhood is especially vulnerable to the formation of anxiety, since the basic foundation of mental health is formed during this period. The prerequisites and causes of children anxiety of different ages are considered. It is noted that these reasons present at the social level (communication disorders), psychological level (false ideas about one's self-image, inadequate level of harassment, conflicted self-esteem) and psychophysiological level (peculiarities of the functioning of the central nervous system). The work emphasizes that each child has its own optimal level of anxiety, the so-called useful anxiety, which is a necessary condition for personality development.

Key words: anxiety, negative consequences, causes, personality, child, preschool, school, youth.