Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry (생물정신의학)

The Korean Society of Biological Psychiatry (대한생물정신의학회)
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The Evolutionary Psychological Aspects of Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders

진화심리학적 관점에서의 불안 및 불안장애

  • Oh, Kang Seob (Department of Psychiatry, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine)
  • 오강섭 (성균관대학교 의과대학 강북삼성병원 정신과학교실)
  • Received : 2017.01.02
  • Accepted : 2017.03.15
  • Published : 2017.05.31
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Abstract

Anxiety is one of the basic human emotions. From the evolutionary psychology point of view, it is a necessary factor for survival and prosperity of human beings that had been developed throughout time with the history of human survival and development. Anxiety plays the role of protecting one from social or physical threats. In reality, lacking of anxiety showed lots of examples of maladjustments. But the result of over-adjustment, which is overanxious disorder, is definitely disturbing one's survival and growth, and it can lead to anxiety disorder that needs to be treated. Anxiety from the evolutionary psychology point of view, started as a primary adjustment form and it evolves into various types of anxiety disorders that relates to the modern society's characters. Therefore, having the grasp of evolutionary psychology, which can be the base of treating anxiety and anxiety disorders, is very important. So from now on, studies for this aspect would need to be done as integrated and multidisciplinary studies not only by psychiatrists, but by including epidemiologists, psychologists, ecologists, biologists, and neuropsychologists. In this article, the author tried to review and explore the idea of anxiety and anxiety disorders from the evolutionary psychology point of view.

Keywords

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