The anxiety and reactivity to social changes at today teenagers
By Mariana Popa, Roxana Fugaretu-Urea.
1 Jul, 2007
The social society dynamic put the pressure on the person at her adaptative capacities, at the way that he makes personal relationships, at the way that how he achieves information. In this process, are involved the personality structures, which determine, based on the current evaluation of the situation, specific ways to behave.
The anxiety generates imaginative products that can't be ignored and can't be eliminate and which become dominate to the person. The anxiety persons are always in alert, have the unpleasant sensation of weakness in the dangers that they feel to take place.
Spilberger, in 1966, in ''Anxiety and behavior'', has talk about anxiety like a construct of personality, her antecedents and constant aspects; when he talk about the anxiety as a feature of personality, he had in mid the predisposition of a person towards anxiety, predisposition who has influences the way that he react to stress.
In Spilberger' book, we can see the Cattel conception of anxiety. He made the assumption that the anxiety came from the deprivation, from the menace of an anticipate satisfaction, when the menace doesn't carry on a cognitive certainty.
From other expert's point of view, Spilberger make the difference between anxiety like a feature of personality, and anxiety like a state (the anxiety that can be shown in a specific moment of life).
The consequences of anxiety, usually, are negative, but are influenced by the situation's demands. Sometime, these consequences have some benefits, in improving the performance and also in achievement new patterns for a better social adaptation.
The anxiousness answers can be, of course, adaptative one or neadaptative one. Those answers that are related to the stimulating situations, associated with danger, are adaptative one; and the answers that are nit related with danger, are considerate neadaptative.
So, based on these elements and approaches of anxiety, shortly presented, were take in consideration in our research regarding the influences of anxiety to the reactivity to social changes at today teenagers.
Our research was made at 260 teenagers form different Bucharest high schools, 36,8% male and 62,2 % female. The central objective of our research to determine whom the anxiety put the finger on the capacity of reaction to the social changes at the teenagers that were investigated.
The particular objectives of our research were: reveal the level ant the characteristics of anxiety to teenagers; reveal the type of self-security to the same teenagers; reveal the type of reactivity to social changes to the same teenagers.
During our research we wanted to verify the next hypothesis: we presume that, anxiety as a feature of personality makes specific influences at the capacity of reactivity to social changes of teenargers.
Our research, developed by few stages, made possible to use specific psychological methods of investigation: Cattel questionnaire of anxiety, Questionnaire of self-security, and Questionnaire of reactivity to social changes. - The last two adapted to Rumanian teenagers population by Ph. D. Fugăreţu- Urea Roxana
We will present our results, in details for each aspect of our research that had been in take in consideration.
The characteristics of anxiety
During our investigation we have had in consideration to the global level
Of anxiety at the teenargers that we had investigated and the characteristics of the five factors that are included in the Cattel questionnaire of anxiety: C factor- the force of self, the L factor- paranoia tendency, the O factor- the inclination for self accusation, the Q3 factor- the development of self conscience, the Q4 factor- the ergic tension.
The results regarding the characteristics of anxiety at the teenargers that were investigated are revealing in table n.1.
Table n.1. - The components of anxiety
| Nr. Crt | The characteristics that are investigate | Mean |
| 1 | Factor C | 6,64 |
| 2 | Factor L | 6,33 |
| 3 | Factor O | 5,60 |
| 4. | Factor Q3 | 6,61 |
| 5 | Factor Q4 | 5,76 |
|
| Global level of anxiety at the teenagers group | 6,188 |
Based on the data show in the table nr.1 we can see that the factor C has the high value, and it is follow by factor Q3, by factor L, by factor Q4 and by factor O.
The profile of anxiety at the group of the investigated teenagers is presented in figure n.1
Figure n.1 -The profile of anxiety at the investigated teenagers.
This profile says that our investigated teenagers have middle level of anxiety.
For seeing who of the components of anxiety determine the specific of the anxiety profile, we have considered four level of analysis of those: low, medium, high, very high. The date resulted is shown in table nr.2.
Table nr.2 - The variation of anxiety characteristics
| Nr. crt | The investigate characteristics of anxiety | Level of characteristics of anxiety | |||
| Low | Medium | High | Very high | ||
| 1 | Factor C | 8 | 70 | 122 | 60 |
| 3,08 % | 26,92 % | 46,92 % | 23,08% | ||
| 2 | Factor L | 14 | 94 | 119 | 32 |
| 5,38 % | 36,15 % | 45,77 % | 12,31 % | ||
| 3 | Factor O | 23 | 93 | 123 | 21 |
| 8,85 % | 35,77 % | 47,31 % | 8,07 % | ||
| 4 | Factor Q3 | 6 | 44 | 192 | 18 |
| 2,31 % | 16,92 % | 73,85 % | 6,92 % | ||
| 5 | Factor Q4 | 25 | 78 | 126 | 31 |
| 9,62 % | 30 % | 48,46 % | 11,92 % | ||
The data permit us to see that:
The force of self- factor C, is: 3,08% at low level, 26, 92% at medium level, 46, 92% la un high level, 23% at very high level;
Paranoia tendency - factor L, is: at low level at 5,38% of our investigated teenagers, at medium level at 36, 15%, at high level at 45, 77% of our subjects, at very high level at 12,31% of our subjects
Inclination for self accusation - factor O, is: at low level at 8,85% of our subjects, at medium level at 36,77% of our subjects, at high level 47,31% of our subjects, at very high level 8,07% of our subjects;
The development of self conscience - factor Q 3 is: at low level at 2,31% of our subjects, at medium level at 16,92% of our subjects, at high level at 73,85% of our subjects, at very high level at 8,07% of our subjects;
The ergic tension - factor Q 4 is: at low level at 9,62% of our subjects, at medium level at 30% of our subjects, at high level at 48,46% of our subjects, at very high level at 11, 92% of our subjects.
The variation of anxiety components at our teenagers investigated is shown in figure n.2.
Figure nr. 2 - The dynamic of anxiety components at investigated teenagers.
The dynamic of components of anxiety reveal that at the factor Q3- development of self-conscience is include a significant percentage from our investigated teenagers, and these determine, on a global view, that our group of teenagers has middle level of anxiety. (correlated r= 0,78, p =0,01)
In other words, the fact that the teenagers are in plain process of development of self- conscience, like expression of growing up, determine a specific level of anxiety, a high level of stress based on the double status which the teenagers are confronted ( the alternate situational between the child and adult status)
The characteristics of self-security
Self- security is a concept connected to the development of self confidence and it belong to H. Erickson. This concept signifies the attitude of confidence in his own forces like expression of the capacity of dealing with the life difficulties.
The needs of security determine the fear of change, which involve a high level of stress and a high level of anxiety.
In our research we have considerate that self -security is characterize thorough the next psychological variables: the personal security, the self-knowing capacity, the capacity of taking decisions, the autonomy level. Based on those variables we made a typology of self- security with three distinctive types:
Type A- the person who need personal security is the person who feel that is threat and he expose himself to annihilate the fear, and also to be sure of his personal values. This thing means only that he minimizes his inferiority complex.
Type B- the insecure person has a constant fear who increase the need for self - security. He miss for a "supreme court" for protection and who can take care that nothing bad happen and punish the persons or the things responsible for happening the bad.
Type C- the realistic person who want to achieve. He is the person for whom the knowledge is the real power, the real self -security He is able to take measure when his own security is thereat. He has a lot of personal relationships that can contribute to increase his self - security.
We investigated also, at our teenagers, the specific of self- security. The date are synthesized in table n.3.
Table n.3 - The typology of self- security
| Type of self- security | Number of subject | % |
| Type A- self - security | 65 | 25 |
| Type B- self - security | 59 | 22,69 |
| Type C- self - security | 136 | 52,31 |
We can see from the date's table n. 3 that the dominant type at self-security is the realistic one, who want to achieve more, to get more knowledge.
This situation doesn't raise more questions, because reflects the period of time that the teenagers are crossing. This period of time is mark by a huge urge of knowledge, by the need to be someone, and also by knowing themselves, by founding the capacities that they possess.
Our date base allowed us a statistical process and we found some correlation between the typology of self- security and the characteristic of anxiety at our investigated teenagers:
The investigated subjects who have on self- security the type A also have: inclination for self accusation at a very high level ( r=0,77, p=0,01), ergic tension at a very high level ( r= 0,71, p=0,05), paranoia tendency at a very high level (r=0,69, p=0,01), development of self conscience at a low level (r =0,.78, la un p=0,01), the force of self at a low level (r=0,66, p=0,01);
The investigated subjects who have on self- security the type B also have: inclination for self accusation at a high level ( r=0,70, p=0,01), ergic tension at a high level (un r= 0,62, p=0,01), paranoia tendency at a high level (r=0,68, p=0,01), development of self conscience at a medium level (r =0,.74, la un p=0,01), the force of self at a medium level (r=0,66, p=0,01);
The investigated subjects care who have on self- security the types C also have : inclination for self accusation at medium level ( r=0,72, p=0,01), ergic tension at medium level (r= 0,75, p=0,05), paranoia tendency at a medium level (r=0,61, p=0,01), development of self conscience at high level (r =0.77, la un p=0,01), the force of self at high level (r=0,65, p=0,01);
3. The characteristics of reactivity to social changes
Social changes involve passing on from one state of stability to another, passing that is make on the ground of person of self- security.
In our research, we have considerate that the reactivity to social changes is characterized thorough the next psychological variables:: social flexibility, the capacity of taking social decisions, the adaptability level, and the social mobility. Based on those variables we made a typology of reactivity to social changes with three distinctive types:
Type A- The traditional person. He is the type of person who doesn't like the changes. He adopts precise rules, rules that give him security. He makes an entire set of rules which burden his life
Type B-The realist person. He is the type of person that likes the changes even are painful one. He makes all the justified changes, but he doesn't desperate want the change. The new is coming like a continuum cope to current situation, a situation that is in a continuum change.
Type C- The free spirit person. He is the type of persons that he really likes the changes, and doesn't care about tradition. He doesn't have in mind long-term relationships. On the professional level, he needs constantly to change something and he always search for the lost independence.
We wanted to reveal at our teenagers the types of reactivity to social changes and we synthesized the data in table n.4.
Table n.4 - The typology of reactivity to social changes
| Nr. Crt | Type of reactivity to social changes | Number of subjects | % |
| 1 | Type A- reactivity to social changes | 68 | 26,15 |
| 2 | Type B- reactivity to social changes | 62 | 23,85 |
| 3 | Type C- reactivity to social changes | 130 | 50 |
We can notice that in our investigated teenagers group, regarding the reactivity to social changes that the free spirit person type is dominated, and it is follow by the traditional type.
This kind of situation is determined by the fact that the teenager is crossing from childhood to adulthood. This crossing involve the dealing with a higher level of freedom then childhood and with the same way of reaction to the responsibilities like in childhood, in one hand, and in the other hand, his way to react to social changes is an expression of the daily stressing situation from day to day (in teenargers case the situation from day to day involves e situation
It is important that we can remark that the level of reactivity to social changes is related to the fact what kind of change is brought in discussion. If the change is related with intense personal relationship or to situation with deep impact at psychological level , 65 % of our investigated teenagers react in a traditional way. But, if we are taking about other kind of situations, the teenagers react in a free spirit way (18, 2%). Per ensemble, the teenagers have a few intense personal relationships.
We will see in figure nr.3 the variation of types of self- security and the variation of reactivity to social changes at our investigated teenagers.
Figure n.3 - The variation of types of self- security and the variation of reactivity to social changes at our investigated teenagers.
Our date base allowed us a statistical process and we found some correlation between the typology of reactivity to social changes and the characteristic of anxiety at our investigated teenagers:
The subjects who have on reactivity to social changes the type A also have : au inclination for self accusation at a very high level ( r=0,73, p=0,01), ergic tension at a very high level ( r= 0,71, p=0,05), paranoia tendency at a very high level (r=0,68, p=0,01), development of self conscience at a low level (r =0,67, la un p=0,01), the force of self at a low level (r=0,69, p=0,01);
The investigated subjects who have on reactivity to social changes the type B also have: inclination for self accusation at a high level ( r=0,77, p=0,01), ergic tension at a high level (un r= 0,60, p=0,01), paranoia tendency at a high level (r=0,63, p=0,01), development of self conscience at a medium level (r =0,72, la un p=0,01), the force of self at a medium level (r=0,68, p=0,01);
The investigated subjects care who have on reactivity to social changes the types C also have : inclination for self accusation at medium level ( r=0,74, p=0,01), ergic tension at medium level (r= 0,75, p=0,05), paranoia tendency at a medium level (r=0,64, p=0,01), development of self conscience at high level (r =0,71, la un p=0,01), the force of self at high level (r=0,67, p=0,01);
We can see that the types of reactivity to social changes are direct correlated to the types of self- security. In other words, the manner who and what level is structured the self- security at teenagers, determine the manner who and what level is the type of reactivity to social changes.
In conclusion, we can say that on teenagers, the anxiety, especially through his components: development of self-conscience and the force of self, put his finger, in different way, on the type of reactivity to social changes.
* Lecturer Ph.D, Bucharest University
# Senior Lecturer Ph.D, Bucharest University



