A Phenomenological Perspective of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

“Determination is a key component of self-regulation, enabling individuals to persist in goal pursuit despite obstacles and setbacks.” — Deci & Ryan, (2000).

Generalized Anxiety through Self-Determination Theory

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) disrupts lives with pervasive worry, chronic tension, and psychological distress (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). From a phenomenological perspective, the lived experience of GAD often includes feelings of vulnerability, helplessness, and diminished agency (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Zhang, 2024). Self-determination theory (SDT) offers a framework for understanding what individuals with GAD experience by exploring the balance of the primary psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). This theory suggests that when these basic needs are hindered, individuals may experience heightened vulnerability to anxiety and internal conflict, which are characteristic of the diagnosis (Ryan & Deci, 2017; APA, 2022).

An SDT Perspective on Personality Structure and Processes Underlying GAD

From the literature in this field of study, personality structure encompasses enduring psychological components such as beliefs, affective styles, and motivational systems (Cervone & Pervin, 2023). For individuals with GAD, structural elements may include chronically negative self-evaluations and heightened sensitivity to threats (Cervone & Pervin; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024). These psychological dispositions may also emerge when autonomy is compromised and external standards dominate internal motivation (Cervone & Pervin; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024). This perspective is further theorized beyond these components into an ongoing cycle of psychological integration and differentiation (Cervone & Pervin, 2023). The internal conflict between behavior driven by internal pressures such as guilt or fear and the underlying self can unbalance the drive for congruence with psychological needs and desire for personal authority (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Zhang, 2024). SDT further informs this foundation of the personality process through the momentary dynamics of affect, cognition, and motivation (Cervone & Pervin, 2023). Building upon this, GAD can be interpreted from the process dimension of personality by disrupting the rhythm of these needs and motives (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). SDT highlights the process of internalization, where extrinsic motivations are transformed into upheld values (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Individuals with GAD frequently struggle to take on external stresses productively, which leads to chronic rumination and worry (APA, 2022; Zhang, 2024). This diagnosis displays this persistent activation of controlled motivation, where actions stem from internalized pressures like remorse and concern rather than personal choice (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024). This can generate a conflicted internal experience where action lacks meaning, and anxiety develops as the presiding emotional condition that has been observed in clinical research (Zhang, 2024). Phenomenologically, this can create a fragmented experience of self, where autonomy and the sense of competence are undermined (Cervone & Pervin; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024).

Developmental and Clinical Implications of GAD from the SDT Viewpoint

From a dimensional personality perspective, GAD symptomologies reflect indicators of arrested growth and development (APA, 2022; Zhang, 2024; Cervone & Pervin, 2023). SDT emphasizes movement toward greater independence and psychological coherence for psychological well-being (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). GAD symptoms, in contrast, may stall personality development by sustaining maladaptive coping mechanisms (Zhang, 2024). Instead of forming a coherent, self-determined identity beneficial to mental wellness, the clinical criterion of GAD denotes internalized maladaptive beliefs shaped by environments that undervalue autonomy and intrinsic goals (APA, 2022; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024). Culturally, this may be intensified by a societal emphasis on extrinsic success, reducing opportunities for the authentic development of self (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Therapeutically, fostering intrinsic motivation and facilitating environments supportive of autonomy and competence can reignite this developmental momentum (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Psychopathology and therapeutic change within SDT emphasize restoring essential psychological needs satisfaction (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). It is suggested that change arises not solely from symptom management but from fostering environments that support intrinsic motivation and goals congruent with the sense of self (Koestner et al., 2002; Peng et al., 2024; Zhang, 2024). Accordingly, therapeutic efforts from the SDT theory of personality perspective may encourage enduring improvement by reorienting individuals in treatment toward greater autonomy and internal coherence (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Koestner et al., 2002; Peng et al., 2024; Zhang, 2024).

Closing Thoughts

SDT provides a compelling alternative viewpoint for further understanding GAD. Under this framework, the focus shifts from symptomology to need satisfaction and the experiential structure of self (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2017). In doing so, SDT offers unique insight into therapeutic pathways and sustainable change for symptomologies (Koestner et al., 2002; Peng et al., 2024; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Zhang, 2024). Future discussions will explore trait-oriented and biological approaches to explain GAD's development, maintenance, and treatment.

I invite readers to join this deepening of understanding

References:

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR).

Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2023). Personality: Theory and research (15th ed.). Wiley.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Koestner, R., Lekes, N., Powers, T. A., & Chicoine, E. (2002). Attaining personal goals: Self-concordance plus implementation intentions equals success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(1), 231–244.

https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.1.231

Peng, Y., Wang, Y., Peng, Z., Liao, X., Gong, K., Qin, C., Tian, M., Cheng, X., Zhou, X., Deng, J., Chen, Y., Feng, S., Zhang, M., Liu, K., Xiang, B., Lei, W., & Chen, J. (2024). The Association Between Causality Orientation and Internet Gaming Disorder, and the Role of Sensation Seeking, Anxiety, and Depression. Psychiatry Investigation, 21(11), 1268–1278.

https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2024.0122

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.

Zhang, Z. (2024). A comprehensive overview on the generalized anxiety disorder – etiology and treatment. SHS Web of Conferences, 193, 03008. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202419303008