Respiratory, autonomic and emotional responses to affect manipulation in high and low trait anxiety

Investigations concerned with the autonomic characteristics of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) patients indicate the influence of parasympathetic nervous system activity on heart rate is unresolved. As a result, the use of parasympathetic measures in GAD research may be of value. The functional physiology of respiration was reviewed and the importance of calibration procedures associated with respiratory inductive plethysmography for measuring respiratory mode excursions relative to volume changes was detailed. Findings from studies investigating involuntary respiratory changes indicate links exist between anxiety and fear states, personality predispositions and respiratory mode contribution differences. Specifically, rapid, shallow (thoracic (TH)) breathing may be associated with trait-anxiety. The conceptual framework of reversal theory is increasingly being used to explain the dynamics of emotion, stress and anxiety related behaviour. Experimental evidence demonstrates that telic dominance is associated with trait-anxiety. The process of inhibited reversal was used to explain how chronic anxiety could develop in telic dominant individuals.