Anxieties Faced During Examinations - Essay Example

Types of Anxieties Faced by Learners during Examinations Lecturer Types of Anxieties Faced by Learners during Examinations The essayseeks to outline and discuss the types of anxiety learners may face during examination. But, what exactly is Anxiety? It would be useful to first understand exactly what anxiety is and also why learners may develop anxiety during an examination. This essay gives the definition of anxiety and the different types of anxieties learners face during examination. The term anxiety is a derivative word from Latin which means distressed or worried. Individuals with Anxiety disorders are not the only ones who can suffer from this disorder. Anyone can have an anxiety. The challenge is that not everyone might know if they had experienced it. Anxiety can be described as a disorder that causes uneasiness, nervousness, worry and fear. It affects the way an individual feels and behaves towards everyday situation (DiMatteo et al. 2000). Learners often experience anxiety when confronted by a test or examination. Although anxiety is considered as normal, it can also be considered to be a problem when it brings symptoms such as lack of sleep or lack of ability to function normally. Anxiety occurs when a reaction to a situation becomes out of proportion or becomes overbearing for one to think or act normally. Types of Anxiety As a matter of fact, there are different types of anxiety. These include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder. To begin with, generalized anxiety is a chronic disorder that is excessive, long lasting and tends to affect how the sufferer responds to life events on a daily basis. It causes an individual to worry about nonspecific everyday life situations. A sufferer suffering from this type of disorder would often worry about things that are related to health, money, family and work. The sufferer also finds it difficult in making decisions. The sufferer may not know how to identify the actual fear or know how to deal or control their worry about a nonspecific situation, therefore believing that they will fail in that given situation. It may be possible that the learner may have spent limited study time in the preparation for a test or examination due to work commitments or family responsibilities, this in turn will affect the mindset of the individual making them to believe that they are likely going to perform badly on the test or examination. Also, their mind and body turns a normal emotion as worry that usually motivates one to accomplish a task to a feeling of helplessness that does not allow the learner to get motivated about the exam instead creating panic. As adults, we tend to think a lot about work, family and how to make provisions for the family (DiMatteo et al. 2000). Besides, Panic Disorder is another type of anxiety disorder that can be described as a sudden attack of intense terror and fear which can cause dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulties, confusion and shaking. This type of disorder can be caused by a terrifying experience or traumatic stress. However, they can come about unexpectedly as well. A sufferer that has this type of disorder is aware of any changes to their normal body function and can change their behaviour in order to stay clear of a sudden attack. Also, being in a state of bereavement during an examination can lead to panic disorder which in turn affects the learners’ performance in the examination. It has been known that when someone loses someone dear to them, although they may be given one or two week to cope with the bereavement however this can cause a panic disorder to be triggered each time they think about the person or a traumatic experience they had gone through (Butler & Mathews 1983). The fact that this particular disorder is one that can come about unexpectedly any student can undergo one of this due to the pressure of wanting to successfully complete an exam. If anyone is in debt or some sort of financial difficulties, the effect can be felt during and in an examination which can affect ones response to emotional trauma/stress which can result into a panic disorder. Moreover, a phobia is an irrational fear and the desire to avoid an object or situation. A phobia is different from a generalized anxiety disorder as its fear response is specific to a particular origin. The fear may be seen as pointless however, the sufferer is unable to control the anxiety that occurs (Butler & Mathews 1983). The stimuli for phobia may be as wide-ranging as everyday objects or situations. If a learner is going into an examination room and not knowing what to expect can send a trigger to his or her spin, causing nervousness. In a situation where an individual has experienced failure in an examination setting, the fear that it may happen again can bring about a Phobia. Last, but not least, Social Anxiety Disorder is the inability to socialize with others because of the fear of being judged publicly due to spontaneous behaviour or actions displayed by the sufferer. This includes extreme behaviour such as stage fright, fear of familiarity and fear of disgrace. This type of disorder can intimidate the sufferer to steer clear of public situations and contact which makes it impossible for such individual to live a normal life. If an individual is having socialization difficulties with their peers or classmate, this will cause a negative impact in taking part in group discussions resulting in a knock down effect in the preparation towards an examination. As explained, anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone, not just students, experiences at different times in their life when faced with challenges in the workplace or examination rooms. Thus, it can cause distress that may interfere with an individual’s ability to live a normal life. In conclusion, the impact of anxiety on learners during examination cannot be underestimated. It should be seen as a close link between a learners’ emotional response to achievement when faced with other pressure rising commitments or situation. Anxiety can impact ones’ ability to perform at their fullest potential and can be seen as a barrier to overcoming academic achievement due to ones inability to cope with fear. Word count = 1035 Bibliography Butler, G, and Mathews, A 1983, Cognitive processes in anxiety Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy; Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 51–62. Available through: www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01466402/5/1[Accessed on 11-11-2014] DiMatteo, MR, et al., 2000, ‘Depression Is a Risk Factor for Noncompliance with Medical Treatment :  Meta-analysis of the Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Patient’ [e-journal]. 160 (14):2101-2107. Available through: www.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=485411[Accessed on 10-11-2014] www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety. [Accessed on 11-11-2014] Read More