Four-Factor Theory and the Anxiety Disorders

This theoretical review is concerned with Eysenck s (1997) four-factor theory of the anxiety disorders and its revision. According to the theory, four sources of information (environmental threat; an individual s physiology; an individual s behaviour; and an individual s negative future-oriented cognitions) determine the experience of anxiety, and these sources of information are directly relevant to the anxiety disorders. This theory is discussed with reference to research that has been published over the past 10 years and a revised version is proposed. In this revised theory, each of four anxiety disorders (panic disorder; social phobia; obsessive-compulsive disorder; and posttraumatic stress disorder) are regarded as associated primarily with a different source of information. It is concluded that the revised theory provides a promising framework. However, more research on comorbidity is needed to clarify the interconnections among components of the emotional system underlying anxiety. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]