Theoretical review
The psychoanalytic theory of Freud (1913) explains the development of
anxiety produced from the ego. He describes anxiety as being neurotic,
moral or realistic. According to him, the ego’s dependence on the id can
result in neurotic anxiety, which is a fear of unknown danger. Though
this feeling of neurotic anxiety resides in the ego, it originally comes
from desires of the id. Moral anxiety comes largely from the conflict
between the ego and the superego, whereby anxiety exists as a conflict
between actual needs and what the superego dictates. An example of this
could include a child, who has recently developed a superego, feeling
sexual temptations and believing them to be morally wrong at the same
time. The third type, described as realistic anxiety, is an unpleasant
feeling that could involve a real possible danger and this type of
anxiety is similar to fear (Feist & Feist, 2009). Most of the time,
anxiety is explained as an external emotional response that can cause
danger (Parker, 2006). Freud explains how a traumatic event, which
cannot be explained, can cause anxiety and that tends to disturb the
victim. Some people may decide to repress the unpleasant event but it
remains in their sub-consciousness. The implication of the repression is
manifested through the person’s behavior. The anxiety associated with a
traumatic event can be life-altering, affecting the mindset of the
individual and must be psycho-analyzed separately. Developing FSIAD may
come about as a result of realistic anxiety, where the person involved
perceives danger after engaging in the sexual activity and may,
therefore, respond to the act negatively.
The main proponents of cognitive theory are Beck (1976) and Ellis (1962)
and they argue that anxiety comes about due to maladaptive, faulty,
irrational and distorted thinking about an event. According to them, a
person’s appraisal or interpretation of events determines the person’s
emotional response to it. When a person evaluates an event negatively or
as a challenge, the person is most likely to be anxious and if the same
event is appraised positively the person is most likely not to
experience any form of anxiety. Epictetus (AD 55-135) summarises that it
is not the event itself that causes the psychological distress but it is
one’s appraisal or interpretation of the event (Beck, Rush, Shaw &
Emery, 1979). The appraisal of sexual activity influences either a
person’s participation or refusal (aversion).