ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the extension of new theory of emotion to provide a theoretical account of trait anxiety. The new theory of trait anxiety provides a much more comprehensive account than was provided by the circumscribed theory of Eysenck. More specifically, Eysenck focused only on individual differences in cognitive biases applied to external threat-related stimuli, whereas the new theory also considers cognitive biases applied to various internal stimuli. The four-factor theory of trait anxiety is designed to apply to four groups of individuals based on the terminology introduced by Weinberger et al. in 1979: low-anxious, repressors, high-anxious, and defensive high-anxious. As is discussed by Weinberger, these groups have usually been identified by taking account of scores on a measure of trait anxiety and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The interpretive bias was positively associated with trait anxiety and negatively associated with social desirability.
