The word ‘anxiety’ derives from the Greek root meaning ‘to press tight’ or ‘to strangle’ (Ronald et al., 2008a, p. 50). It is defined as “apprehensive anticipation of future danger or misfortune accompanied by a feeling of worry, distress, and/or somatic symptoms of tension” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 818). It may be triggered either internally by thoughts or externally by an environmental situation (Ronald et al., 2008a, p. 50). Generally, anxiety is considered as an indicator of self-esteem issues. According to ‘terror management theory’ self-esteem provides a protection against anxiety and remains as an anxiety buffer (Solomon et al., 1991, p. 25). Mruk (2006b) agrees with this theory and argues that restoration of self-esteem will reduce anxiety (p. 122). ‘Sociometer theory’ says that low self-esteem and anxiety are co-effects of perceived exclusion in the interpersonal realm, and any real or potential threats to self-esteem elicit anxiety (Leary et al., 1995, p. 520). Two different empirical studies conducted by Rosenberg and Coopersmith had concluded that low self-esteem was significantly correlated with anxiety (Bowlby, 1973, pp. 256 & 340). There are two other relevant studies. One was conducted on 467 adolescent students and the other was a meta- analysis of longitudinal data from18 studies on anxiety; both of them concluded that low self-esteem predicts anxiety (Lee & Hankin, 2009, p. 219). In short, excessive anxiety indicates unhealthy low SE.
The old English word for fear is ‘faer’, which means sudden calamity or danger (Ronald et al., 2008c, p. 232). Fear is sometimes natural and is useful when it prompts a rapid reaction to fight against or flee from the threat (Ronald et al., 2008c, p. 232). Such fear has no connection with the self-esteem of an individual. But there is an “irrational, intense fear of person, object, situation, sensation, experience, thought or stimulus event that is not shared by the consensual community and is thus out of proportion to any danger” (Ronald et al., 2008d, p. 383), which is called phobia. Phobia is correlated with self-esteem problems (Ronald et al., 2008e, p. 432). Empirical studies also support this fact (Izgic et al., 2004, p. 630). Therefore, only excessive and irrational fear can be considered as a variable for unhealthy SE.
Anxiety and fear are two emotions that are closely related to each other. Though both of them have similarities, it is important to distinguish between them. Anxiety can be rooted in unpleasant events in the past or uncertainty in the future, whereas fear is an “emotional response to perceived imminent threat or danger associated with urges to flee or fight” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 821). The attention span is being narrowed to a single object while one feels fear. Whereas, when one feels anxiety one broadens the attention to each and every thing around.