COMPARATIVE CHART:
Test Form Raw Mean S.D Low Range Average Range High
Score Range (Lower Range (Higher Range
than than
average) average)
Form X-1 33 43.55 8.76 Below 26.03- 34.79-52.31 52.31- Above
(State) 26.03 34.79 61.07 61.07
Form X-2 34 44.63 8.39 Below 27.85- 36.24-53.02 53.02- Above
(Trait) 27.85 36.24 61.41 61.41
INTERPRETATION:
STAI or State Trait Anxiety Inventory developed by Speilberger, Gorsuch and Lushene (1970)
was conducted on a female testee to assess her state and trait anxiety level. In the present
assessment, the testee obtained a total score of 33 in the state anxiety and 34 in the trait
anxiety.
The mean and S.D of the state anxiety experienced by females are 43.55 and 8.76
respectively. The mean and S.D of trait anxiety experienced by females are 44.63 and 8.39
respectively. Therefore, the normative range for females for state anxiety is 34.79-52.31 and
trait anxiety is 36.04-53.02. The present testee with a raw score of 33 and 34 in state and
trait anxiety respectively thus falls in the Lower than Average Range in both the cases.
Hence, it can be said that the present testee does not experience a lot of anxiety often and
hence did not experience any significant amount of anxiety while taking the test.
Based on the subject’s raw score for state anxiety and trait anxiety and the mean and S.D
values, the respective z-scores were calculated ( z-score for state anxiety= -1.204 ; z-score
for trait anxiety= -1.267) and plotted on the normal probability curve. From the z-score
conversion table, the area lying below the z-score was obtained. From the normal
probability curve, it can be seen that the percentage of the area lying below the subject’s z-
score of state anxiety is 10.75% and trait anxiety is 10.20%. Therefore, it can be stated that
the present testee’s state anxiety score is higher than 10.20% of the population and trait
anxiety score is higher 10.75% of the population.
Speilberger (1972,1979) defines Anxiety as the psychobiological emotional state or reaction
that can be distinguished most clearly from other emotions such as anger or sadness by its
unique experiential qualities. An anxiety state consists of unpleasant feelings of tension,
apprehension, nervousness, worry and activation of the autonomic nervous system. The
physiological manifestations of anxiety generally include increased blood pressure, rapid
heart rate (palpitations or tachycardia), sweating, dryness of the mouth, nausea, vertigo and
muscle-skeletal disturbances such as restlessness, tremors and feelings of weakness.
Anxiety was first defined by Freud (1895/1924) as an emotional state that includes feelings
of apprehension. According to him, anxiety consists of a unique combination of
phenomenological and physiological qualities , with behavioural manifestations. Initially, he
believed that anxiety resulted from the discharge of repressed somatic sexual
tensions(libido). When blocked from normal expression, libidinal energy accumulated and
was automatically discharged as free-floating anxiety. However, he subsequently modified
this view in favour of a more general conception of anxiety as a signal indicating the
presence of a danger situation. The perceived presence of danger evokes an unpleasant
emotional state that serves to warn the individual that some form of adjustment is
necessary. Freud observed that anxiety motivates people to cope with threatening
situations and that increased levels of anxiety were prevalent in most psychiatric disorders
(Spielberger, 2010).
In measuring anxiety, Cattell (1966) emphasized the importance of distinguishing between
anxiety as an emotional state and individual differences in anxiety as a personality
trait(Spielberger, 2010). Anxiety occurs only when one identifies some danger or threat,
regardless of how the situation may be perceived by others (Whiteley, 2013).
People who have high trait anxiety are more likely to perceive stressful situations as being
personally dangerous or threatening and to respond to such situations with elevations in
state anxiety. Individual differences in trait anxiety also reflect the frequency and intensity
with which anxiety states have been manifested in the past and the probability that state
anxiety will be experienced in future. The stronger the anxiety trait ,the more often the
individual has experienced state anxiety in the past, and the greater the probability that
intense elevations in state anxiety will be experienced in threatening situations in the
future.
The person(trait anxiety) and the situation are important in determining levels of state
anxiety. The facet of trait anxiety and the stressful situation must be congruent in order to
evoke increases in state anxiety ( N.S Endler, 2001).
The state and trait anxiety scores are found to be low when conditions are perceived to be
non-stressful and non-threatening (Spielberger, 1972).For the present testee, it is observed
that, both her state and trait anxiety scores fall in the lower than average range. Thus it can
be said that the testee, in general, finds her environment to be comforting and relaxing and
hence, as a result she perceived the current testing environment as less threatening one
than average people usually would.
Research has shown that greater trait and state anxiety are both correlated with more
frequent negative and less frequent positive affect(Ladd Sandra L., Gabrieli John D. E.,
2015).Thus , below average scores in state and trait anxiety is beneficial for the present
testee.
CONCLUSION:
It can be concluded that the present testee’s both, the state anxiety score (33) and the trait
anxiety score (34) falls below the average range. The testee , therefore , perceives her
general environment as well as the testing environment to be less threatning than what
average people usually would.
