Anxiety tends to be without focus; the anxious person doesn't know whether to blame himself or other people. He isn't sure whether it is the current year or the Administration or a change in climate or the atom bomb that is to blame for this undefined sense of unease.

　　It is clear that we have developed a society which depends on having the right amount of anxiety to make it work. Psychiatrists have been heard to say,“He didn't have enough anxiety to get well,” indicating that, while we agree that too much anxiety is inimical to mental health, we have come to rely on anxiety to push and prod us into seeing a doctor about a symptom which may indicate cancer, into checking on that old life-insurance policy which may have out-of-date clauses in it, into having a conference with Bill’s teacher even though his report card looks all right.

　　焦慮通常是沒有目標(biāo)的。心情焦慮的人通常并不知道到底該責(zé)怪自己還是別人, 他說不出自己這份無名的不安,到底應(yīng)該算在誰(shuí)的頭上, 是流年不利, 是上司不好, 是氣候多變, 還是原子炸彈。

　　很清楚, 我們現(xiàn)在的社會(huì), 就是靠有那么一點(diǎn)焦慮來推動(dòng)發(fā)展的。曾有人聽見心理醫(yī)師這么說," 他缺乏足夠的焦慮感, 怕是不容易好。 "這意思是說, 盡管大家都認(rèn)為, 過度焦慮有害心理健康, 可我們還是得依靠焦慮心情, 催使我們有一點(diǎn)癥狀就去看醫(yī)生, 生怕那是癌癥的先兆, 催使我們?nèi)ゲ椴楹芫们昂炏碌娜藟郾ｋU(xiǎn)單, 看看是不是有什么條款已經(jīng)過時(shí), 催使我們不時(shí)地去同孩子的老師談?wù)? 盡管他的校行報(bào)告看上去一切都很正常。