Environmental obstacles can sometimes be a source of difficulty. However, there are situations when complications arise due to a clash of opposing reference values. Anxiety is often misunderstood as a sign of the presence of such a dispute. Anxiety emerges in particular when people find themselves in situations where acting in accordance with one standard value promises to exacerbate differences with respect to this other reference value, such as physical safety, social acceptance, personal comfort, or comprehensive personal integrating. By effect, the person's mounting anxiety functions as a danger sign that they or she should reconsider their behavioural goals.
