subject: Tranquility Makes Our Lives Meaningful [print this page] Tranquility is a psychological state that is defined as the absence of disturbance and turmoil, or the absence of anxiety, stress, and fear. Its primal origins are in animal instincts to flee danger and seek safety. How strongly people desire tranquility depends on how motivated they are to live a stress-free life. Some people fall apart at the first signs of stress. These people have a strong need for a tranquil, or stress-free, lifestyle. Other people can tolerate stress reasonably well even though they do not enjoy it. These people have a low need for a tranquil lifestyle.
People with a strong desire for tranquility are motivated to make changes in their lives that significantly reduce stress. In contrast, people with a weak desire for tranquility can tolerate significant levels of stress. A good example is a thrill-seeker who likes to skydive or race cars for fun. Volunteer combat soldiers have a weak desire for tranquility. They show courage, not avoidance, in the face of fear.
Tranquility is a psychologically significant desire partially because people spend a considerable amount of time managing anxiety. Many people regularly consume tranquilizers to manage anxiety, and they take vacations seeking relaxation and escape from stressful jobs. Some social thinkers called the 1960s the Age of Anxiety because of the rapid rise in the use of tranquilizer medications.
A very strong desire for tranquility is seen in people who have spontaneous panic attacks. These attacks seem to come from out of the blue and are not apparent reactions to any particular cue or situation. Sometimes the individual stays at home and is afraid to go outside at all. Agoraphobia is commonly known as the fear of the marketplace, but the term is a misnomer because what the person is really afraid of is having a panic attack outside the home. People with agoraphobia not only experience spontaneous panic attacks but also exhibit an extremely strong desire for tranquility.
Certain types of substance abuse are associated with a strong desire for tranquility. Because alcohol depresses bodily signs of stress, some drinking problems may be caused by a persons efforts to escape from stressful experiences.
People who tolerate pain poorly show a strong desire for tranquility, while those who tolerate pain relatively well show a weak desire for tranquility. Some evidence suggests that the pain associated with various chronic medical conditions is more troublesome to patients with a strong desire for tranquility. The desire for tranquility is also associated with how many fears a person has. People who have many fears have a strong desire for tranquility, and those with relatively few fears have only a weak desire for tranquility.
Virtually all psychological theories imply that people are strongly motivated to avoid stress. In fact, psychologists have been so consistent in predicting that people avoid stress and anxiety that they cannot easily explain the fact that it is commonplace for some people to actively approach stressful situations. Although its usually during a ballgames most stressful moments that a relief pitcher is called to the mound, the pitcher is often still eager to come when the manager calls. If psychological theories of anxiety and stress were valid, the relief pitcher should run away from the mound when called upon in such a tense situation.
