Evolutionary Threat Assessment Systems Theory

Abstract

The first section of the chapter provides an overview of theoretical articles supporting Evolutionary Threat Assessment Systems Theory (ETAS Theory). The second section summarizes the results of an extensive review of research on the brain areas that have been implicated in seven classes of psychiatric disorders: small animal phobias, depression, general anxiety, social anxiety, panic attack, paranoia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The next two sections provide evidence that partially confirms the association predicted by ETAS Theory between these classes of psychiatric symptoms and several areas of the brain (the brain stem, the basal ganglia, the limbic system, and prefrontal cortex) and graphically depict these associations to illustrate four possible models of possible ETAS. The rest of the chapter explains how ETAS operate and covers a number of topics that are important for understanding the operation of ETAS. These include the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in deductive reasoning and threat assessment, the influence of beliefs on the vmPFC’s decision-making, the degree to which a sense of safety affects threat assessments, and the vmPFC’s sensitivity to safety cues, as well as sources of safety, including supportive social relationships, familiar places, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.