Causes Of Academic Anxiety Among Tertiary Institution Students
[A CASE STUDY OF ILORIN METROPOLIS OF KWARA STATE]

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION  
Background to the Problem
    Anxiety is one of the characteristic of human beings. Hence, to a certain extent, it is not necessarily pathological but on the contrary can be a strong motivation force towards growth. Anxiety results from the need to make rational choice without clear guidelines and without knowing what the outcome will be and from being aware that people were ultimately responsible for the consequences of our action (Covey, 1995). Anxiety usually occur when there is immediate threat to a person’s safely or well being.
    Anxiety makes a person to want to escapes an anxious situation fast (Covey, 1995). The heart beats quickly, the body might begin to perspire and “butter flies” in the stomach soon follow. However, a little bit of anxiety can actually help people stay alert and focused (Taylor & Francis, 2003). Anxiety is a basic human emotion consisting of fear and uncertainly that typically appears when an individual perceives an event as being a threat to the ego or self esteem (Samson, 1998).
    Samson (1998) defined anxiety as emotional stressful condition, within the organism. The deletenous effects of anxieties permeate both the mind and the body and if not controlled could hinder the functioning of the entire organism. Akinade (2005) defined anxiety as a phenomenological state of uneasiness or tension. From the external frame of reference anxiety is a state in which the incongruence between the concept of the self and the total experience of the individual causes emotional unbalance. Anxiety is a pervasive and unpleasant feeling of tension, dread, apprehension and impending disaster (Taylor & Francis, 1999) in the otherhand, fear is a response to a clear and present danger. The anxiety is often a response to an undefined conflict or unknown threat, which may stem from interact conflicts, feeling of insecurity or forbidden impulses. In both fear and anxiety, the body mobilizes itself to meet the threat and the muscles become tense, breathing is faster and the heart beats mere rapidly (Corsini, 1999).
    According to Zetzel (1995), man is essentially a complex organism with variety of moods and emotions, which can be triggered by anything, which is enjoyable or displeasing. Anxiety is one of the psychological discomforts that can be triggered by anything that is stressful, threatening depressing and frustration. Even anticipation of something pleasant can cause anxiety (Hilgard and Altinkson, 1995).  Various rule, situations, responsibilities, academic and social climate. Organisation policies and demands are inbred areas for anxiety. Ashaolu (2001) confirmed that anxiety is a cognitive and effective response characterized by apprehension about an impending potentially negative that are thinks is unable to avert. It is identical with normal fear but rising in response to external threat. Also, an unrelieved external danger from which flight is impossible produces reactions indistinguishable from pathological anxiety. Adenuga and Adesemowo (1998) define anxiety as a state of emotional or physical disturbances induced in a person by a real or imagined threat. It is a state of tension, uneasiness, worry or apprehension about what has happened and or will happen. Anxiety is characterized by feeling of frustration, anger, rejection, sadness, despair, hate, depression, confusion, worthlessness and dilusionment.
    Anxiety is the most frequently occurring consequences of unresolved conflicts and frustration. It is often associated with other related emotions or state of human experiences such as fear, anger, conflicts, frustrations, depression and stress Morgan and King (1991). Shaolu (2001) explained that anxiety and fear are interwoven. However, he distinguished anxiety from fear by stressing that fear refers to apprehensive reaction to some external, definite or non-conflictual dangers which is an internal vague or conflictual sense of a feeling of apprehension of which the individual has only partial awareness. Anxiety and stress are closely related and often interchangeably. Excessive stress leads to anxiety or vice versa. The two are often induced by the same factors with same strategies suggested for by Ashaolu (2001), Adeoye (1985) defined anxiety as one of the psychological symptoms of stress. Oyedepo (2000) stated that when a person is under stress, he or she feels tension and anxiety because the difficulties in his or her life. Ashaolu (2001), noted that people experiencing stress may have disturbances such as fear, anxiety, depression and guilty.