An ego mechanism that results in activation of defensive operations to protect the ego from being overwhelmed by an excess of excitement. The anxiety reaction that was originally experienced in a traumatic situation is reproduced in an attenuated form, allowing defenses to be mobilized before the current threat becomes overwhelming.
Attenuated anxiety that functions as an early warning system for the ego. It derives from the normal capacity to anticipate a potentially dangerous situation and react to it by deploying emergency defenses before it becomes intense. Signal anxiety may progress to a full-fledged anxiety attack or even to a panic state if the early warning is not heeded or if avail- able defenses prove insufficient. A situation becomes traumatic when the influx of stimuli is too great for the psyche to master or discharge.