Final answer:
Anxiety is a response oriented toward the future, rooted in the apprehension or fear of what is yet to come, influenced by past experiences and managed through unconscious defense mechanisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the text, anxiety is a response oriented toward the future. This is because anxiety often involves apprehension or fear about what is going to happen, rather than what has already occurred or what is currently happening. The text suggests that unconscious thoughts and feelings about our future based on past experiences, especially anomalies, contribute to this future-oriented anxiety.
Sigmund Freud theorized that anxiety stems from conflicts between the id and superego that the ego struggles to mediate. When the ego cannot balance these forces effectively, it employs defense mechanisms to reduce the anxiety. These mechanisms operate unconsciously to protect the individual and restore equilibrium.