What distinguishes state anxiety from trait anxiety?

• A. State anxiety is a stable tendency to experience anxiety across time.
• B. Trait anxiety is a temporary emotional state.
• C. State anxiety is a temporary emotional state.
• D. State anxiety is a temporary emotional state; trait anxiety is a stable tendency to experience anxiety across time and situations.

Answer: (D)

State anxiety refers to how anxious you feel at a specific moment and in a specific situation, so it rises and falls with circumstances. Trait anxiety, in contrast, is a stable, ongoing tendency to perceive many situations as threatening and to experience anxiety across time and across different contexts. The best description pairs these ideas: state anxiety is temporary, while trait anxiety is a durable pattern that persists over time and across situations. For example, you might have high state anxiety right before a test, but your trait anxiety could remain relatively low if you generally stay calm in most situations. Statements that claim state anxiety is stable or that trait anxiety is just a temporary state miss these distinctions.