Fear and anxiety: A cross-cultural analysis

American and Austrian subjects responded to the questionnaire used in the "International Survey on Emotion Antecedents and Reactions" with regard to anxiety and fear, the Self-Monitoring Scale, and the Social Desirability Scale. As hypothesized, results show differences between the two emotions and between the two countries with regard to antecedents, recency, duration, intensity, body symptoms, expressive and verbal reactions, control, expectation, level of unpleasantness, evaluation of appropriateness, effect on goals, coping responses and causal attributions. Findings also support the hypothesis that social norms prescribe a taboo on anxiety--but not on fear--that is stronger for Americans than for the Europeans in this sample. In addition, the potential of the Social Desirability Scale and the Self-Monitoring Scale and its factors to identify cultural informants was explored and found promising. High scorers on social desirability appear to reflect normative attitudes. High self-monitors show potential as indicators of normative behavior.