that anxiety is a signal of the ego, warning of danger or trauma; ‘danger’ here is any feeling, impulse or action that could threaten the primary bond with caretakers. In other words, any feeling, impulse or action that results in separation from a loved one, or the loss of his or her love, is experienced as threatening, evokes anxiety, and is consequently avoided, giving rise to intrapsychic conflict between expressive and repressive forces within the psyche.
