The Architecture of Anguish
Srishti Muralidharan, Navya Charan
IGI Global eBooks September 22, 2026 DOI: 10.4018/979-8-2600-0675-7.ch006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that anguish is an active, embodied state involving persistent emotional arousal, self-referential processing, autonomic dysregulation, and meaning-making, sustained by interactions among the Default Mode, Salience, and Executive Control Networks, stress response systems, neuroinflammation, and neurochemical alterations. Argues that anguish should be understood as both a biological crisis and an existential human experience. |
Abstract
Anguish represents a profound form of human suffering that extends beyond ordinary emotional distress and engages interconnected neurobiological, cognitive and physiological systems. This chapter conceptualizes anguish as an active, embodied state characterised by persistent emotional arousal, self-referential processing, autonomic dysregulation, and meaning-making efforts. Drawing on contemporary affective neuroscience, psychophysiology and network-based models of brain functioning, the chapter examines the roles of the Default Mode Network, Salience Network, Executive Control Network, stress response systems, neuroinflammation and neurochemical alternations in sustaining intense suffering. By integrating neural, physiological and existential perspectives, the chapter offers a comrehensive framework for understanding anguish as both a biological crisis and a deeply human experience.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
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- Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology 2015
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