Hypervigilance
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In cognitive and clinical psychology hypervigilance refers to an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity and heightened attention to environmental threat detection and avoidance.
For example, a driver who has previously been involved in a car accident may devote so much attention to road conditions and other cars on the road, that he or she may not hear an accompanying passenger while driving (Due to selective attention) and drive erratically as they seek to avoid further collisions .
The degree of hypervigilance can be exacerbated by a vicious circle where one can come to see threats everywhere which leads to more intensive scanning and is a cognitive mechanism that is thought to underlie paranoia
It is manifested in victims of domestic violence and stalking. It is also seen as an aspect of the psychological condition of codependence, and as needing treatment in victims of torture.
Hypervigilance is often a symptom of a number of stress-related disorders. See for example :
