Dorian Gray syndrome is a set of very typical symptoms today, it is a resistance to aging and an extreme fear that the body will deform over the years, this type of resistance is considered a pathology whenever it generates a number of negative effects on behavior.
The name of this syndrome comes from the famous book? The Picture of Dorian Gray? From Oscar Wilde. The novel tells the story of a man who wants to reach eternal youth. The circumstances are articulated so that it is his portrait and not himself aging.
“Old age causes more wrinkles to appear in the mind than on the face. “-Michel Eyquem de Montaigne-
Vanity and physical appearance are all too important in today’s world, so Dorian Gray syndrome appeared as a manifestation of this cult of the body so present today, and from there it became a problem that was approaching the limit of pathology.
Dorian Gray syndrome was first mentioned in 2000 by psychiatrist Brosig B. , who wrote a text that bore exactly that name and noticed an increase in the number of patients who came to his office almost panicked due to aging.
Most seriously, people with Dorian Gray syndrome sometimes even perform dangerous practices to prevent aging, countless surgeries, overuse of Botox, and similar procedures, it is known that when there is no control over these types of procedures, health is compromised. Risk.
It is important to note that people who are victims of this syndrome not only want to stay young, but also refuse to complete the emotional maturation process, they want to continue living as if they were 18 years old. In fact, behaving like teenagers.
There is not yet a standard for the profile of a person with Dorian Gray syndrome, however, Brosig B. has been able to identify some characteristics that seem to represent this difficulty.
These are the main patterns of behavior of a person with this syndrome:
These kinds of people almost always live between illusion and frustration, idealize that a new treatment or procedure will bring them back to youth, when they realize that there is still nothing that can turn this fantasy into reality, they are frustrated, but they see it as a failure of the procedure, not of their own perception.
What usually exists behind the behavior of the person with Dorian Gray syndrome is someone who is afraid, the greatest fear is feeling rejected for not having met the beauty standards imposed around you, this assumes that the shape of your body or face is a determining factor in your life project. Unfortunately, that makes sense. Superficiality means that, in many companies, acceptance or professional success also depends on these variables.
Although the system can propose any type of perverse scheme, it is up to each individual to choose to respond in different ways to this attempt at taxation, some will not be objective. Others, on the other hand, like those who suffer from Dorian Gray syndrome, are passively involved in these impositions. Why? Because these people have a narcissistic void, they depreciate their own worth and give exaggerated power to social norms and standards.
Basically, what exists is a rejection of yourself. You can’t accept who the person is or what they’re like. It does not recognize the power it has over itself, nor the autonomy inherent in every human being. These people are supposed to be powerless. They defend themselves from the world by denying themselves. They reaffirm themselves by forcing themselves to be what others want them to be. Alongside this, anxiety is a constant companion for these people. It is a complex situation that requires therapy to be overcome.