Have you ever wondered what neuroticism is?, is a factor or personality trait with an important biological basis, which has always been linked to different types of pathologies, is a personality trait that functions as an indicator of vulnerability for the development of psychopathologies because it gives a value or?It quantifies a trend in two directions: tackling stress and problems and exposing us to stimuli that can harm us psychologically.
In addition, it is related to the severity of various disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; it also plays an important role in interpersonal problems, such as family and partner problems, as well as situations such as moral harassment and burnout. Next, we will briefly explain what neuroism is and how it works in different psychopathologies, because even if it is associated with different disorders, its effects are different in each case.
- Neurosis is a personality trait that has an important biological basis.
- That is.
- It is a tendency towards behavior.
- Emotions and thinking (personality trait) that we inherit in much of our parents.
- This does not mean that we cannot change it.
- But that the person brings some of that tendency from birth.
- Later in life.
- The environment is responsible for strengthening or decreasing this trend.
Virtually all personality patterns include neuroticism in its basic characteristics, in fact, we find it in the following personality models: Model 5 Factor (Big Five; Costa and McRae, 1992), Zuckerman’s 1999 Model 5 Alternative Factor), Eysenk also proposed it as a staple in his three-dimensional hierarchical model (PEN; 1947) and also proposed by Cloninger in the temperament and character model (TCI; 1994) with the particularity that instead of calling it neuroticism, he called it risk avoidance.
Therefore, it is clear that it is a trait that different authors identify as basic and that has been found in the personality structure from a lexical, empirical or factorial analysis of personality, all models include neuroticism because it is a trait that marks the basis. emotional tendency in all of us, that is, it indicates whether we will strive for stability and well-being (low neuroticism) or if we tend to worry, anxiety and our mood will be very unstable (high neuroticism).
Given the relationship between neurotics and emotions, we will discuss how the former influence the three most common mental disorders: depression, anxiety and addictions.
Neurosis is linked to a lot and intensity of depressive symptoms, so it’s because people with it need fewer negative stimuli to feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable than people with low neuroticism.
In this sense, neurosis is linked to a greater sensitivity to discomfort and therefore affects the lives of depressed people, being a trait that sensitizes negative states, neuroticism acts as an amplifier of negative emotions making them more intense and less tolerable. makes it easier for the depression well to gain depth, making it difficult to get out.
Anxiety and neuroticism are closely related. Neuroticism generates anxiety because it sets a person’s attention to uncertainty that they cannot tolerate or that they tolerate with difficulty. Consequently, neurosis causes the person to avoid uncertain situations, which involve risks and also avoids at all costs experiencing any degree of insecurity (physical, psychological, social or emotional).
Understanding that today, to overcome anxiety, we understand that neurosis is the enemy of recovery in times of anxiety, we are talking about a personality trait that will motivate the person to remain in their comfort zone.
Neurosis will prioritize actions aimed at controlling different aspects of each situation that may even pose minimal risk, so we will see that these people use a lot of resources, such as leaving home well in advance when they have an appointment, exactly to have room for manoeuvre in case of one of the many dangers they imagine.
“The neurotic stops in the way of his own possibilities; crosses paths that would lead him to his being-power. -Viktor Frankl-
If we put ourselves in a more serious context, such as a panic attack, and understand that the most effective treatment goes through the progressive exposure of the patient to the situation he fears, we will understand a little better the additional problem that can be a high level of neuroticism.
As we have already said, people with high levels of neuroticism create great resistance to expose themselves to these situations and avoid all possible ways to take this small risk that will eventually end the anxiety, so the greater the presence of neuroticism, greater the patient’s resistance to exposure and the increased anxiety will cause anticipation of such exposure.
People with high levels of neurotics are more vulnerable to addiction, this is because neuroticism reinforces the motivation we all have to avoid discomfort and increases the feeling of stress.
A high level of stress combined with increased sensitivity to discomfort makes the person feel psychologically?And overwhelmed by the adversities of their daily lives, in this sense, substance use becomes an outlet to be considered by it, because the effect they generate on the body frees them precisely from those concerns that generate so much anxiety. Thus, those who have significant neuroticism in the structure of their personality can develop an addiction more easily.
That is, the emotional exhaustion that causes the high sensitivity to discomfort makes the daily challenges of the environment perceived as a threat and, as the person wants to avoid discomfort and control what happens, he feels overwhelmed, this psychological exhaustion makes it very difficult to manage stress with more adaptive strategies and the effects of psychoactive depressive substances , such as alcohol or cannabis, provide a “breath”. discomfort and stress.
First, it is essential that a psychologist conduct a personality review to determine exactly how neurotic our perceptions of ourselves and those around us are, so we can have an image of ourselves that is not compatible. with the level of neuroticism we have.
Once the personality has been examined, the psychologist is the best trained professional to indicate what options exist at the therapeutic level. In general, neurosis can be addressed and modulated by psychological therapy focused on the management of emotions, increasing the level of tolerance to discomfort and facilitating the overcoming of anxiety and fear.
In addition, psychological therapy ensures that people with high neurosis orient their lives towards important and valuable goals, breaking down the barrier that the neurotic tendency of their personality can mean to them. It is very important to note that there is currently scientific evidence that personality is not immutable. We are constantly changing with the environment, social, emotional and behavioral.
So, I’m like that? Or?Is this my way of being? It is a habit that we must eradicate, it is wrong to think that we cannot change, now that we know what neuroticism is, working to get a better version of ourselves can lead us to achieve difficult goals to achieve.