Nowadays the term neurotic is used too easily and it is not at all strange to hear someone say: “Calm down, stop being so neurotic” when someone is extremely worried about a situation.
However, what many of us do not know is that there are a series of people who not only worry about certain situations, but also live in continuous worry and, therefore, a continuous state of stress. These people are really neurotic.
In this Psychology-Online article you will find how a neurotic acts.
What is it to be neurotic?
Neuroticism is a dimension of vulnerability or emotional sensitivity that predisposes the person to be more emotionally unstable, especially in the face of negative emotions. These people experience emotional pain in an excessive way. This can end up causing the development of , , , .
This dimension has the characteristic of being relatively stable over time and consistent across different situations. It is also usually accompanied by a high level of anxietywhich is marked by a notable inability to reduce it.
Profile of a neurotic
People characterized by a neurotic personality have a high predisposition to experience (anger, fear, shame,…). In addition, they have little tolerance for frustration, which makes them act impulsively.
On the other hand, they are also known for presenting difficulties coping with stressful situationsas well as for acting in a hostile manner as a result of the suspicion they have towards other people.
It is considered by psychology professionals, as indicated by Martija (2014), that the origin of this personality comes from the impossibility of an adult person to accept that they have grown up and that, as an adult that they already are, they are alone. .
As a result of that and what will come, a distrustful personality, which forces him to hide beneath a multitude of shields he has developed to protect himself. Furthermore, since feels inferior To the rest of the people, he will try by all means to please them, since in this way he will ensure that the rest of the individuals protect him from the “dangers” of the adult world.
Symptoms of neuroticism
Research has not defined a series of exact symptoms for neurotic people, as there are different degrees of neuroticism. However, a series of common traits that neurotic people develop have been found:
- Anxiety: They present generalized anxiety, which means that they tend to worry and get into a situation of anxiety. Constant tension. This trait is considered specific to neurotic people, so people who suffer from anxiety would obtain positive scores on neuroticism questionnaires. If you think this may be your case, check it out with him.
- Hostility: As I have said, as a result of their suspicion they tend to act in a hostile manner towards the rest of society. In addition, they also tend to be very spiteful.
- Depression: These people tend to show feelings of sadness, guilt and helplessness. Furthermore, it is not difficult to find them in a situation of discouragement and melancholy.
- Low self-esteem: They are shy people and with , so they will always act with fear and .
- Impulsiveness: They have difficulty resisting or controlling their impulses and desires. They are very impatient people in their daily lives. In the following article you will find more information about .
- Aggressiveness: They tend to get angry very easily and as a result they have a very aggressive pattern. If we also combine it with his maladaptive impulsivity, we find an explosive personality.
Characteristics of neurotic behavior
Next, I present a series of characteristics that usually determine the way those people with neurotic traits behave.
- Search for references. As a result of their fear of being made to look ridiculous, these people tend to look for other people they want to be like as references, whether because of their values, their charisma, etc. However, this can work against them, because if they do not manage to resemble their reference, they enter into a feeling of constant frustration.
- Little reflection. They are people who speak very directly. Although they know the ethical and social laws, as a result of their impulsive trait, they tend to be very invasive and direct, since they let themselves be carried away by their emotions.
- Instability. Emotional changes constitute a large part of your personality, so you tend to change your thoughts and attitude according to the emotions you feel. Therefore, it is not unusual to observe a lack of coherence in his speech.
- Anticipation. Neurotics tend to anticipate events, so they generally feel great anxiety about things that have not yet happened. This is also related to the continuous stress situation in which they can live.
- Inability to accept critics. As mentioned above, one of their symptoms is depression and this makes them extremely sensitive to criticism. They tend to feel hurt even on those occasions when they are not being directly criticized. This is a result of the catastrophic interpretation that they usually make of things.
- Great sensitivity. They are hypersensitive people, and not only in regards to their feelings, but also in the situations that surround them, such as watching two people argue, watching a sad movie, etc.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How a neurotic actswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Ibañez, N. (2015) Personality. Jaume I University.
- Martija. (2014). The neurotic personality. Recovered from: https://www.diarioinformacion.com/opinion/2014/09/24/personalidad-neurotica/1548409.html