Neurotic personality disorder – what is it characterized by? Causes and Treatment of Neurotic Personality

Each of us is different. We differ in height, skin color and many other features. We also differ in mental characteristics. One of the dimensions of the human personality is neuroticism. What is neurotic personality? What are the characteristics of a person who is a neurotic? Can Neurotic Personality Be Treated?

What is neurotic personality?

A neurotic personality is defined as a personality type in which we deal with worry, frequent anxiety, tendency to depression, as well as over-experiencing and emphasizing various negative experiences that we encounter in life. A neurotic personality disorder may result in a predisposition to addiction and falling into various mental illnesses, although this is not necessarily the case.

Neurotic personality in psychology

The characteristics of the neurotic personality have been known to researchers for a long time. One of the most famous people who dealt with this personality type was Sigmund Freud, who in his work was particularly fond of dealing with cases of people who may be suspected of having a neurotic personality. The term itself, however, was initiated in psychology by Hans Eysenck, who is the creator of the theory of temperament. In psychology, neurotic personality is considered alongside the other two types of human personality: psychoticism and extraversion. It is worth remembering that there is no human in the world who has only a neurotic or psychotic personality. We are very complex organisms with personality traits in varying proportions. Depending on them, four types of people can be distinguished: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholy.

Neurotic personality and place of residence

Scientists have come to interesting conclusions that the place where we are also influences the occurrence of neurotic personality. Research of this type was carried out, inter alia, in the United States and Great Britain. They showed that in these countries particular personality types are concentrated especially in specific areas of the country. Similar studies have shown that Poles are the most neurotic European country among those included in the study.

How is neurotic personality manifested?

We can distinguish many features of the neurotic personality. It is talked about primarily when we are dealing with low stress resistance, emotional imbalance, as well as frequent states of an anxiety nature. In neurotic people frequent changes of mood, feelings of anxiety, fear and frustration can be observed.

What diseases and ailments can neurotic personality lead to?

Every human being sometimes behaves in such a way that it can be said about him at the moment that he exhibits the characteristics of a neurotic. However, there is no need to worry in this case, sometimes neurotic behavior is simply the result of malaise, a difficult family situation or other events. However, if someone has a high level of neuroticism, that is, neurotic reactions happen every day, they may be at risk of developing certain diseases and ailments. This is especially true of mental disorders, including anxiety disorders, panic attacks, depression, phobias and many others.

How does a neurotic personality develop?

Some psychologists and specialists indicate that the first signs of a neurotic personality may already be visible in children and adolescents. In the case of these age groups, the so-called negative emotionality. So the level of neuroticism is not the same throughout life and may depend on many different factors. Negative life experiences also contribute to greater neuroticism. In contrast, the positive ones make us less neurotic.

What are the causes of neurotic personality?

According to some researchers, the cause of neurotic personality may be a genetic predisposition. Others, however, point to the importance of early childhood and various past situations. Scientists, however, are also trying to find the causes of neuroticism in the body, and more specifically in the excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Neurotic Personality – Treatment

Since the neurotic personality is not classified as a mental illness, there are actually no specific treatments for this phenomenon. However, it happens that individuals or their families become aware of a very neurotic personality and make an attempt to deal with it, or at least understand its basis, with the help of various types of therapy. Therapies of this type are based primarily on the analysis of past events, situations at home and other elements that may have had a significant impact on the development of the neurotic personality. Professional tests to determine our personality type are performed in psychological offices. If we observe frequent neurotic behavior in ourselves, it is worth taking such a test. A simpler version of it can also be found on the Internet without any problems.