People suffering from neuroticism are torn by inner conflicts. They are at
war with themselves.
One of the "Big Five" personality traits, along with openness,
conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion, is neuroticism. These are
long-lasting personality traits that are often used to categorize people into
personality groups.
Neuroticism in specific is often characterized as a tendency for
anxiety, despair, self-doubt, and other undesirable or negative emotions. There is a
range for all personality qualities, including neuroticism; some people just
have higher levels of neuroticism than others.
Neuroticism is sometimes referred to as low emotional stability or negative
emotionality in the context of the Big 5. People whose personalities are found
under neuroticism often reflect how much a person finds the outside world to
be distressing, frightening, and uncomfortable. The level of emotional
stability that a person exhibits is indicated by their neuroticism.
Neuroticism Definition
"Neuroticism is described as a negative personality feature characterized
by unpleasant emotions, poor self-regulation (an inability to control
urges), difficulty handling stress, a strong reaction to perceived dangers,
and a propensity for complaining."
Neuroticism has been defined somewhat differently by different psychologists,
but at its core, it reflects a general tendency toward negative emotions i.e.,
neuroticism is a continuum, meaning that individuals might fall on either end
of the spectrum or be somewhere in the middle. On this personality dimension,
each person can be found midway between the two extreme poles of absolute
emotional stability and total emotional turmoil.
Those who are highly neurotic often exhibit labile (shifting) emotions and are
tense, worried, and withdrawn. Those with low neuroticism tend to be happy,
secure, and stable. The latter group reports fewer psychological and physical
issues as well as less stress than highly neurotic people.
Neuroticism is also linked to suffering and discontent. Those with high levels
of neuroticism, or people who are neurotic, frequently feel unhappy with
themselves and their lives. They are more likely to admit to having minor
health issues and to experience overall pain in a variety of circumstances.
Negative emotions are more likely to occur in neurotic people (such as
anxiety,
depression
,
anger
, and guilt).
According to empirical research, excessively high degrees of neuroticism are linked to a protracted and
pervasive state of misery in both the neurotic person and others around them.
Signs and Symptoms of Neuroticism
People towards the high end of the neuroticism continuum are often said to
have a neurotic personality, and they tend to have the following traits:
-
Feelings of anxiety or
anger
- Lack of emotional stability
- Feelings of self-doubt
- Being self-conscious or shy
- Easily stressed or upset
- Emotional rollercoaster
- Lack of resilience
- Worrying about various things all the time
- Having a tendency to see neutral situations as dangerous
- We often see small problems as big ones.
- Easily getting jealous or envious of what other people have
Personal relationships can also be negatively impacted by this trait of
neuroticism as it does impact the way an individual gets along with people in
their life. For example,
- High level of Annoyance
- Being critical of other people
-
Being too dependent on other people or asking for help instead of figuring
things out on their own
- Complaining a lot
- Asking for reassurance all the time
- Making small problems seem bigger than they really are
Cause of Neuroticism
Brain function: A smaller study found that people who scored
higher in neuroticism had less oxygen in their lateral prefrontal cortex after
seeing unpleasant images than those who scored lower in neuroticism. This part
of the brain is involved in a lot of different ways that we think.
Childhood trauma: Going through a traumatic event later in
life does not seem to make you more neurotic, but being exposed to these kinds
of events when you are younger seems to do this.
Climate: If you live in a place with more extreme weather
patterns, you may be more likely to have neurotic personality traits. This
could be because climatic stress causes your dopamine to work less well.
Gender: A multicultural personality study looked at 22
different countries and found that women scored higher on this trait in all of
them. The gap between men and women does seem to be smaller in the online
world, though. People think this is because you can be more anonymous online,
so you don t have to worry as much about what other people think of you.
Genetics: Some research suggests that neuroticism is passed
down from parent to child, just like we get our height from our parents. So,
we may be a bit more likely to have this personality trait from the start.
Survival: Some people think that neuroticism has its roots in
evolution since being overly sensitive to danger or threats could be an
advantage to survival in some ways.
Neuroticism Treatment
Neuroses can be helped in many ways by
psychiatrists
and psychologists.
The psychoanalytic approach involves helping the patient become aware of the
repressed impulses, feelings, and traumatic memories that are behind the
symptoms. This helps the patient grow as a person by giving a better
understanding of their own selves. Desensitization can also be used to treat
neuroticism to recondition the learned responses.
In cognitive and interpersonal approaches, patients talk about their thoughts
and perceptions that contribute to their neurotic symptoms. Eventually, these
thoughts and perceptions are replaced with more realistic ways of looking at
the outside world and their own reactions to it.
Many psychiatrists prefer physical treatments, such as psychotropic drugs
(such as antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs). Many
psychiatrists
recommend any method, depending on the patient and his problem.
Therefore, Psychotherapy, psychoactive drugs, relaxation exercises like deep
breathing, CBT, Desensitization, and other
behavioral therapy, can all be used as treatments.
Summary
It is essential to keep in mind that if you have traits of neuroticism, this
does not necessarily imply that you are an awful person. The fact that you are
sensitive and aware in a way that other people possibly do not indicate a
positive quality about you. You are likely the type of person that is
constantly concerned about the well-being of others and tries to empathize
with the experiences of others.
If you can combine these positive aspects with the inner effort necessary to
learn how to manage your negative thoughts better and feelings, you will be
able to use and transform your personality trait in a helpful, healthy, and
beneficial manner.
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