Do All Paths Lead To A Form Of Neuroticism?

Do all pathways lead to some form of neuroticism?

Neuroticism is a personality trait that has an essential biological foundation. It makes people vulnerable to mental disorders because it is associated with both poor stress management and a tendency to expose themselves to mentally harmful stimuli.

Being very neurotic can cause disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, affecting a person more severely. It also plays an important role in relationship problems, hostility in the workplace and burnout.

Below, we will briefly explain exactly what neuroticism is and how it works in different mental disorders, as it can have different effects with each one.

Neuroticism as a personality trait

Neuroticism is a personality trait (consisting of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive tendencies) that people primarily inherit from their parents, making it largely biological.

That does not mean it can not be changed. But the tendency is in the person from the moment they are born. Throughout the person’s life, their surroundings will either make this tendency stronger or weaker.

Two people with several faces in front of sky

Almost all theories of personality include neuroticism as a fundamental function. It is available in:

The five-factor model (Costa and McCrae 1992)
The alternative five-factor model (Zuckerman 1999)
Eysenck’s book Dimensions of Personality (1947)
Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (1994) (Note here that they call it avoiding harm)

Therefore, it is clear that whether it is part of a lexical, empirical, or factorial analysis, most researchers consider it to be part of the basic structure of personality . All models include neuroticism because it describes each person’s basic emotional tendency.

In other words, it means whether you have a tendency to stability and well-being (low neuroticism) or instability and anxiety (high neuroticism).

As for the relationship between neuroticism and emotion, we must now analyze it . We will look at how it affects three common mental disorders: depression, anxiety and addiction.

The role that neuroticism plays in various mental disorders

Depression

Neuroticism is associated with a higher number and intensity of depressive symptoms. This is because people with high neuroticism require less negative stimulation to feel disturbed or uncomfortable than people with low neuroticism.

It therefore indicates higher sensitivity to distress and thus affects the course of depression. It reinforces negative emotions, makes them more intense and unacceptable. So it becomes more likely for the depression hole to get deeper and harder to escape.

Anxiety

Neuroticism gives rise to anxiety as the person is obsessed with the insecurities they cannot tolerate. For example, they avoid being in insecure situations, taking risks, and experiencing some physical, psychological, social, or emotional insecurity. To successfully overcome anxiety, the person must confront it . But neuroticism keeps these people in their comfort zone, hindering recovery.

Woman hides face in pillow as a result of neuroticism

Neurotic people try to control all aspects of potentially risky situations, however unlikely the risk may be. They waste a lot of time, money and energy on avoiding risks. For example, they leave home extremely early to get to an appointment on time, just to give themselves space if one of the many dangers they imagine actually happens.

“Sunday neurosis, the kind of depression that affects people who become aware of the lack of content in their lives when the intoxication of the busy week is over and the void in themselves becomes visible.”
–Viktor Frankl–

This can also be used for much more serious contexts, such as a panic attack. The most effective treatment for panic disorder involves gradual exposure to the situation they fear. It is clear how much neuroticism plays into this situation.

As we said before, people who are high on the neuroticism scale are very resistant to exposing themselves to things they fear and will avoid taking the small risk at all costs, even if it would lead to habituation and eventually termination. on their anxiety . The higher the neuroticism, the greater the resistance to exposure. Then the expectation of the exposure will cause more anxiety.

Dependence

People with high neuroticism are more likely to develop an addiction. Why ? Because it pushes them to avoid any kind of discomfort and raises their perceived stress level.

High stress levels mixed with high sensitivity to distress make them feel mentally exhausted and overwhelmed by their daily problems . Substance abuse can be a form of escape for them. It frees them, after all, from the constant worry they feel.

In other words, the emotional exhaustion caused by high sensitivity to discomfort turns everyday challenges into threats. Since they need to avoid discomfort and control what is happening around them, they become extremely overwhelmed.

The resulting psychological exhaustion makes it very difficult for them to handle their stress well. Then the effects of psychoactive substances in depressive substances, such as alcohol and marijuana, give them a short break. A break from discomfort and stress.

What can people with high neuroticism do to change?

First of all, it is important to seek the help of a psychologist who can perform a personality assessment and determine exactly how neurotic they are.

This is because both our own perceptions of ourselves, and others’ perceptions of us, can be wrong. Therefore, they may have a picture of themselves that does not reflect their actual level of neuroticism.

Woman standing on bridge by lake at night

A psychologist is the most qualified person to decide what therapeutic steps to take . Psychotherapy can generally help a person manage neuroticism by focusing on the following:

Dealing with emotions
Increased tolerance for discomfort and insecurity
Work on overcoming anxiety and fear

In addition, psychotherapy can also help very neurotic people work towards goals that matter to them. It can break down the wall they built to protect themselves. Scientific evidence shows that personality traits are not completely established; they can be shaped to some degree. We are in a constant state of social, emotional and behavioral change, in response to our environment.

Therefore, there is no room for the excuse “it’s just the way I am. “It is a mistake to think that you can not change . If you are working on becoming a better version of yourself, you can achieve your goals.