Personality dimensions of neuroticism
While genetics influence the incidence of neurosis to a certain extent, personality traits play a more important role in the disorder. Shoma Morita, the psychiatrist who developed Morita therapy, proposed a definition of neurosis as a personality dimension comprised of three traits.
First, neurotic individuals tend to be introspective and self-reflective. Secondly, they may be timid, sensitive, worriers who tend to dwell on little things. The third characteristic of the neurotic personality is perfectionism, with expectations so idealistic that the individual can’t stand to lose.
Thus, their personality profile brings together aspects of fragility with more powerful or driven characteristics. Since the stronger, more obsessive self often cannot abide the weaker, more timid self, this type of individual is subject to internal psychological conflict.
Four basic characteristics describe the structure of the neurotic personality:
- Strengths: Keen self-insight and self-awareness; serious disposition; strong sense of responsibility
- Weaknesses: Minute self-analysis of the internal mental and physical phenomena that the individual experiences; exaggeration of trifling weak points and small defects; feelings of inferiority; unrealistic (rigid) idealism
- Strengths: Tenaciousness; patience/endurance
- Weaknesses: Tendency to get “hung-up” (difficulty letting go); inflexible/unadaptable
- Strengths: Attentive (to detail); considerate of others’ feelings
- Weaknesses: Hypersensitive to anxiety and emotional distress or pain; tendency to ruminate or needlessly worry about the future; unassertive/passive behavior; awkward or botched timing
- Strengths: Strives to make progress and pursues perfection; diligent/dedicated; methodical and conscientious
- Strengths: Strives to make progress and pursues perfection; diligent/dedicated; methodical and conscientious
Certain other neurotic traits are commonly recognized in the West. One is the tendency to respond in a highly sensitized, emotional way whenever hardships arise. Thus, neurotic individuals may be unable to control their emotions, and may demonstrate a poor ability to manage psychological stress.
Further characteristics that comport with neurosis include a tendency to experience anxiety, depression, anger and/or irritability. A neurotic individual may be bashful or easily embarrassed, sensitive about being teased or made fun of, and may tend to harbor feelings of inferiority. The condition is also associated with compelling demands or desires, impulsiveness, and difficulty managing anger.
Anxiety is the fundamental emotion of neurosis
Neurosis presents in a variety of ways, but every type of neurosis shares in common the emotional state known as anxiety. For that reason, anxiety is sometimes called the foundation of neurosis. Neurosis develops from an interaction between its core component, anxiety, and an unsuccessful struggle by the sufferer to deal with it, which creates further anxiety. The process reinforces a variety of symptoms and eventually leads to their fixation, which is the essence of neurosis.
Qualitatively, there is no difference between responses that form neurotic symptoms and those of non-neurotic individuals. However, there is a striking increase in the intensity and duration of the experience for people with neuroses.
For example, individuals with mysophobia (fear of germs and contamination) will want to wash dirty hands, as anyone might. However, because their discomfort with dirt rises to the level of pathological fear, they may spend hours a day doing it. Likewise, a neurotic person might go beyond simply feeling insecure about whether they have, for example, locked the door, and so will repeatedly check and reconfirm throughout the day. When, as in these examples, patterns of thought or behavior present a substantial obstacle to everyday living, they are considered a neurotic disorder.