(13) Ritualistic behavior. Some little act performed by the individual will
magically, he thinks, make everything turn out all right. Example: A teenager who feels
guilty about something he continually does but which he knows is wrong may touch
door knobs a certain number of times each time after he commits the action. Or, a
baseball player may cross himself each time he comes up to bat.
(14) Negativism. An individual actively or passively resists ideas without
consciously realizing he is doing so. Example: A manager has been unsuccessful in
being excused from a committee assignment. At the committee meeting, he picks apart
every suggestion that anyone makes.
NOTE:
Defense mechanisms begin to operate spontaneously and unconsciously
when the self is threatened. If there are too many emergencies for the self,
the self may overuse defense mechanisms with the result that the person
does not really see reality. We all rationalize occasionally, and that is a good
thing because rationalization can reduce stress. It is not a good thing to
base all our judgments consistently on rationalizations; that would be
overuse.
1-4.
NEUROTIC BEHAVIOR
a. Definition. The word neurosis can be defined as emotional maladjustments
which damage the individual's ability to think and make proper judgments but which
cause minimal loss of contact with reality. The behavior of such a person is termed
neurotic behavior. For a person exhibiting neurotic behavior, the usual ways of coping
with daily living are proving inadequate, and the person is relying more and more on
extreme defensive reactions. These defense reactions may help temporarily, but in the
long run they are unsatisfactory. Types of neuroses covered in this lesson include the
following: anxiety neurosis, hysterical neurosis, phobic neurosis, and depressive
neurosis.
b. Anxiety Neurosis. An individual suffering from anxiety neurosis has
exaggerated uncontrollable anxiety and apprehension. Anxiety disorders are fairly
common in our society. Roughly two to four percent of the population has been
diagnosed, at one time or another, as having some type of anxiety disorder. Signs and
symptoms include a rather constant state of tension, worry, and general uneasiness.
Such individuals are often oversensitive in people-to- people relationships and
frequently have feelings of inadequacy and depression. Emotional tension frequently
leads to physical tensions which cause neck and upper shoulder muscular pain and
sleep disturbances of insomnia and nightmares. Decision making is difficult, and after
the decision is made, the individual may worry excessively over possible disasters that
may occur. Obsessive-compulsive disorders are examples of anxiety neuroses. An
obsessive-compulsive person feels he must do something even though he does not
want to do the thing. For example, a compulsion to wash his hands, though there is no
logical reason to do so, is typical of a person exhibiting obsessive-compulsive behavior.
MD0586
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