09.11.201727.05.2017

Since ancient times, the Greeks were considered excellent healers; it was they who came up with the theory that all diseases in women arise due to inflammation of the uterus. They believed that this organ could wander throughout the body, provoking sharp and loud laughter, unexpected tears, and some demonstrative behavior. Translated from Greek, the term hysteria means “uterus”.

At the beginning of the last century, from Freud’s sincere confession, everyone learned that his character also contained some signs of the hysteroid type. That’s when the world realized that an “inflamed uterus” is not limited to women only.

Hysterical type as if he sees the meaning of life in his acting performances. At times, this type of personality is overtaken by the realization that his defiant behavior interferes with the normal existence of his loved ones. It can be incredibly difficult to live with him, but it’s no easier to live apart. Hysterical man is a lifelong actor, and everyone around him is a grateful audience. It is very important for him to receive recognition from the outside world, for this he is ready to do a lot. A distinctive feature at the time of psychopathy is the passionate intention to obtain the universal approval of people, and the person does not see any obstacles on the way to this goal that could prevent him from achieving it. Such a woman, constantly communicating with people, will actively play to the public, putting everything on display. The hysterical type seems to be waiting for a victorious moment and the approval of others.

Such a focus of the hysterical type on the personal opinions of others causes a person’s dependence; he ceases to enjoy the choice he makes on his own.

This is precisely the reason for self-doubt. As a protective behavioral mechanism, the hysterical type begins to actively demonstrate pretense in communication and visible unnaturalness in behavior. This is done in order to hide intimate feelings about one’s own inferiority from human eyes.

The nature of communication and interaction

Despite the fact that the concept strong friendship remains relevant, such a hysterical type rarely becomes a good and reliable friend for someone. He sees people solely for his own benefit, an object of manipulation to achieve personal goals. Communication with a person is seen by the hysterical type as something objectified, where each participant has certain functions from which one can successfully extract something for one’s benefit. It is because of this distorted perception that many women cannot establish trusting relationships, communicate adequately and enjoy it.

Such women need to remember: those around them intuitively feel that they are simply being used, and they begin to distance themselves, despite the fact that there may be a common goal that once united them. It is unlikely that anyone will like such an attitude.

As a result, the woman begins to realize that she will not be able to communicate the way she wants and the way she imagines. She doesn't understand why her relationships with people don't work out the way they do in her favorite TV series. An unpleasant feeling of inner emptiness can put her into a state of depression, from which specialists help her get out.

Communication with a hysterical type comes down to the usual pattern: “Hello, how are you? This is the news!” At the same time, the interlocutor does not even have time to say a word, and the hysterical type continues a long story about himself.

If for some reason the hysterical does not want to communicate with a person or sees him as an obvious competitor, he will humiliate him in every possible way, but only verbally. He will simply ignore and stop communicating with the second hysterical type, interrupting and ridiculing him. In this way, internal defense is triggered due to the fear of remaining unnoticed, without recognition from others. Women who are treated in a similar way feel humiliated and insulted, and are deeply affected by what happened.

For what purpose does the hysterical type build relationships? Because of his pathological desire to please everyone, to be the center of attention all the time - these are his values. Along with the desire to communicate at a similar level, he can easily give up generally accepted principles of morality. The more infantilism and hysteria of this personality develops, the more careless is her attitude towards the environment and the higher is her selfishness.

Such a woman is, in principle, sociable if she receives due attention and recognition from others, because it is precisely this cherished goal that the hysterical type pursues during contacts with people.

Human attention is pleasant, the hysterical type is also driven by this, so he can turn a blind eye even to obvious flattery from others. Hearing an open lie, he can say: “You flatter,” showing with all his appearance that he wants this again and again. Such people easily accept the lies of others because they themselves often show insincerity.

Obsessed with looking good in the best light The hysterical makes attempts to please everyone and everything, so that the expectations of others are as justified as possible. Such tactics are practically beyond the capabilities of ordinary logic. These individuals, by their natural naivety, believe that this way they will be in an advantageous light. For this purpose, they are ready to lie and slightly embellish reality. Constantly showing off, creating an illusion, is the favorite hobby of all hysterical women.

Compatibility with other characters

Feeling his natural weakness and incompetence in everyday affairs, the hysterical personality intuitively searches among people who are stronger in spirit and strives to be under their protection all the time. Paranoid and epileptoid types of characters ideally fit this description.

An epileptoid personality is perceived by a hysterical person as a tough father, and gender does not really matter here. The purely masculine traits of the epileptoid organically complement the infantilism and femininity of the hysteroid. This personality with pronounced masculine character traits is a role model for him.

The dominance in such a pair goes to the epileptoid, regardless of his gender. He will always need to correct the mistakes of the careless hysteroid, teach him how to live correctly, forcing him to listen to his own only true opinion. Particular pleasure can be given to the epileptoid by control over all the actions of the “not so” hysteroid. The meticulousness and pathological pettiness of the first one gets the hysteria, and numerous conflicts can arise on this basis.

And relationships with a schizoid type personality will be like the eternal acting out of dramatic scenes.

The hysteroid is a master of improvisation, he can arrange a grandiose public showdown, and the schizoid, with his broad gesture, gives him such an opportunity.

He can watch his partner’s masterful play with open interest or without it at all, completely immersed in his world. If such a wife begins to make loud scenes right at the market with a sharp transition to personalities, then the schizoid husband can calmly look at the fishing equipment in the next stall. Here everyone has their own polarity. Purely business relationships between these representatives of different characters are quite possible, since they allow them to at least sometimes take a break from each other. It is important here not to violate the fine line of personal space, respecting everyone’s position in life due to the formality of the relationship.

Difficult people[How to communicate with them?] Kovpak Dmitry Viktorovich

Hysterical personalities

A sharp change in mood - from deafening laughter to a shrill cry over any trifle, demonstrative behavior and eternal discontent. “Hysterical!” - they say behind such a person’s back.

But what is more here: promiscuity, bad manners, disrespect for others, lack of culture of behavior or something else? After all, hysteria is not just one-time inappropriate behavior of a person, a deliberate disregard for other people’s rights and interests.

This is an example of a complex and subtle mental disorder. In modern classifications, hysteria represents a whole group of mental disorders: from the so-called accentuation of character and personality disorder to somatoform and dissociative disorders.

The main feature of hysterical personalities, according to the figurative expression of K. Jaspers, is the desire to appear larger than they actually are.

The core of this character is egocentrism against the background of dysfunctional infantilism. Egocentrism is characterized by a not always conscious desire to attract attention to oneself.

A deep, talented person, as a rule, involuntarily finds himself in the center of attention; people themselves are drawn to him due to his significant personality and high creative achievements. He often not only does not strive to be at the epicenter, but sometimes feels burdened by it; he is often disgusted and hampered by popularity and the associated hype around his person. For such people, efficiency is more important than popularity.

Popularity is when everyone loves you, usually a little and not for long. And efficiency implies your qualities, abilities and skills. In contrast, it is easier to understand a hysterical person who craves to be the center of attention and at the same time is not too picky about the means and methods of achieving it. The main one is demonstrativeness, that is, the desire to put oneself on display.

Hysterical disorders are one of the most amorphous and multifaceted forms of borderline neuropsychiatric disorders. “There is no more controversial concept, both in content and scope, than the concept of “hysteria,” wrote psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in 1913.

The concept of "hysteria" has a long history, spanning more than 4,000 years. The symptoms of this mental disorder were described in the Ebers papyrus back in 1700 BC: seizures, nervousness, overly vulnerable pride, fainting and the ability to imitate almost any disease.

The concept of hysteria began with the ancient Egyptian idea that if the uterus is not anchored, it will wander throughout the body and stop at a certain place, causing hysterical symptoms there.

Ancient Greek doctors Galen and Hippocrates also believed that the dramatic changes in the emotional state of such patients and their vague complaints about physical well-being were caused by a disease accompanied by displacement of the uterus (from the Greek. hystera– uterus).

Treatment consisted of procedures to help return the uterus to its normal position. Basic techniques included fumigating or anointing the vagina with incense, or applying foul-smelling toxic substances to the “affected” area.

Hippocrates' prescriptions often included regular sex life, marriage, and childbearing (recommendations by doctors most often given to hysterical patients today).

IN Middle Ages hysteria was perceived as demonic possession and was often treated with exorcism. For this purpose, various specific procedures were used: from the well-known “reprimands” to this day, exile to a monastery or mental hospital, to burning at the stake in the event of additional accusations of witchcraft and relations with the devil.

Much later, I encountered a purpose similar to Hippocratic Sigmund Freud. Among his first patients was Lisa Pufendorf, who suffered from hysteria. It turned out that due to the fact that Lisa’s husband was impotent, she, having been married for 18 years, remained a virgin.

Freud asked a gynecologist he knew how to help the patient, and he cynically replied: “The only remedy that can be prescribed for in this case, we know too well, but it cannot be written out in a prescription. It should look like this: “Penis normalis dosim repetatur!” (“Normal penis in repeated doses!”).”

Freud was shocked and resisted the idea of the predominantly sexual nature of man. However, the facts confirming the significance of sexuality literally haunted him, and in the end he recognized the influence of libido on the human psyche.

Although psychoanalytic theory derives from Freud's explanation of the symptoms of hysteria, his primary interest focused on conversion hysteria (the bodily manifestations of hysteria—hysterical arcs, pseudoparalysis, and a variety of other variants) rather than on hysterical personality traits.

In early psychodynamic descriptions he emphasized special attention unresolved oedipal conflicts as the primary cause of the disorder. Suppression is seen as the most characteristic type protection.

Based on the belief that the release of repressed sexual emotions would lead to a cure, psychoanalytic therapy for hysteria initially consisted of suggestive influences and hypnosis to respond to emotions and alleviate the patient's condition.

Freud later modified his method to include the use of free association, resistance interpretation, and transference. This was supposed to facilitate the achievement of the so-called insight (clarification, enlightenment), which, as the father of psychoanalysis mistakenly believed, automatically causes catharsis (purification, liberation). Although the treatment of hysteria was considered the basis of the psychoanalytic method, very few well-described controlled studies have been published.

Conversion in psychology means a protective mechanism of the psyche, manifested in the tendency to translate psycho-emotional stress into bodily (somatic) reactions and dysfunctions. This refers to functional disorders of the sensory-motor sphere and the activity of internal organs that do not reveal an organic basis, characterized by the unusual and bizarre localization of painful disorders.

Because the transformation occurs unconsciously, patients usually sincerely believe in their serious illness. This belief creates the basis of the clinical picture, since from within it sets the nature of the dysfunction, reflecting the person’s ideas about how the disease “should” manifest itself.

Typically, “lesions” correspond to common ideas about the anatomy and function of organs, and not to real zones of innervation and functioning mechanisms. This manifestation is most typical in individuals of a hysterical type.

A clear example of conversion at the symptom level is the so-called globus hystericus (lat. globus hystericus), when a person is bothered by the sensation of a foreign body (lump) in the throat, a feeling of pressure in the neck, which usually weakens somewhat while eating. Sometimes a lump alone is not enough, and with a high level of psycho-emotional stress, bodily symptoms turn into a pronounced disorder that causes serious impairments in functioning.

One example of such a disorder is the story of Hitler. On October 15, 1918, Corporal Adolf Hitler lost his sight during an enemy gas attack. Treatment at the Bavarian field hospital in Udenard did not produce results.

The doctors came to the conclusion that the retina, optic nerve and visual analyzer were not damaged, however, despite the healthy organ of vision and intact pathways with a working analyzer in the occipital cortex, the patient continued to remain blind. He was transferred to the psychiatric ward of the Prussian rear infirmary in Pasewalk.

Hitler could not move without the help of a nurse. His eyes were covered with a blindfold. He believed that he was blind for the rest of his days, and was consumed by the misfortune that befell him. A disabled man, crushed by misfortune, was admitted to the infirmary and fell into the hands of an inquisitive doctor - Edmund Forster, a German psychiatrist who later became a professor.

Adolf Hitler did not suspect that a month later he would leave the hospital as a different person, and not just a sighted one. How did an insecure corporal, whom his fellow soldiers considered unremarkable, in all characteristics described as “poorly initiative and driven,” suddenly become a brilliant speaker, hypnotically affecting the crowd, a political leader and in 1934 the Fuhrer, the leader of the nation?

British historian and writer David Lewis, in his book “The Man Who Created Hitler,” argues that in fact the future Fuhrer had to be treated not for physical blindness, but for a mental disorder, which consisted of conversion visual impairment. Side effect From the unusual treatment proposed by Dr. Forster, according to Lewis, there was a transformation of the personality of Adolf Hitler and his mental initiation.

German psychiatrists were well acquainted with the symptoms of hysteria. During the First World War, she mowed down the ranks of German soldiers who ended up in psychiatric clinics from regular hospitals with pseudoparalysis, pseudo-blindness, pseudo-deafness, astasia and abasia (loss of the ability to walk and stand without brain damage), and other conversion options.

The government has set the task of returning “involuntarily malingerers” to service as quickly as possible. The technology for their speedy cure, literally and figuratively, was forged by medical enthusiasts on the arriving front-line soldiers.

What is the essence of technology and effective communication with a hysterical client? Today we would most likely call this method Ericksonian hypnosis. Although Milton Highland Erickson himself was just under seventeen years old at that time, and the next year he had to suffer from polio, which eventually confined the scientist to a wheelchair.

Erickson created his version of hypnosis, which later received his name, only 20 years later. However, Edmund Forster used the techniques of adjustment, rapport, trance induction and metaphors much earlier.

Thanks to his extensive experience in dealing with such patients, he knew their characteristics, “open spaces” and leading motives very well. The ambitious psychiatrist began his “boa constrictor dance” with a sure shot: he invited the infirm corporal straight into his office and stunned him with words that supposedly immediately singled him out as a very unusual and significant person.

“What happened to you is not ordinary blindness,” Forster continued, looking closely at the slightest non-verbal reactions of Hitler. “This is a sign from above!”

And the ambitious Adolf, who as a child spent hours looking at religious symbols in the church, and seconds before this conversation, believed in his destiny least of all in his entire adult life, asked with dry lips what the respected doctor means? And the doctor explained that since the higher powers that sent such a sign to the warrior have real plans for him, the treatment is doomed to success. “Come to me tomorrow and we will open your eyes,” the experimental psychotherapist promised.

The next day, Edmund Forster again began a conversation from afar with the somewhat excited Adolf Hitler. On the table at which the psychiatrist sat, there were two burning candles, for obvious reasons inaccessible to the gaze of the interlocutor. The doctor again gently went through all the key fibers of the corporal’s personality, purposefully preparing him for the apotheosis of hypnotic suggestion.

“Heaven,” Forster said in a soulful voice, continuing yesterday’s theme, “can give a real signal right here. If you are destined to influence the destinies of many people on this planet, your eyes will definitely open now.”

Taking into account the specifics of Hitler’s personality, his unconscious sphere of the psyche simply could not help but react to such a tempting offer. “And then you will see my silhouette and a white robe,” Forster said, already using his trained voice with all his might, putting into his viscous forms the traps of suggestion.

Oh, miracle! Hitler, for the first time since being wounded in battle, noticed vague blurring in his eyes, and then discovered that he was able to distinguish the contours of his interlocutor and white spot his robe. “How many candles do you see on my table?” – the psychiatrist asked a control question. After pausing a little and letting his eyes get used to the sting of the light that flared up again after long weeks of darkness, Adolf whispered: “Two.”

The following days, quickly recovering and restoring his vision, Hitler indulged in deep thought. The conclusions he came to then sank into oblivion with him, but the whole world learned their consequences.

This hypnosis session and short-term therapy cost humanity dearly, including the doctor himself, when his protégé came to power. Now the hypnotist played the role of the rabbit.

When in 1933 Forster tried to publish information about the progress of the treatment of his patient, who by that time had become Chancellor of Germany, he began to receive threats. On Monday, September 11, 1933, at 8 a.m. (the most suicidal time is Monday morning), the doctor was found dead by his wife in the bathroom.

Edmund Forster was shot at close range, with a pistol lying next to him, which no one in the family knew anything about. A suspicion arose that this was not suicide, but the liquidation of an overly knowledgeable doctor.

It is not known for certain whether Forster passed away on his own, fearing the impending retribution, or whether he was helped by professionals who eliminated the Fuhrer’s personal enemies. But it is obvious that the ending of his life was closely connected with the fatal therapy.

Although psychoanalytic theories of the hysterical personality were better known than any other concept, they did not have a strong influence on official classifications.

For many years, the standard classification in the American Classification of Mental Illnesses of 1968 (DSM-II) was the so-called hysterical neurosis (including conversion reaction and dissociative reaction) and hysterical personality.

The term hysteria has been used to refer to such disparate phenomena as temporary loss of control due to severe stress, conversion disorder, Briquet's syndrome, personality disorder, and personality trait.

Most often it was used to describe easily excitable patients who were difficult to treat. K. Schneider suggested calling people of this type “demanding recognition.”

In an effort to reduce confusion (and possible sexist connotations) regarding the use of the term hysteria, the American Psychiatric Association did not include the term in its 1980 DSM-III classification. Instead, separate categories of somatization, conversion disorder, hypochondriasis, dissociative and histrionic personality disorder (IPD) were designated.

The latest, 10th attempt to revise the International Classification of Diseases also identifies separate categories of dissociative (conversion) disorders, somatoform disorders and histrionic personality disorder.

According to it, a person suffering from hysteria is characterized by excessive emotionality, self-dramatization, theatricality and a desire to attract attention. These people constantly seek or demand support, approval, or praise from others.

Tantrums actively seek the attention of others through flashy, attractive behavior. They are overly concerned about their appearance, are often attractive and feel most comfortable being the center of attention.

Their emotionality seems inappropriately exaggerated, labile and superficial. They tend to make general statements and have an impressive style of speech and behavior; excessively, to the point of obsessiveness, proactive, intense and assertive, emotionally excitable and craving stimulation, often responding to minor stimuli (both negative and positive) with unreasonably strong emotional outbursts.

Their speech is often energetic, emotionally charged, theatrical, accompanied by dramatic gestures and includes a lot of exaggeration. Hysterics tend to make blanket statements like, “This always happens to me!” They often talk about their symptoms, thoughts and actions as if they were external objects imposed on them against their will.

Emotions are intensely expressed, but are perceived as exaggerated or unconvincing, as if the patient is playing a role. The clothes of such people are dominated by a provocative style, bright or unusual colors. They abuse cosmetics, perfumes and hair coloring.

Their interpersonal relationships disturbed, which is why healthy people around them often perceive them as narrow-minded, insincere, whimsical and overly dependent. It is precisely because of their dependence on the attention of others that individuals with hysteria are prone to separation anxiety and can resort to various tricks and manipulations as soon as they feel a threat.

In 1984, American researchers K. Standage, K. Bilsbury, S. Jane and D. Smith found that women diagnosed with hysteria had an impaired ability to perceive and evaluate their own behavior as it was perceived and evaluated by others in the same culture . A woman with histrionic personality disorder is defined more as a caricature of what is commonly considered femininity: vanity, superficiality, demonstrativeness, immaturity, excessive dependence and self-centeredness.

Hysteria more often diagnose in women. When this happens to men, they often point to homosexuality. However, this gender role specificity is more a consequence of our social expectations than true differences.

Hysteria is more adequately viewed as a caricature of sexual roles in general, attributing to it not only extreme femininity, but also the same masculinity, such as, for example, the image of a “macho” who seeks thrills, is superficial, vain and self-centered. In men, the characteristic masks of hysteria are often antisocial tendencies, and in women, hysteria in our time is often hidden behind psychosomatic reactions and illnesses.

One of the main ideas of a patient with hysteria is: “I am inadequate and incapable of living on my own.” This assumption and false thought pattern is also common in other personality disorders.

The hysteric differs from others in how he tries to cope with the problem. For example, depressed people with this belief will fixate on negative aspects of themselves, feeling worthless and hopeless. Hysterical individuals, on the other hand, take a more pragmatic approach, leaving nothing to chance.

They conclude that since they are unable to take care of themselves, they must find a way to get others to take care of them. They then begin to actively seek attention and approval to ensure that those around them are sufficiently meeting their needs. The belief that everyone must love them for their survival leads to an intense fear of rejection.

The need to seek approval is often expressed through excessive expression of one's sexual role. Hysterical women with early age were rewarded for elegance, physical attractiveness and charm, rather than for competence or any effort requiring systematic thinking, planning, patience.

Hysterical men have learned to play an extremely masculine role, being rewarded for courage, toughness, and strength rather than for actual competence or problem-solving ability.

Since the time of E. Kretschmer, ideas about demonstrative behavior (involuntary affectation, penance) of behavior have been considered in the light of the doctrine of hysteria. Female hysteria is predominantly extroverted and painfully addressed to the outside world and surrounding witnesses. Male hysteria is more often introverted and turned towards oneself: “I can manage without you!” (shelter in demonstrative passivity). Or it is characterized by internal bravado: “I love you all!..” (exit into the idea of one’s activity). This is already heroic hysteria.

The desire to be liked is not necessarily pathological in itself. However, hysterical individuals are so keen on this strategy that they use it ineffectively. Carried away by their role and attention, they lose sight of the real goal and begin to seek excitement and drama for their own sake: the path from the idea of being liked to the habit of showing off.

Hysteroids consider themselves sociable, friendly and pleasant individuals. They really get along with people easily, they know how to adapt well and find common language at first. At the beginning of a relationship they are often perceived as very charming. But then it becomes noticeable to most of the interlocutors that the actions of hysterical personalities are picturesque, their emotions are bright and exaggerated, but superficial.

When others discover them negative traits, they easily break ties and leave to look for new ones. And those who left are accused of misunderstanding, inconsistency, and that they were “inappropriate” or even inadequate people. Charm is gradually lost, and hysterics begin to be considered overly demanding and in need of support.

In an effort to achieve acceptance and approval, they tend to resort to tricks and often use manipulation. They may use tears, fainting, falls, various illnesses, scandals, intrigues, lies, boasting, dressing up, unusual hobbies, etc. And if more subtle methods fail, they resort to coercion, blackmail, outbursts of irritation and threats of suicide.

The characteristic style of thinking of a hysteroid leads to several internal psychological distortions that Aaron Beck has identified. Since these people are quite impressionable, not prone to reflection and analysis, they are susceptible to dichotomous (“black and white”) thinking, react intensely and spontaneously, hastily drawing extremely negative or positive conclusions.

Because these individuals lack attention to detail and logic, they also tend to overgeneralize. Because of their preoccupation with external events, people of this type tend to value external events more than their internal experiences. This leads to avoidance of self-knowledge, which is a serious obstacle to adequate self-perception and quality interaction with others. Which, in turn, entails various problems in communication, both for their interlocutors and for themselves.

In the domestic medical environment There are expressions (tropes) that distinguish Homo hystericus into two types as an informal, unspoken and parascientific division: “hysterosis mimosa” and “hysterosis bitch”.

“Mimosa” appears to be weak and helpless, subtle and vulnerable, submissive and surrendering, while “bitch” is seen as strong and domineering, aggressive and insidious, seducing and punishing. “Mimosa” seduces with the desire to protect, “bitch” with the desire to achieve. In general, this is a phenomenologically accurate, although not entirely correct, designation of subgroups.

Two main lessons that can be learned as a master class from “mimosa hysteria.” First: if you don’t know anything about your partner, be silent and kind, give him the opportunity to speak and create a “projection screen.” Second: if your opponent is stronger than you or has greater resources of any order, help him believe in his global superiority over you and your helplessness. As a result of these two actions, the hysteric himself will tell about all his weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and will trustfully hand over all access keys for use.

Today, the concept of “bitch” has become almost synonymous with female success and assertive (confident) behavior. “Do you want to become the same – confident, strong, self-sufficient? Today we're teaching Real Bitch lessons!" – the headlines of websites and advertisements are full of them.

Dozens of popular books, hundreds of seminars, trainings and advisers on “how to become a real bitch” and manage “men and the world” have somewhat upended the usual interpretation of this term and concept.

In a figurative sense, a bitch is traditionally perceived as a scandalous, grumpy and wayward woman. But literally, according to Dahl’s dictionary, a bitch is the corpse of a dead animal, carrion, carrion. Which is very symbolic and even metaphorical, since, intentionally or not, it reflects a lifeless, artificial game of strong personality a deeply insecure person trying with enormous effort to create an attractive virtual image.

Now in our society they are trying to position a strong, self-sufficient, intelligent, beautiful and self-loving woman, a skilled manipulator and master of seduction, as a “bitch”. The characteristics and advantages of “bitches” are attributed to a combination of impeccable female appearance with a cold, calculating mind and a male logical, cynical view of the world and attitude towards people.

She knows exactly what she wants and how she can achieve it. She has a clear plan and needs a man who will fit into it perfectly and help implement it. Such women have something to show, and they skillfully use it, turning their every step into a performance and an act of seduction.

A bitch usually uses her outward sexuality and initiative as a tool to manage relationships. However, hysterics become hostages diligently and with my own hands the created image of success and independence: an unusual role over a long distance is too difficult for them. As real relationships are formed, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the image - in direct proportion to their density and duration.

Author Guseva Tamara Ivanovna

LECTURE No. 4. The idea of personality structure in various psychological theories. Factor analysis in the study of personality There are a number of psychological theories that describe the structure of personality. Russian and Soviet psychological school presented in the works of I.P.

From the book Personality Psychology: lecture notes author Guseva Tamara Ivanovna

LECTURE No. 5. Role theories of personality. The concept of the structure of personality as a set of social roles Role theory of personality is an approach to the study of personality, according to which a personality is described by means of what it has learned and accepted (internalization) or forced

From the book I Need Your Love - Is It Real? by Katie Byron

5 Personalities don't love - personalities want something When masks are dropped, people often feel resentful and disappointed - but many couples withstand such a test and do not break up. Partners still want something from each other and think they can get what they want. Many

author Voitina Yulia Mikhailovna

19. STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY. ORIENTATION OF PERSONALITY Orientation of personality is a system of motivations that determines the selectivity of relationships and human activity. It has certain forms and is characterized by certain qualities. The level is social

From the book Cheat Sheet on General Psychology author Voitina Yulia Mikhailovna

33. SOCIALIZATION OF PERSONALITY. FORMS OF ORIENTATION OF A PERSONALITY One is not born as a person, one becomes one. The formation of personality occurs in the course of its socialization; socialization of personality is the process of personality formation in certain social conditions, during

From the book Personality Psychology in the works of domestic psychologists author Kulikov Lev

Personality orientation. subjective relationships of the individual. B. F. Lomov Despite the differences in interpretations of personality, in all approaches orientation is highlighted as its leading characteristic. In different concepts this characteristic is revealed in different ways: how

From the book Safe Communication, or How to Become Invulnerable! author Kovpak Dmitry

Hysterical personalities Abrupt changes in mood - from deafening laughter to a shrill cry over any trifle, demonstrative behavior and eternal discontent. “Hysterical” - they say behind such a person’s back. But what is more here: promiscuity, bad manners,

From the book How to Fuck the World [Real techniques of submission, influence, manipulation] author Shlakhter Vadim Vadimovich

Myth of Personality Very important point is a myth of your personality. You know that you are better than everyone else, but why? Yes, you have difficulties, but others have difficulties too. Your life is full of dangers, but others may have just as many dangers. You live according to regulations, but so do many others.

From the book Teenager [The Difficulties of Growing Up] author Kazan Valentina

Transfer of mental states from person to person In the process of interaction, parents and adolescents are inextricably linked with each other. They manifest themselves in a joint common emotional field, in which their mental states are primarily visible. These include

From the book General psychology author Dmitrieva N Yu

52. Personality type Currently, it is customary to distinguish four main types of temperament: 1) strong, balanced, mobile - sanguine; 2) strong, balanced, sedentary - phlegmatic; 3) strong, unbalanced - choleric; 4) weak, unbalanced - melancholic.

From the book Personality Manipulation author Grachev Georgy

PART II. COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES OF SECRET COERCION OF A PERSON Chapter 1 Psychological operations as complex organizational technologies of secret coercion of a person 1.1. Activation and main areas of use of complex organizational

From the book Legal psychology[With the basics of general and social psychology] author Enikeev Marat Iskhakovich

§ 1. The concept of personality. Socialization of personality. Structure of mental properties of a personality A person as a subject of social relations, a bearer of socially significant qualities is a person. A person is not born with ready-made abilities, character, etc. These properties

From the book Child of Fortune, or Antikarma. Practical guide according to the luck model author Grigorchuk Timofey

Personalities How does a personality differ from the gray mass? First of all, nonconformism. But there is a balance there. The gray mass is the mass of conformists, i.e. people who agree with everything and listen to everyone, and if they are not shaken, they will not get out of the rut. But also tough nonconformists

From the book Psychology: Cheat Sheet author Author unknown

From the book Psychology and Pedagogy: Cheat Sheet author Author unknown

Although this personality type is more often observed in women, hysterically organized men are no exception. The hysterical character is specifically distinguished by its fixation on the genital stage of the child’s development (Reich, 1999).

People with a hysterical personality structure are characterized by high levels of anxiety, tension and reactivity, especially interpersonally. These are warm-hearted, “energetic” and intuitively “humane” people who tend to find themselves in situations involving personal drama and risk. Due to the high levels of anxiety and conflict from which they suffer, their emotionality may seem superficial, artificial and exaggerated to others. Many researchers believe that hysterical people are tense, hypersensitive, and sociophilic individuals (McWilliams, 1998).

People with a hysterical personality structure use repression, sexualization, and regression. They are characterized by an antiphobic reaction outwardly, usually associated with imagined power and danger emanating from the opposite sex.

Because people with a hysterical structure have an excess of unconscious anxiety, guilt and shame, and perhaps because they are tense and overstimulated, they are easily overwhelmed. Experiences endured by people of a different psychological type can be traumatic for hysterics. Therefore, they often resort to the mechanism of dissociation to reduce the amount of affectively charged information they must simultaneously deal with.

The main sense of self in hysteria is that of a small, fearful and defective child coping with difficulties as well as can be expected in a world dominated by powerful and alien others. Although people with a hysterical personality often act as controlling and manipulative, their subjective psychological state is completely opposite.

Another way for people with a hysterical personality to achieve self-esteem is to save others. They can show care for their inner fearful child through appeal, providing assistance to a child who is in danger.

In people of this character, there is an erroneous sense of the presence of “being” in what others see and value, as a result of which the center of attraction for the psyche of a given individual becomes his own imaginary image, and not his true Self; this imaginary image dictates the actions of the individual; his idea of his own value is based on it.

There is reason to believe that in representatives of this type, genetically determined endomorphy serves to support the need for self-love. Since physical beauty is much more common among representatives of this type than among any other character, it can be assumed that this feature, and perhaps the playful disposition of the spirit determined by the physique, “seduce” on its own, without any attempt on the part of child to be seduced.

The core behavioral trait is to attract the attention of others. Most often, increased sociability, a specific ostentatious manner of behavior, exaggeration of emotional reactions and the importance of one’s own thoughts and actions, and manipulation of others are used for this. With the latter, peculiar sanctions are usually applied for inattention to oneself - outbursts of anger and irritability, tears and accusations. Direct and indirect attempts to attract attention to oneself are always accompanied by a denial of interest in this and a reaction of indignation to such an assumption. The most intolerable thing for patients is indifference on the part of others; in this case, even the role of a “negative hero” is preferred (Popov, Vid, 2000).

Both sexes tend to emphasize their sexual attractiveness, for which the behavioral pattern is usually used not of sexual aggressiveness, but of frivolity, flirting, and a caricature of emphasizing one’s irresistibility. At the same time, psychosexual dysfunctions are common - anorgasmia in women, impotence in men. Such sexual behavior is aimed, first of all, not at satisfying the sexual instinct, but at confirming one’s own attractiveness in the eyes of others; the need for this is limitless. External extroverted behavior is accompanied by self-centeredness, fixation on meeting one’s needs, and neglect of the needs of other people, which makes emotionally intense relationships with others generally superficial and unstable.

To diagnose a hysterical character type, the condition must correspond to at least four of the following qualities or behavioral stereotypes:
1) ostentatious character, theatrical behavior or exaggerated expression of feelings;
2) suggestibility, easy susceptibility to environmental or situational influences;
3) superficial, labile affect;
4) constant search for exciting experiences and activities in which the subject is the center of attention;
5) inadequate emphasis on one’s sexuality in appearance and behavior;
6) excessive concern about one's external attractiveness.

Lowen (1998) describes the following specific traits of the hysterical character: submission in order to win the favor and love of a man. The lower part of the body from the hips may be soft and pliable, while the upper part may be rigid and tight.

The hysterical structure is characterized by rigidity of the body, as a result of which the person seems to be encased in armor. The back is rigid to the point of inflexibility, the neck is tense and holds the head very straight. But it is much more important that the front part of the body is clamped. It is the rigidity of the pectoral and abdominal muscles that can be called armor.

Genetically, armor develops due to the fettering of aggression in a child. Psychologically, armor is an expression of the state when, when attacked, a person internally shrinks instead of responding with a blow. Physically, this compression of the front part of the body is carried out by tilting the shoulders and pelvis back; As a result, while tension increases at the same time, the muscles also contract. No armor can be removed without first releasing the suppressed anger, which immediately begins to flow into the hands in a strong stream.

Nevertheless, the statement remains true that the hysterical character has such a physique in which the rigidity of the whole body is combined with a completely mobile pelvis.

If we try to get to the heart of a hysterical character, to mobilize a deeply hidden feeling of love, then sooner or later we will stumble upon an obstacle. Bioenergetic research shows that this barrier is localized in the neck and jaws and has the appearance of muscle tension, giving these structures rigidity and tightness. Analysis of this situation suggests that this is an expression of pride and determination. No less than pride, the hysterical character is characterized by a feeling of deep resentment. The hysterical character is afraid of falling, and this fear of falling manifests itself in rigidity of the legs.

Hysteria is a somewhat old-fashioned concept that in modern usage carries a negative connotation. People say: “stop being hysterical”, “hysterical with or without reason” when it comes to uncontrollable experiences. The scientific term used is histrionic character, which occurs in people without noticeable hysterical symptoms.

Bright, talented people who have established themselves in a public profession may have a normal histrionic or hysterical personality type, while sick people suffering from epileptic seizures without epilepsy, blindness without eye diseases, and other psychogenic symptoms without organic lesions may have hysterical neurosis.

Hysterical personality type: inner world and formation

A hysterical child is receptive and sensitive by temperament - he fights and cries when it hurts, and screams with delight when it’s fun. The child is looking for new sensations and is overwhelmed by them, sometimes unable to cope with the volume of experiences. A hysteroid has innate sensitivity, like a schizoid, but unlike him, a hysteroid child is drawn to people.

The child is passionately involved in the game; he cannot be distracted in order to feed him. Only when hunger becomes intense does he suddenly realize that he is “terribly” hungry, right now and “very, very much”

From a conversation with the mother of a six-year-old boy.

In the childhood experiences of women with a hysterical personality type, one can detect events and attitudes that ascribed power and value to male. Typical situations are when a girl is painfully aware that adults prefer boys, and men have much more power than mother or women.

Grandfather kicked out my pregnant mother with the words: “I brought it in the hem, throw it on all four sides.”

From a therapeutic conversation.

When a girl child receives positive attention, it is associated with appearance, either with cuteness or naivety. Growing up, the girl notices that people of her gender are less valuable, and boys are even scolded using comparisons with girls - “you’re like a girl!”

The father of a histrionic woman is often emotional and explosive, which inspires horror in a sensitive girl. He attracts you and, at the same time, scares you. If there is no father in the family, then his absence makes men in the eyes of the girl exciting, unknown and suitable for idealization.

Having internalized the patriarchal stereotype “men have power, access to resources, they are strong and dangerous, and women are soft and kind, but weak and defenseless,” a woman - a hysterical personality type - seeks support and the basis of her own self-esteem in relationships with men whom she perceives as powerful and influential.

I like to ask groups one provocative question about women's rights. With an innocent face, I ask: “Tell me, in which country and in what year did women get the right to vote?” After this, those present strain the part of their memory that is responsible for knowing history, and offer options for a long time... They are rare, since the first such country was New Zealand in 1893. And when we finally finish guessing and name the facts, I ask the second of the prepared questions: “Tell me, from whom did they get this right?” Usually there is dead silence in the audience.

Excerpt from the book "I am a feminist. Do you want to talk about it?"
Maria Sabunaeva

Hysterical boys, raised by a mother with a physically or psychologically absent father, develop in a hysterical direction as a result of contemptuous comparison with stereotypical “real men.” Idealized “real” men are strong, generous heroes, who “are like the moon to this bespectacled guy.”

If masculinity is belittled by the mother - “you wimp, where are you puffing yourself up”, or sexuality is belittled - “did you change your panties, washed your bells?”, then the boy develops a feeling of male inadequacy that will accompany him into adulthood. The unconscious meaning of attracting attention to oneself in histrionic people is an attempt to prove that they themselves and their gender deserve respect, in contrast to childhood experiences.

Deep inside the hysterical personality is a small, frightened, imperfect child who copes as best he can in a world dominated by powerful others. Therefore, it is important for a histrionic personality to learn to rely on oneself, to believe that without sexism a personality is interesting in itself. That a man, for example, can be interested in the content of the thoughts and feelings of a histrionic woman, and resist her seductive sexual impulses.

Thus, often the source of a hysterical personality type is the feeling that one’s own gender identity is associated with problems against the background of innate sensitivity and receptivity.

Hysterical men have a painful awareness of the unattainability of the ideal of a real man - a strong macho who can do anything and defeat everyone. Innate emotionality was belittled by adults in the family or at school, as it was considered a girlish manifestation. Receptive hysterical men attract the attention of others, unconsciously proving that a man can be different while remaining a man.

Hysterical women have an understanding of the patriarchal structure - discrimination of women by men, the weakness and defenselessness of women and the strength and power of men. Emotionality and sensitivity develop into sexuality, through which attempts are made to correct the imbalance and become equal to men. A hysterical woman unconsciously proves to herself and others that she is valuable and has meaning in herself.

Hysteroid: relationships with others

The hysterical personality type is organized around themes of sexuality and sexual power. Normal desires for intimacy with others are intensified, filled with sexual energy. Hysteroids, especially women, are seductive without realizing the implicit sexual invitations in their behavior. And they are shocked when others perceive their behavior as initiating a sexual relationship.

You say “no”, but your whole body seems to say “yes”.

From a retelling of the conversation young man with a girl

The self-esteem of histrionic people depends on the feeling that they have the same power as the person they fear or an authoritative person of the other gender - “this powerful person is part of me.” This idea is present in the psychology of female fans who idealize an idol, artist or singer.

A young attractive student became interested in a courageous and brutal teacher. She approached all men like a reverent follower, and it was not easy for them to ignore her seductiveness. When she received the signal that the teacher was also attracted to her, she experienced a sense of power, excitement, importance, and, at the same time, fear and guilt for receiving the attention of a married man.

It is important to regain the right to be outside the power of another, a separate and interesting person. It is difficult for a histrionic person to believe in his own importance. His emotional statements only seem theatrical or exaggerated: “I saw such a thing!” Having experience of devaluation, they do not expect respectful attention to feelings; they intensify them in order to convince themselves and others of their own right to self-expression.

When the hysteroid has the experience of being heard, he has the opportunity to describe his feelings believably without amplification.

Hysterical people may act out of spite of their own fears, appearing fearless, adventurous and bright. They seduce when they are afraid, put themselves on display when they are ashamed of their body, move into the spotlight when they unconsciously consider themselves inferior to others, strive to perform feats when they are afraid of aggression, provoke authority figures when they feel threatened by them.

Thus, they try to cope with internal anxiety and fears.

Sometimes a histrionic person in a state of stress “runs away” into physical symptoms - he wakes up, forgets, gets sick. It is important not to devalue the symptom by accusing the hysterical person of faking the disease.

The famous "glove paralysis" was described by Freud, its essence is that it is lost motor activity in the hand. The disorder cannot have a physiological neurological cause, since nerve damage leading to hand paralysis will cause paralysis of the entire arm. This symptom resolved the internal conflict between the desire for sexual self-stimulation and the prohibition against it.

Symptoms of diseases without physiological causes - heart pain without diagnosable heart disease, intestinal problems with a healthy intestine and other diseases in the absence of physiological problems - are striking manifestations of a person who has a hysterical personality type. Symptoms of a disease can be presented as something objective, as something that cannot be ignored.

With the help of symptoms, a histrionic person tries to show more clearly what he really feels. However, from the point of view of those around him, he “overacts,” and as a result, he is not taken seriously, his feelings and suffering are devalued—the trauma is repeated.

She’s forty years old, and she’s all in red tights and miniskirts...

From gossip among women

The hysteroid pretends to be who it really is. Unlike the narcissist, who needs the admiration of others to fill the inner emptiness, the hysterical is overwhelmed with experiences and expresses them too vividly, too theatrically, or through psychosomatic symptoms, trying to be taken seriously.

“When you talk to me as an adult, I don’t believe you. When you say that I’m strong, point out my own achievements, I can’t believe it, I’m afraid to believe it, I don’t believe it. I feel weak, of little value, so I should at least be well-groomed. But when I look in the mirror, I feel like a terribly ugly ugly person!” The monologue of a beautiful woman who has a hysterical personality type can be perceived as coquetry, but the drama is that the intensity of her experiences is so high that it is difficult for her to cope with them. At the same time, due to the level of anxiety and internal conflicts from which she suffers, her emotionality appears to others as exaggerated or superficial, and her feelings change too quickly.

The hysterical intensifies the emotion in order to convince others that he is actually experiencing it. At the same time, he retains the opportunity to retract his words if others reject him.

"I was sooooooo panicked!" - the hysterical woman says, widening her eyes, inviting her interlocutors to consider panic as actually absent or trivial. But there was panic there, and it’s difficult for a hysterical person to say this directly and calmly. Suddenly rejected? If they take you seriously, then good, that’s how it was, but if they reject you or make fun of you, then there was no panic, “I exaggerated specifically for laughs.”

If a histrionic person manages to combine his receptivity and sensitivity with a logical approach, amazing creativity. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the awareness of feelings and recognition of their significance, but also to the integration of thinking and feeling.

So, we have identified the following characteristics of a person who has a histrionic or hysterical personality type, and suggested ways to integrate them into life:

The assimilation of the patriarchal stereotype “men have power, access to resources, are strong and dangerous, and women are soft and kind, but weak and defenseless,” leads to the fact that the hysterical woman seeks support and the basis of her own self-esteem in attachment to the men she perceives domineering. But it is important to look for support within the individual, perceiving oneself also outside the context of gender, as a person.
It is important for hysterical men to accept themselves as “different”, not like the stereotype “macho who doesn’t cry.”
The self-esteem of histrionic people depends on the feeling that they have the same power as the person they fear or an authority figure of the other gender - “this powerful person is part of me.” It is also important to regain the right to be outside the power of another, a separate and interesting person.
Increased feelings, theatricality. When the hysterical feels heard, he has the opportunity to describe his feelings believably without amplification.
In a state of stress, he “runs away” into physical symptoms - he wakes up, forgets, gets sick. It is important not to devalue the symptom by accusing the hysterical person of faking a disease, but to listen to what the body wants to “tell” and check for the presence of an organic disease.
If you manage to combine your receptivity and sensitivity with a logical approach, amazing creative abilities appear.

Tags: Hysteria,

Did you like the post? Support the magazine "Psychology Today", click:

Hysterical personality type: inner world and formation

From a conversation with the mother of a six-year-old boy.

In the childhood experiences of women with a hysterical personality type, one can find events and attitudes that ascribed power and value to the male sex. Typical situations are when a girl is painfully aware that adults prefer boys, and men have much more power than mother or women.

Grandfather kicked out my pregnant mother with the words: “I brought it in the hem, throw it on all four sides.”

From a therapeutic conversation.

Excerpt from the book "I am a feminist. Do you want to talk about it?"
Maria Sabunaeva

Thus, often the source of a hysterical personality type is the feeling that one’s own gender identity is associated with problems against the background of innate sensitivity and receptivity.

Hysteroid: relationships with others

You say “no”, but your whole body seems to say “yes”.

From a retelling of a conversation between a young man and a girl

When the hysteroid has the experience of being heard, he has the opportunity to describe his feelings believably without amplification.

Thus, they try to cope with internal anxiety and fears.

The famous “glove paralysis” was described by Freud; its essence is that motor activity in the hand is lost. The disorder cannot have a physiological neurological cause, since nerve damage leading to hand paralysis will cause paralysis of the entire arm. This symptom resolved the internal conflict between the desire for sexual self-stimulation and the prohibition against it.

She’s forty years old, and she’s all in red tights and miniskirts...

From gossip among women

The hysterical intensifies the emotion in order to convince others that he is actually experiencing it. At the same time, he retains the opportunity to retract his words if others reject him.

If a histrionic person manages to combine his receptivity and sensitivity with a logical approach, amazing creative abilities appear. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the awareness of feelings and recognition of their significance, but also to the integration of thinking and feeling.

So, we have identified the following characteristics of a person who has a histrionic or hysterical personality type, and suggested ways to integrate them into life:

The assimilation of the patriarchal stereotype “men have power, access to resources, are strong and dangerous, and women are soft and kind, but weak and defenseless,” leads to the fact that the hysterical woman seeks support and the basis of her own self-esteem in attachment to the men she perceives domineering. But it is important to look for support within the individual, perceiving oneself also outside the context of gender, as a person.
It is important for hysterical men to accept themselves as “different”, not like the stereotype “macho who doesn’t cry.”
The self-esteem of histrionic people depends on the feeling that they have the same power as the person they fear or an authority figure of the other gender - “this powerful person is part of me.” It is also important to regain the right to be outside the power of another, a separate and interesting person.
Increased feelings, theatricality. When the hysterical feels heard, he has the opportunity to describe his feelings believably without amplification.
In a state of stress, he “runs away” into physical symptoms - he wakes up, forgets, gets sick. It is important not to devalue the symptom by accusing the hysterical person of faking a disease, but to listen to what the body wants to “tell” and check for the presence of an organic disease.
If you manage to combine your receptivity and sensitivity with a logical approach, amazing creative abilities appear.

Tags: Hysteria,

Did you like the post? Support the magazine "Psychology Today", click:

The nature of communication and interaction

Compatibility with other characters

Hysterical personalities

Hysterical personality type: inner world and formation

Hysteroid: relationships with others

Hysterical personality type: inner world and formation

Hysteroid: relationships with others

Women's hairstyles of the 18th century

Short congratulations on Valentine's Day Rhymes for valentines for children

What is the best method of hair extensions?