Neuroticism

Question

Any precursors or causes of the trait (where does it come from? Why do people become neurotic or conscientious?)

Answer 1

Hi Denise! 

 

The answer to your question depends on which psychological theory you refer to. These days, not many psychological theories refer specifically to neurosis, but rather focus on anxiety and depression. Do you have a particular theory in mind? The first one that comes to my mind is Freud's psychoanalytic theory of the psyche, as put forth and developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many post-Freudians also discuss neurosis, which may differ from Freud's original thoughts. However, I will focus on Freud's thoughts to give you a preliminary answer. It involves some other Freudian conceptions such as the pleasure principle, reality principle, the instincts/drives, and sublimation. 

 

As Freud viewed it, neurosis is a peculiar psychological ailment since it is characterized by the inability to experience pleasure due to high levels of anxiety, shame, and/or guilt. For Freud, the psyche is ruled by the pleasure principle, which is approximately fulfilled when the instincts/drives are allowed satisfaction. For Freud, the instincts/drives are divided into those that serve Eros (love, primarily of a sexual nature) and those that serve Death (primarily of an aggressive nature). However, in civilized society, we must sacrifice some pleasure since fulfilling the instincts/drives is not always appropriate or acceptable (we have customs/laws against certain sexual and aggressive acts). This means that we must yield to the reality principle in lieu of the pleasure principle. This involves putting off immediate pleasure by finding satisfaction through more appropriate means. Although this results in a lowered intensity and deferral of pleasure, those who develop more or less 'normally' can lead 'healthy' satisfied adult lives.

 

However, the neurotic is mostly incapable of finding deferred satisfaction. He or she becomes fixated on certain prohibited or 'bad' thoughts that cause a high level of guilt and anxiety. For Freud, this is due to some early childhood traumatic experience through which the child was made to feel a high level of shame and guilt for acting on the instincts/drives. For instance, the child might have been caught touching himself in an 'inappropriate' way and the severity of the punishment might have made an indelible impression upon him (perhaps he was beaten or made to sit in a corner with his hands tied for hours). Instead of sublimating this erotic drive (i.e. finding an alternative, 'healthy' release for the instinct/drive), the neurotic becomes stuck in the earlier childhood experience that causes a high level of guilt and anxiety every time he has the thought of acting on that instinct/drive. In effect, he does not allow himself any satisfaction by other means (sublimation of the erotic drive can take many forms, such as the production of art). He is too 'caught up' on the negativity of his earlier experiences. He may try to cope with the anxiety by repeatedly washing his hands or performing another ritual every time he has the forbidden thought, but such compulsions rarely lessen anxiety over the long term. For Freud neurosis can easily lead to what we today call obsessive compulsive disorder. 

 

This type of neurosis, however, should not be confused with war neurosis, which is more or less equivalent with post traumatic stress disorder. Although it results in repetitive thoughts and high level of anxiety, it is not caused by early childhood traumas.

 

Hope this helps a bit!