Schizoid character traits. Schizoid psychotype

People with this personality type are not uncommon. Among them there are also geniuses who are driving force development of civilization, and types who are completely isolated from the world (a form of schizophrenia).

We will leave psychiatric patients outside the scope of this article, and will give information about healthy people. We’ll also talk a little about the borderline state between normality and pathology, i.e. about schizoid personality disorder.

What is this

Main psychological characteristics such a person – complete or partial isolation from real world, self-isolation and underdevelopment of the emotional sphere.

The experiences and feelings of people of this type are multifaceted. There are too many of them, they overwhelm a person, but he does not let them out and does not show emotions. Usually people with such a mental organization are convinced that they are completely free from the conventions and traditions of society.

They try to isolate themselves from society and treat others arrogantly. Their usual position is “no one can tell me”, “I am God and the master of life”, etc.

People of this type are poor comforters and not empathetic listeners. They find it difficult to feel compassion for others or to be happy for anyone.

Often the epithets eccentric, strange, reserved are applied to a person with such a personality organization.

Causes

Often the reason for the formation of a personality of the schizoid type is mental trauma (threat to life or loss of a sense of security) received during different stages development.

During the prenatal period

Example (A). The child’s mother, his father and other relatives want to terminate the pregnancy, that is, they want this child not to be born. The energy of anger and rejection emanates from them. And the fetus perceives these flows of energy, affecting it negatively. As a result, blockages appear that interrupt the interconnection of organs.
Example (B). The mother does not intend to take the child’s life, but is constantly in stressful situation(moral and physical violence in the family). This also threatens the life of the fetus, and he, trying to preserve it, calms down and hides. Figuratively speaking, he splits himself into pieces. All of the above are prerequisites for negative feelings, which the born toddler begins to experience towards others.

Immediately after birth

If a newborn is immediately taken away from his mother, he may perceive this as a threat to his life - he is left alone in an unfamiliar world, abandoned.

With improper upbringing in the family

Conclusion: the alienation of parents or guardians from the child, as well as the unceremonious imposition of their opinion, often contributes to the fact that the personality begins to develop along a “schizoid” path.

After all, adults are obliged not only to formally take care of their sons or daughters, but also to communicate with them, giving affection and warmth, to instill in children a sense of confidence and security, and to try to understand them.

A child who does not have virtues and friends in the person of his parents begins to look for such a patron and intercessor within himself. This is how he protects individuality so that it is not swallowed up or crushed.

Stages of formation

PRE-SCHOOL YEARS

First features schizoid character can be noticed in a child already in preschool age(at 3 or 4 years old).

SCHOOL YEARS

During school years, such a child does not change much. He does not try to establish contact with classmates and find friends. The child’s self-esteem is high and the opinions of others are of little concern to him.

Most often, he likes purely intellectual communication, the exchange of information, without any emotions. Often such students develop extraordinary abilities in mathematics or literary writing.

Sometimes it seems that the child knows a lot. There is only one thing he cannot do - the language of human relationships.

The child himself, of course, notices that it is difficult for him to establish contacts with other children. That's why he doesn't go for walks.

A child with such a personality organization is completely unemotional and does not show intense joy, sadness or anger. When communicating with him, it is difficult to understand how he perceives your impact on him. Parents often experience childhood coldness (if they themselves are not of the schizoid type).

Such children do not like to kiss and hug their parents and cannot tolerate such affection towards themselves (it is unpleasant for them).

The non-standard character traits of schizoid individuals and their inability to communicate with peers often provoke conflicts with classmates. Usually these eccentrics are destined for the position of outcasts.

Such children do not know how to defend themselves and manipulate others. The role of a leader will be alien to him and little understood in the future.

TEENAGE YEARS

This is the most difficult period for withdrawn children. Intellectual superiority over classmates is good. Constant rejection by peers and inability to establish relationships with them is bad.

A teenager's self-esteem begins to change constantly. It can rise to delusions of grandeur or quickly fall down when the child feels worthless and engages in self-flagellation.

Parents' attempts to interfere with him inner world sometimes met with violent protest.

A schizoid teenager will be irritated by many things:

The parents entered the room and did not knock.
They touched his things.
They control their studies.
They are interested in his life.

Very often, loneliness does not bother teenagers with this type of personality, but their isolation and constant isolation from their peers attracts attention.
Sports activities are not alien to such children. But they will prefer single sports rather than team ones.

What to do and how to treat a withdrawn child

Schizoid personality type

Peculiarities

Adult individuals already have an established character. He is full of contradictions. And it is almost impossible to understand their inner world. What worries such a person, what feelings overwhelm him, what hurts him greatly?

It's hard to say, because outwardly he looks mentally indifferent and cold. It is extremely difficult to understand and imagine how a schizoid type perceives the world.

A small detail that most people wouldn't pay attention to is very significant to him. And, on the contrary, very important facts will not have any meaning for him.

Behavior

A person has an ambivalent attitude towards himself. He is aware of his high intellectual potential. This instills in him feelings of pride and superiority, and sometimes even contempt for others.

However, there is a complete lack of understanding social relations, in which other people are involved, greatly reduces the self-esteem of schizoids.

Their behavior is characterized by the following features:

Inability to behave even in the simplest situations.
If people almost openly show their hostility, it is difficult for them to evaluate and understand the situation.
Their intuition is undeveloped and they cannot resist intrigue and ill-wishers. And if they are treated with sympathy and love, this also remains unnoticed until they are told about it directly and openly.

The art of communication for people with a schizoid character - Chinese letter, which they are not given the opportunity to master.

Antipathy to communication is manifested by them in various ways: from timidity and shyness to crude irony and cruelty (if only they would quickly leave them alone). Mutually exclusive traits coexist in a person: stubbornness with pliability, coldness and indifference with vulnerability.

They are characterized by love at first sight. However, in family life They are characterized by everyday inability and indifference to small children, and adultery. They are not easy partners.

The ideal partner for a schizoid is one who will constantly clean up after him and free him from everyday worries: paying bills, planning a budget, raising children.

Appearance

People of the schizoid type are perceived by others as eccentrics and eccentrics.

Their behavior, gait, facial expressions, manners, feelings - everything looks bizarre:

Negative traits

Excessive isolation.
Inability to empathize and care for others (selfishness).
Arrogance on display.
Idealization of your ideas and desires.
Inability to compromise.
Thirst for personal freedom, but deny it to your loved ones.
Increased suspicion.
Tendency to drug addiction and alcoholism.

Positive features

Curiosity, erudition, high intellectual potential.
A rich inner world, in which there are many ideas and fantasies.
Persistence in solving complex problems.
Constant preferences.
Respecting the boundaries of someone else's personal space.
Commitment to the idea put forward and perseverance in implementing the planned project.

Fears

On a subconscious level, a schizoid feels as if he will be denied the opportunity to exist, that he will be destroyed, absorbed.
A lingering feeling of anxiety and the feeling that you are a stranger everywhere and to everyone.
These negative emotions can generate feelings of anger, and stress can trigger personality disorders.

Signs of the disorder

Psychoanalysts consider this disorder as a borderline state between the schizoid personality type and schizophrenia. This disorder is not classified as psychotic (the individual distinguishes between the imaginary world and the real one).

It is believed that with schizoid disorder, a person tends to go into a fantasy world and thus protect himself from outside world. Moreover characteristics personalities remain intact.

General criteria for personality disorder:

It is difficult to meet a person with an absolutely “pure” character type. As a rule, mixed types are more common. For example, schizoid-hysteroid personality type.

In this case, some features characteristic of hysteroids will be added to the expressed features:

suggestibility,
inadequate demonstration of one’s sexuality in behavior and appearance,
ostentatious character,
excessive preoccupation with one's attractiveness.

If a person has a paranoid-schizoid personality type, then features characteristic of paranoid types will be added:

Constant suspicion and mistrust.
The tendency to shift responsibility from oneself to others.
Contempt for everything weak and flawed.
Increased sensitivity to failure and rejection.
Overestimation of one's own importance.

Professions

Schizoids can engage various types activities that do not involve intensive communication. They are found among doctors, scientists, poets, philosophers, as well as eccentric collectors and vagabonds who do not take into account life values.

Examples from history

People with such a character often achieve unprecedented success in their professional activities due to their intelligence and concentration on the tasks they set for themselves. There is a lot of historical evidence of this.

Artists Van Gogh and Salvador Dali. Philosophers Kant and Hegel. Scientists A. Einstein, Mendeleev, Newton. Composers Bach and Beethoven. Poet B. Pasternak. Psychoanalyst S. Freud.

Treatment

People with schizoid disorder medical care rarely contacted. And those who still decide to come to the doctor are afraid of the conversation. After all, you don’t really want to reveal your inner world to a stranger.

However, there is nothing to fear. A qualified specialist will never put pressure on you. He clearly understands that one cannot invade a person’s personal space and individual thoughts without asking. By communicating with an experienced doctor, people achieve tangible improvement in their condition.

Medicines. There are no special drugs to treat such disorders. However, your doctor may recommend medications to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression that accompany the disorder.

Psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is used. It is she who helps the patient change his behavior and beliefs that caused the problem. By resorting to such therapy, a person is taught adequate ways to respond to various situations, help to cope with the anxiety that appears when it is necessary to communicate with people.

Group therapy. Treatment is most effective in psychotherapeutic groups. Group sessions support the patient and increase social motivation.

For those who realize that their character is close to the schizoid type, psychotherapists recommend:

Learn to show positive emotions.
Pay attention to your communication style with loved ones and relatives.
Remember that moderate restraint is perceived positively by people, but its excessive manifestation is perceived as detachment.
If you feel that it is difficult to cope with the problem yourself, then do not be afraid to seek help from specialists.

Video: Schizoid type

Schizoid personality disorder or schizoid psychopathy is a person’s behavioral characteristics that manifest themselves in avoidance of relationships that may be rich in emotions and experiences. And both negative and positive. Warm feelings or experiences are replaced by fantasies, overly “thought out”, rethought and theorized. This kind of substitution and avoidance occurs due to the fact that real relationships and emotional connections with other people bring fatigue and discomfort.

Speaking about the schizoid personality type, it is worth saying that the most noticeable signs may be precisely this disinterest in any contacts with others and a clear disregard for social norms. Such people may not respond to greetings, dress “strangely” even for the current very tolerant times, do not respect the chain of command, which is why they have constant problems in socialization, both at the stage of training and in the process of trying to get a job. They often have an attitude towards society as a “herd”, which adjusts them to its laws, and therefore a disdainful attitude towards the majority of people, above whom they feel themselves.

It is believed that there are generally eight character types: narcissistic, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, psychopathic, hysterical, depressive-manic, masochistic and schizoid.

Schizoid type character is determined by some discrepancy between the feeling of oneself and the world around us, a feeling of detachment.

Many famous geniuses were schizoid: Albert Einstein, Van Gogh, Kant, Hegel, Archimedes, Newton, Bach... Among living people, these include the intellectual Anatoly Wasserman and the mathematician Grigory Perelman, who refused the European Mathematical Society Prize in 1996, in 2006 – Fields Medal and in 2010 – the Clay Mathematical Institute Millennium Prize.

In addition, the schizoid type of character is attributed even to fictional characters: Don Quixote and the Hedgehog in the Fog.

People with a schizoid character type tend to:

How and why this type is formed

On this score there is a large number of theories. From a physiological point of view, the nerve endings of schizoids are more sensitive. Even at a very young age, such children may show irritation or depression from the strong lighting of the room or the constant hubbub. It’s no secret that many kids, on the contrary, love the constant presence of adults, it calms them down and gives them a feeling of security. In schizoids, on the contrary, “extra people and movements” tire.

Other theories explain development in connection with the specifics of upbringing: a tough, nervous, explosive, critical father and a “loving” mother who violates personal boundaries. In addition, significant factors for the formation of this type are:

Such a child spends his childhood alone and often in a harassed state. He is better off alone, alone with books, fantasies and conclusions. But, despite their well-read and calm nature, teachers also do not like such a child: he does not participate in amateur activities, cannot explain or write anything beautifully, and “too much” knowledge in narrow areas can generally cause a feeling of competition and a desire to “punish an upstart who undermines authority.” teacher."

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of schizoid psychopathy can be made by a specialist if four or more symptoms are present:

However, a schizoid personality is not always the same in behavior if you observe it. Manifestations can be either of the autistic type with all additional signs (including an extreme degree of problems with socialization), or of the sthenic schizoid type with high success in narrowly focused areas of activity that require extreme forms of pragmatism, coldness and unemotionality in decision making.

One example describes a human resources policy advisor for a large enterprise, who became famous for his absolutely “impersonal” approach to assessing the importance of a particular employee for the overall successful operation of the enterprise, regardless of the employee’s length of service, his prior contribution, current family circumstances, health status and other additional nuances that emotionally responsive people always look at. As a result, he fired workers who had devoted their entire lives to this production and were currently experiencing any life difficulties. And the case became famous because of several suicides that were committed by fired people and which did not cause any emotional reaction in the described adviser.

However, schizoid personality disorder is never diagnosed in the presence of schizophrenia, Asperger's syndrome and delusional disorders.

According to Theodore Millon, there are four subtypes of this disorder:

exhausted, lethargic type, which is characterized by chronic exhaustion, fatigue, lethargy, slowness, apathy;
an anxious, distant type, which is characterized by isolation and separation from the realities of life, isolation, wandering, the inability to stay in one job for a long time and to find a job at all;
depersonalized type, the main specificity of which is a feeling of separation of one’s body and consciousness, absorption in fantasy;
the unemotional type, gloomy and the most emotionally unperturbed.

According to the classification, schizoid disorder belongs to the cluster of unusual and eccentric disorders. The manifestations that were described earlier should be observed from the period of early maturity, that is, from eighteen years of age and older.

It should also be emphasized that some signs must be correlated with age criteria, physiological characteristics and aspects of upbringing. For example, the need for sexual contact may fade with age or be suppressed by a certain upbringing, and the lack of friends may be due to negative life experience or a physical feature that becomes a psychological barrier. However, in these cases, the person does not lose his emotional assessment of this fact: he complains, worries, gets angry, ironizes, makes excuses. In a word, he shows emotions.

In psychoanalysis, such problems are interpreted from the point of view of the presence of a borderline level of development of personal organization in the schizoid personality type. The schizoid type has a tendency to “defensive fantasizing.” Another of his defense mechanisms is intellectualization, which allows him to reduce the emotional significance of events without avoiding the events themselves.

Moreover, his necessary support is sublimation, which is based on his fantasies. With its help, internal tension is relieved, and energy is redistributed in another direction, which is more acceptable for such a person: drawing, sculpture, solving incredible problems.

The main meaning of this approach is that the primary conflict that forms schizoidism is the problem of rapprochement and distance. Such a person constantly maintains a distance from other people, which makes him want to get closer. However, he regards rapprochement as a violation of personal boundaries and absorption, which forces the schizoid to jealously maintain this very distance in order to preserve personal space in his concept. This explains the eccentricity and dissimilarity of many such individuals: following generally accepted norms is also regarded as “absorption.” Therefore, the schizoid clearly neglects the laws of society and social norms.

However, this type of personality does not always act independently. Most often, we are faced with a schizoid-hysteroid personality type, in which schizoid personality disorder adds symptoms of hysteroid: suggestibility, inadequate demonstration of one’s sexual and external attractiveness, posing and “showing off” are added.

Moreover, it should be noted that since he demonstrates this same “attractiveness,” such a person often fits into public opinion: “you can’t look without tears.” Too bright color combinations, overtly emphasizing their shapes. In a word, a red skirt, green tights, an incomprehensible, old-fashioned, but revealing top and at the same time unwashed hair is a completely normal picture of such a girl. Remarks about the absurdity of her appearance cause surprise and can be considered envy.

Many relatives whose loved ones suffer from schizoid disorder individuals are wondering: is it dangerous? As can be seen from what was stated earlier, such people are characterized by isolation and focus on their inner world. They do not show aggression; on the contrary, they try in every possible way to reduce the number of contacts. So they are absolutely safe for others.

In addition, their emotional detachment from the suffering of others is absolutely not equivalent to a lack of understanding of what is happening, because the intellect does not suffer. As a result, a schizoid psychopath, in the event of committing offenses, is fully liable, because they are not mentally ill. But for the person himself, such a disorder can turn into trouble, both in the form of employment problems, and in the form of ridicule and bullying, which begin from school and are caused by some detachment, extravagance and the inability to join the company.

But in the case of a confirmed diagnosis in persons with schizoid personality disorder, the army is most likely excluded.

Treatment

In the case of classic schizoid personality disorder, treatment is extremely difficult, not because these cases are not treatable, but because the patients themselves do not consider their condition a problem. They cannot understand why they are forced to “fit into the herd.” Therefore, they come to the appointment either under pressure from relatives, or with other complaints, for example, with the problem of addiction. The problem of socialization is perfectly solved with the help role playing games. Schizoids in literally accounted for: what people feel and what they are offended by.

A frequent problem is the selection of the necessary psychologist who is able to make contact extremely intelligently, without violating the boundaries of the schizoid and, at the same time, without getting carried away by his philosophizing and reasoning that is not the essence of the problem.

As for drug treatment, the appropriateness of its use has recently been called into question.

But who really needs a psychologist is the relatives of such a person, because it is their isolation and alienation of the child that causes panic, they worry about his future and suffer from his coldness. All this accumulates in a large lump of unspokenness, which can subsequently result in personal health problems: gastrointestinal diseases, heart diseases, diabetes, etc. Work with relatives is aimed at relieving anxiety, tension, and “recharging with love and warmth” in the form of supportive sessions. And the most important thing is the opening of the opportunity to accept such a child as he is.

Schizoid type

The most significant feature of this type isolation, isolation from the environment, inability or unwillingness to establish contacts, and a decreased need for communication are considered. A combination of contradictory traits in personality and behavior - coldness and refined sensitivity, stubbornness and pliability, wariness and gullibility, apathetic inactivity and assertive determination, unsociability and unexpected importunity, shyness and tactlessness, excessive attachments and unmotivated antipathies, rational reasoning and illogical actions, the wealth of inner peace and the colorlessness of its external manifestations - all this made us talk about the lack of “internal unity”. Recently, attention has been drawn to the notion that lack of intuition is the main defect. By intuition here we should mean, first of all, the use of unconscious past experience.

Schizoid traits are revealed earlier than the character traits of all other types. From the first childhood, I am amazed by a child who likes to play alone, is not drawn to peers, avoids noisy fun, prefers to stay among adults, and sometimes silently listens to their conversations for a long time. To this is sometimes added some kind of coldness and childish restraint.

Adolescence is the most difficult period for schizoid psychopathy.

With the onset of puberty, all character traits appear with particular brightness. The isolation and isolation from peers is striking. Sometimes spiritual loneliness does not even bother a schizoid teenager who lives in his own world, with his interests and hobbies that are unusual for others, treating with condescending disdain or obvious hostility towards everything that fills the lives of other teenagers. But more often, schizoids themselves suffer from their isolation, loneliness, inability to communicate, and inability to find a friend to their liking. Unsuccessful attempts to establish friendly relationships, mimosa-like sensitivity at the moments of their search, rapid exhaustion in contact (“I don’t know what else to talk about”) often encourage even greater withdrawal into oneself.

Lack of intuition is manifested by the lack of a “direct sense of reality”, the inability to penetrate into other people’s experiences, guess the desires of others, guess about hostility towards oneself or, conversely, about sympathy and disposition, to grasp the moment when one should not impose one’s presence, and when, on the contrary, , you need to listen, sympathize, and not leave the interlocutor to himself.

To the deficiency of intuition should be added the closely related lack of empathy - the inability to share the joy and sadness of another, to understand the insult, to feel another's excitement and anxiety. This is sometimes referred to as a weakness of emotional resonance. The lack of intuition and empathy probably causes what is called the coldness of schizoids. Their actions can be cruel, which is more likely due to an inability to empathize with the suffering of others than a desire to receive sadistic pleasure. To the range of schizoid characteristics we can add the inability to convince others with our own words.

The inner world is almost always closed from prying eyes. Only for a select few can the curtain suddenly rise, but never completely, and just as unexpectedly fall again. A schizoid often reveals himself to people he doesn’t know well, even randomly, but somehow appeals to his whimsical choice. But he may forever remain a hidden, incomprehensible thing within himself for those close to him or those who have known him for many years.

The wealth of the inner world is not characteristic of all schizoid adolescents and, of course, is associated with a certain intelligence or talent. Therefore, not every one of them can serve as an illustration of Kretschmer’s words about the similarity of schizoids to “decorated Roman villas, the shutters of which are closed from the bright sun, but in the twilight of which luxurious feasts are celebrated.” But in all cases, the inner world of schizoids is filled with hobbies and fantasies.

Schizoid teenagers fantasize for themselves; they are not inclined to talk about their dreams to others, nor to mix everyday life with the beauties of their fictions and dreams. This is the fundamental difference between schizoid and hysterical fantasies. Schizoid fantasies either serve to console one’s own pride or are of an erotic nature.

The inaccessibility of the inner world and restraint in the manifestation of feelings make many of the actions of schizoids incomprehensible and unexpected for those around them, because everything that preceded them - the entire course of experiences and motives - remained hidden. Some antics are eccentric in nature, but unlike hysterics, they do not serve the purpose of attracting everyone's attention.

The reaction of emancipation often manifests itself in a very peculiar way. A schizoid teenager can endure petty supervision in everyday life for a long time, obey the routine and regime established for him, but react with violent protest to the slightest attempt to invade the world of his interests, hobbies and fantasies without permission. At the same time, emancipatory aspirations can easily turn into social nonconformity - indignation at existing rules and orders, ridicule of the ideals, spiritual values, interests widespread around, and rancor about the “lack of freedom.” Judgments of this kind can be nurtured for a long time and secretly and, unexpectedly for others, come to fruition. public speaking or decisive action. Often one is struck by straightforward criticism of others without taking into account its consequences for oneself.

The grouping reaction is usually weakly expressed outwardly. As a rule, schizoid teenagers stand apart from their peers. Their isolation makes it difficult to join the group, and their intractability overall influence, the general atmosphere, their non-conformity does not allow them to either merge with the group or submit to it. Having found themselves in a teenage group, often by accident, they remain black sheep in it. Sometimes they are ridiculed and even brutally persecuted by their peers, but sometimes, thanks to their independence, cold restraint, and unexpected ability to stand up for themselves, they inspire respect and force them to keep their distance. Success in a peer group may be the deepest dreams of a schizoid teenager. In his fantasies, he creates similar groups, where he occupies the position of leader and favorite, where he feels free and easy and receives those emotional contacts that he lacks in real life.

The reaction of infatuation in schizoid adolescents is usually more pronounced than all other specific behavioral reactions of this age. Hobbies are often distinguished by their unusualness, strength and stability. Most often we come across intellectual and aesthetic hobbies. Most schizoid teenagers love books, devour them voraciously, and prefer all other entertainments to reading. The choice for reading can be strictly selective - only a certain era from history, only a certain genre of literature, a certain movement in philosophy, etc. In general, in intellectual and aesthetic hobbies, one is struck by the whimsical nature of the choice of subject. We have seen a passion for Sanskrit among modern teenagers, Chinese characters, the Hebrew language, drawings of the portals of cathedrals and churches, the genealogy of the House of Romanov, organ music, comparison of the constitutions of different states and different times, etc. and so on. All this is never done for show, but only for oneself. Hobbies are shared if they meet sincere interest. They often hide them, fearing misunderstanding and ridicule. At less high level intelligence and aesthetic aspirations, the matter may be limited to less refined, but no less strange objects of hobby. The collections of schizoid teenagers, sometimes unique, sometimes striking in their worthlessness, also serve more the purpose of sophisticated aesthetic needs than just hoarding. One teenager collected doublets of postcards with reproductions of paintings by famous artists and postage stamps depicting the same paintings.

In second place are hobbies of the manual-physical type. Clumsiness, awkwardness, and inharmonious motor skills, often attributed to schizoids, are not always found, and a persistent desire for bodily improvement can smooth out these shortcomings. Systematic gymnastics, swimming, cycling, yoga exercises are usually combined with a lack of interest in collective sports games. Hobbies can take place in lonely long hours of walking or cycling. Some schizoids are good at fine manual skills - playing musical instruments, applied arts- all this can also be a subject of hobby.

Reactions associated with emerging sexual attraction may, at first glance, not appear at all. External “asexuality”, contempt for issues of sexual life, is usually combined with persistent masturbation and rich erotic fantasies. The latter are prone to development, feed on random information and episodes and easily include perverse components. Painfully sensitive in company, incapable of courtship and flirtation, and unable to achieve sexual intimacy in a situation where it is possible, schizoid adolescents can, unexpectedly for others, discover sexual activity in the most crude and unnatural forms - standing guard for hours to spy on someone’s naked genitals, exhibiting in front of children, masturbate under other people's windows, from where they can be seen, enter into relationships with random people they meet, make phone dates with strangers “for one time,” etc. Schizoid teenagers deeply conceal their sex life and sexual fantasies. Even when their actions are discovered, they try not to reveal their motives and feelings.

Alcoholism among schizoid adolescents is rare. Most of them do not like alcoholic drinks. Intoxication does not cause pronounced euphoria in them. They easily resist the persuasion of their comrades and the drinking atmosphere of companies. However, some of them find that small doses of alcohol, without causing euphoria, can facilitate the establishment of contacts and eliminate the feeling of timidity and unnaturalness during communication. Then a special kind of mental dependence is easily formed - the desire to regularly use small doses of alcoholic beverages, often strong, in order to “overcome shyness” and facilitate contacts. Drinking alcohol as such a communicative dope can be done both with friends and alone. For example, a 15-year-old schizoid teenager secretly kept a bottle of cognac in his bed and drank it every morning in order to “feel free at school.”

Drugs apparently pose no less of a threat to schizoid adolescents than alcohol. Perhaps they can fulfill the role of communicative doping better than alcohol. Perhaps some volatile substances add grist to the mill of schizoid fantasies, making them more sensual, colorful, and emotional.

Suicidal behavior is not characteristic of schizoid psychopathy, and schizoid accentuation does not, apparently, favor such a method of solving difficulties. For mental trauma, for conflict situations, to situations where the schizoid personality is presented with demands beyond its strength, the reaction is manifested by an even greater withdrawal into oneself, into one’s inner world of deeply hidden fantasies. Or this reaction is revealed by unexpected, pretentious, and sometimes cruel actions.

Delinquency occurs infrequently, and schizoid features are clearly evident in delinquent behavior itself. While still examining homeless teenagers in the twenties, N.I. Ozeretsky noted that schizoids prefer to steal alone, choosing a thieving “profession” that requires skillful skills - for example, stealing money from inside pockets or the ability to get into an apartment through a window. Indeed, schizoid adolescents are not prone to group delinquency, but can commit serious offenses, acting “in the name of the group,” wanting to be “recognized by the group as their own.” Sexual crimes are also committed alone (exhibitionism, indecent acts against minors, sexual aggression, etc.). Sometimes delinquent behavior is preceded by taking a small dose of alcohol as a “doping”, but there is no real alcohol intoxication.

The self-esteem of schizoids is distinguished by a statement of what is associated with isolation, loneliness, difficulty in contacts, and misunderstanding on the part of others. Attitudes towards other problems are rated much worse. They usually do not notice the contradictions in their behavior or do not attach any importance to them. They like to emphasize their independence and independence

Somatic signs that since the time of Kretschmer have been considered characteristic of schizoids - asthenic build, flabby muscles, stooped figure, long legs and high pelvis, poorly developed genitals, angular movements - can not always be seen in modern adolescents. Acceleration and associated endocrine changes can distort these traits, causing, for example, excessive obesity, early and strong sexual development.

From the first steps in identifying schizoid psychopathy, attention was drawn to its similarity with some forms of schizophrenia (in particular, with the sluggish form and with pictures of the defect after a schizophrenic attack). This gave reason to many psychiatrists to generally doubt the existence of schizoid psychopathy as a constitutional character anomaly, and to interpret everything that was described under its name as a defect after an attack of schizophrenia that went unnoticed or happened in early childhood, or as “latent schizophrenia.” IN last years attention was again drawn to the fact that in families of patients with schizophrenia, especially its continuously progressive form, schizoid personalities can often be found.

As a result, in recent decades, schizoid psychopathy has almost ceased to be diagnosed and its pronounced cases are usually interpreted as sluggish schizophrenia, and the corresponding schizoid accentuations with good social adaptation again suggested the idea of “latent schizophrenia.” Even the differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and psychopathy began to be carried out in relation to all types of the latter, except schizoid.

This situation cannot be considered correct. The diagnosis of sluggish schizophrenia is legitimate if there are signs of a process, albeit slowly developing, if these signs are identified by a carefully collected anamnesis and confirmed by observation. Guesses about a “fur coat” that was transferred unknown when and not noticed by anyone remain only guesses and cannot serve as the basis for a diagnosis.

Adolescence creates special difficulties for the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizoid psychopathy. The pubertal sharpening of the latter can easily be mistaken for a process that has begun or for a “new coat.” And, conversely, the onset of schizophrenia may be masked by pubertal behavioral disorders. We consider it important to emphasize the identification of schizoid psychopathy as a special form.

The schizoid type is not a very common character option. Only 5% of 300 hospitalized adolescents with psychopathy or accentuations were classified as this type, and another 5% had a combination of schizoidism with traits of other types - sensitive, psychasthenic, hysterical or epileptoid. It should be noted that all cases of “pure” schizoids were regarded as psychopathy, including most of as heavy and pronounced. In moderate cases, social disadaptation was partial - a breakdown occurred either at home when the place of study or work was good, or at school or at work when adaptation in the family was satisfactory.

Schizoid accentuations usually do not lead to either social disadaptation or severe violations behavior, nor acute affective reactions and therefore probably do not fall under the supervision of a psychiatrist. The schizoid type of accentuation is not so rare.

Hidden schizoid accentuation can be detected if demands on a person are suddenly made that are beyond their capacity - for example, to quickly establish a wide range of informal and fairly emotional contacts. Schizoids also break down when someone persistently and unceremoniously “gets into their soul.”

Even Kretschmer, describing the schizoid type, identified expansive and sensitive options. The latter, as indicated, is more correctly considered as a special type, belonging to the group of asthenic psychopathies, since isolation here is secondary, compensatory. Nevertheless, among schizoids there are also more sthenic and completely asthenic individuals. The variety of schizoid manifestations can be so great that the number of described options could become two-digit. Therefore, it seems appropriate to us to state the combination of schizoidism with traits of other types. The main basis of character, its core always remains schizoid. Sensitive, psychasthenic, paranoid, epileptoid, hysterical or unstable features may be layered on it.