Schizoid type personality, as a rule, is expressed by introversion, manifested in an enhanced mode. The individual creates an imaginary “dome of comfort”, being in which gives calm and measured perception of the realities of life. Interpersonal relationships are usually poor or non-existent. There is a contrast of perception in relation to other people and animals, that is, close attachment to representatives of the animal world and alienation in human relationships. Any area of life is associated with loneliness and reluctance to change, compete, or ambitiously achieve anything. Even the sexual aspect of life is expressed either in the complete absence of real sexual contact, or in the presence of a short-term relationship, but exclusively in adulthood. This personality type is not susceptible to fashion trends. In work, their choice falls on backbreaking, difficult-to-perform activities, from which a common person I would refuse.
Examples of “schizoids” among prominent figures
If we consider statistical data on individuals with a schizoid personality type, who are found among the entire population in 7.5% of cases, we can conclude that there is a significant proportion of mentally unstable people. Gender separation when identifying the frequency of manifestation schizoid personalities is not particularly observed, but, according to some data, the ratio tends to be 2:1, where the advantage will be on the side of men.
It is amazingly common among famous figures to find those who have a schizoid personality type. Examples? A lot of them. These are outstanding scientists - Albert Einstein, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, Isaac Newton, and famous philosophers - Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, and brilliant composers - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and the famous artist Salvador Dali, and many other.
Schizoid character type is not always a prerequisite for illness
Every person has traits that define a schizoid character type. Thanks to them, an individual can prove himself to be an innovator, a thinker or a person with creative potential. The schizoid character type as the predominant trait of a person can result in the fact that he will devote more to theory than to the emotional aspects of real life. Average people do not always understand the hobbies of schizoid individuals; sometimes these hobbies even seem bizarre to them.
The main nuance of this behavior is the ineffectiveness of theoretical ideas. Emotional satisfaction is achieved in the process of solving a problem, and not in its practical implementation. On the contrary, there is a conscious move away from transferring the idea to the commercial sphere. The schizoid personality type has an interesting feature. She expresses her unwavering attitude towards her popularity among the masses or the influence of money.
What is a schizoid like in childhood?
Every parent worries about their child from the moment he is born and, as they say, until his gray hairs. The schizoid personality type is susceptible to certain disorders. Treatment is more effective if deviations appear at an early age, starting from 3-4 years. The child unconsciously withdraws from parental affection and prefers to engage in solitary activities alone. There is an interest in everything philosophical - these can be eternal questions about life and death, and about the origin of all things, etc.
How does a schizoid position himself in adolescence?
At a later age, in people with a schizoid personality type, one can observe a tendency to complex mathematical calculations, but at the same time a complete inability to solve basic problems in everyday life. The schizoid personality type, which manifests itself at an early age, usually leads to a progressive form of autism.
As for the medicinal method of treating the disorder, one can note an ineffective result. According to statistics, schizoid individuals do not seek treatment for this disease, but undergo treatment for other diseases, in particular alcoholism. If, nevertheless, a schizoid personality type has been diagnosed, a specialist in the field of psychiatry will advise what to do in this case.
Psychotherapy as the main treatment for schizoids
An effective method of treating a patient with a schizoid personality type is psychotherapy, during which the doctor offers a list of standard emotions that the patient should become familiar with and try to experience. May also be offered role-playing games within the framework of social life, the essence of which is to instill generally accepted social behavior that is acceptable in certain situations.
Preconditions causing disorder in schizoids
Severe personality disorder of the schizoid type manifests itself in the first years of an individual's life. Period of development of the disorder of this type very long lasting.
There is no genetic predisposition to schizoid disorder. Even, for example, at work a patient can achieve significant success, but only in an isolated area. At the same time, those around him may not even know about his illness.
Symptoms of schizoid disorder include:
- Emotional indifference or weakly expressed emotion in relation to events happening around.
- A constant state of isolation, thoughtfulness, seriousness and aloofness.
- Almost complete absence of need for interpersonal relationships.
- No need to defend your opinion.
- Recognition of the truth of information only if it comes from verified sources, for example, stated in the words of distinguished scientists.
- Non-standard thought processes, especially in the analytical field.
- Helplessness in Everyday life.
The most important factor on the path to relative stability of schizoid personalities throughout life is the correct choice of profession and periodic diagnosis by a psychotherapist.
The result of crossing two radical types
Along with the four dominant personality types, there are also smoothly flowing ones, namely:
I. Schizoid-hysteroid personality type.
II. Hysterical-schizoid personality type.
Despite the fact that these psychotypes come from the main categories, they are fundamentally different from them. It's on your own existing types personality.
The reason for the appearance of such a combination may be the crossing of different personality types of one and the second parent in their child, but only under the condition of clearly defined initial types that are of equal strength and do not drown out each other. Most often, in this combination, the schizoid type occupies the primary position, and not the hysterical one, because it is more stable.
Summarizing the above information, we can talk about identifying the main and secondary types, but without completely suppressing the second. In particular, the individual’s need for introversion, which is understood both as isolation, from the point of view of a schizoid, and as the presence of deep contact from the point of view of necessity for society, is already a trait of a hysterical personality type.
If you are schizoid, the test will definitely show it
Received widespread demand among psychologists personality questionnaire R. Cattell, who is able to conduct both a quick diagnosis of personality type and an in-depth study of it. It will allow you to recognize, if present,
schizoid personality type. The test characterizes personality with 16 factors that allow one to predict behavioral actions in projection onto real world. This technique can be carried out both individually and in groups, covering various areas of application: personnel, professionally oriented, consulting, etc.
What is the final result of diagnostics using R. Cattell’s method?
The methodology is represented by 105 professional questions. The questionnaire allows you to accurately diagnose the individual traits of a particular person, called “constitutional factors,” according to the method of R. Cattell. A prerequisite for diagnosing a patient is limited time. The technique allows us to identify the emotional, intellectual, and communicative properties, including the ability to self-regulate, of the diagnosed individual.
Thus, the psychologist receives the final result in the form of a psychographic profile of the individual.
This professional program is used in the work of various specialists: psychologists, teachers, doctors, personnel specialists, psychotherapists.
Practical significance of diagnostic results using the MMPI2 questionnaire
Second modern techniques psychodiagnostics, which is no less important and popular than R. Cattell’s questionnaire, is the MMPI2 questionnaire.
Its use greatly simplifies the procedure for selecting applicants based on the required personal characteristics. Further use of the technique will help track and identify employees engaged in professional activities that do not correspond to their psychographic personality profile, which will subsequently lead to increased productivity and minimization of risks. The programs allow you to establish personal characteristics, the level of intellectual and professional training, the main motivational impulses for activity, competencies, development potential, etc.
Areas of application can be various types of psychological consultation, career guidance, professional selection, harmonization of relationships in teams and much more.
Hysterical, schizoid, epileptoid, labile, etc. – this is not a complete list of personality types and character. Moreover, imagine that every day you have to deal with people belonging to this classification, and each of them has their own personal characteristics and shortcomings that should be taken into account during the conversation.
Signs of a schizoid type of character accentuationThe main character trait of people belonging to this type is isolation from the whole world, isolation, reluctance or even inability to establish contacts, and this reduces his need for communication. If we talk about the internal harmony of such a person, then, unfortunately, there is none. So, in her schizoid character the following traits try to coexist:
- coldness and vulnerable sensitivity;
- tactlessness and modesty;
- a tasteless outer manifestation of a rich inner world;
- apathy towards any activity and determination;
- gullibility and wariness.
Has a genetic predisposition. The character traits of this type appear much earlier than the traits of other types. Already in childhood, the child prefers playing alone rather than in the company of peers, and avoids noisy fun. He is drawn to spending time surrounded by adults. He doesn't mind listening to their conversations in silence. Sometimes this is accompanied by a certain coldness and restraint that is unusual for the child’s age.
Schizoid character accentuation in adolescenceThis period is the most difficult for schizoids. After all, with the manifestation of signs of puberty, all of his character traits are most clearly manifested. So, he isolates himself from children his age and withdraws into himself. He lives in his own world, with interests that are sometimes incomprehensible to others, and at the same time treats with disdain everything that his peers are interested in. But this isolation, created by the schizoid man himself, brings him a lot of suffering, adding to everything the inability to find mutual language with others. Sometimes there are attempts on his part to establish friendly contact, but if it is unsuccessful, then this further motivates the schizoid to isolate himself from the world around him.
As a result of a poorly developed personality, it is difficult for people of this type to understand other people’s experiences and state of mind. This gives rise to their coldness, and therefore some kind of cruelty can be manifested in their actions. Again, this is due to the inability of schizoids to feel the internal state of their interlocutor.
The positive side of a teenager’s character, perhaps, is that he opens his inner world only to a select few, but it is always not completely possible that he might suddenly push this person out of his soul.
The adult period of a schizoid and his professional lifeThe professional part of an adult schizoid is characterized by:
They are distinguished by excellent intellectual data. This type has three types of psychological defense:
- Withdrawal into one's inner world, which was discussed in the adolescence of a schizoid.
- Beside myself. When using it, it seems strange to others.
- Needles. In this case, it is very difficult to have a conversation with a schizoid person.
It is important to note that a person with this type of character will defend himself until he ceases to believe that the world around him is full of dangers.
Schizoid type
First of all, let us note the core of the type that has already been discussed, the very nature of the connection “man - the outside world.”
Rod type- This inward-looking, this is a weak, loose connection with the outside world.
The main thing that guides a person of this type is his inner world, the internal mechanisms of the psyche. And the outside world is of much less importance to schizoids. Schizoids, compared to other types, receive signals coming from the outside world to a very limited extent; they are not tuned to receive signals or focus on this outside world. Schizoids are types who are closed within themselves. Closed in their basis, in their structure.
Turning inward is the main position for understanding the schizoid type. What follows from this situation?
First of all, it is independence of thinking. Schizoids are always independent in their thinking. However, this does not mean that schizoids are always high in their thinking, that they always rise to high levels of intelligence. Not at all. Their level of intelligence can be any, as in any other characterological type, from high to very low. This also does not mean that the thinking of a schizoid is necessarily creative; absolutely not.
But a schizoid's thinking is always independent.
How can you imagine this?
Schizoids almost do not accept ready-made positions, ready-made forms, ready-made ideas. That is, formally, they are very poorly trained. They do not simply remember, as they say, taking on faith what they are told. In a somewhat exaggerated form, it looks, for example, like this: if they are told that when crossing the street they should look not forward, but to the left and right, then they do not remember this as a given. They first check this position; they must understand why it is necessary to look to the right and to the left, when this is established, what it gives, when it has already been established, whether there are cases when one does not need to adhere to this rule. And only after that they will accept this rule, after they understand, assimilate, realize to the depths the entire internal meaning of this provision, no matter how simple it may be.
The independent thinking of schizoids does not necessarily make them non-conforming. They can also be conformal. But then they... are so conforming (!) - because all the provisions have been checked and accepted by them. Verified, not just memorized! And this means that they are very stable and can be very conformal, unshakably conformal. But this same property - verification and independence - the property of, as it were, “Doubting Thomas” - can also create non-conformity. Because they will accept something for themselves, but they will not accept something, they will not comprehend the necessity of such a situation (for example, some kind of social rule, obligation, etc.). And then their set of ideas turns out to be partially conformal, sometimes very non-conformal, and they are very different from those around them. (This is already decided by the coloring of their emotional sphere, upbringing, level of intelligence, direction of needs, etc.).
Thus, schizoids in the process of their development can develop as conforming people and as non-conforming people. But such an opportunity is given precisely by this property - independence of thinking.
More often they are non-conforming. Because the entire wide conformal set of ideas, recommendations (personal, social, whatever) is collected from the practice of social life of a given culture, which includes people with very different inclinations. A conformal set is, as it were, the sum of assessments and provisions of social life, and much of this set is not suitable for schizoids; they do not accept many things, so more often than not they are non-conforming.
They are very conformist at low levels of intelligence, because they accept the forms of life of human society that have been selected over centuries. They accept these provisions, test them and become unshakably conformist.
Very roughly, you can imagine this: the lower the level of intelligence of a schizoid, the more likely it is that he is conformist; and the higher the level of intelligence of a schizoid, the more likely it is that he is non-conforming.
And envy is all due to one and the same property - independent thinking. Schizoids are masters in their positions and ideas. To master them, they must test them - they take nothing for granted.
Depending on this same property - independence of thinking - at different levels of thinking, schizoids develop different tendencies, which coexist and coexist precisely in this type.
Schizoids make generalizations in thinking more easily than other types; Schizoids are characterized by generalization. And this generalization is greater, the higher the level of intelligence.
Schizoids are not very specific. This is again under the influence of the same property - independence of thinking, they are not delayed by the usual approaches. They easily bypass these usual approaches for others and can approach the same phenomenon again and again from different angles. Therefore, they solve different problems in different ways.
So it turns out that at high levels of intelligence (or average, but closer to the highest) these are people with very productive thinking, these are theorists, people with a theoretical mindset, with good generalization, with a unique approach to mental tasks. At high levels of intelligence, they are excellent thinkers. However, this depends not only on the independence of thinking, but also on their basic property, on being turned inward, on weak, unstable, loose contact with the outside world. After all, it follows from this that they have little concrete material, concrete manifestations in life. And when they go for greater generalization, this begins to take its toll: they become detached from the specific expressions of the generalizations that are available to them. Therefore they become somewhat formal. In this regard, these are the most capable people in the sciences, who easily operate with formal concepts. These are excellent thinkers because they do not require anything specific from the outside world for this; they are good at generalization and this is quite enough. But that is precisely why they are bad biologists (because they are poorly connected with the external concrete world).
Schizoids are very good physicists, mathematicians, historians, wonderful philosophers. As for the biological sciences (including even chemistry and biochemistry), they are doing much worse. Because here everything must be confirmed by concrete material, and it is difficult for them to obtain concrete material, since they have no tendency to communicate with the outside world and their distinction in concrete details is poor.
But sometimes, rising to the “heights of creative heights”, to abstract, abstract levels, schizoids experience difficulties: contact with these higher levels begins to affect them, as it were, with an “inflection” in the opposite direction - the lack of concreteness reduces their orientation. Because the nearest external world, especially the human environment, the material processes of the surrounding human life are poorly accessible to them. They have such poor command of specific forms and manifestations that this begins to create a gap, not ensuring their orientation and adaptation.
This is where famous historical anecdotes come from about all sorts of scientists who cook their watches while looking at an egg. Such manifestations are indeed inherent in them, although not in such an anecdotal form. They don't know how to do much. (The fact that they operate well on abstract, abstract, upper levels of generalization applies only to those of them who have high level intelligence.)
At a low level of intelligence, a schizoid is simply straightforward. The intellect does not provide theoretical generalizations, but there is still a lack of specificity (because for schizoids with a low level of intelligence, the connection with the world also remains poor - it does not improve due to the inaccessibility of the upper level). So it turns out: there is not enough specificity, and there is not enough flexibility to somehow connect the available specific data with each other and select everything necessary. Therefore, such schizoids are simply straightforward - they are “rhinoceros”. They are straightforward and rigid.
And so, if you look at the type of schizoid through the eyes of the human environment, humanity, it turns out that this type includes those who are called “oaks” and “stupid”, and those who make up the stratum of theorists of higher spiritual problems.
Moreover, the appearance of both is very specific and very pronounced. Because, as we see, this depends on the same properties - poor communication with the outside world, lack of tendency and activity of communication channels with it. Therefore, the level of complexity of thinking, the level of intelligence scatters them across the entire spectrum: from creative theorists to dullards. None of them have a tendency to turn towards to the outside world. They have a poor search, they process within themselves what they have, and almost never can get additional (even the ones they need) details. It’s like either “spiritual blindness” or “internal myopia.” They don’t want to look at the outside world, which seems to be in a fog for them.
Most schizoids, based on this structure of thinking, are characterized by some originality of judgment. Moreover, this originality is again located along the entire range - from the peculiar grasping of the very subtleties, closed from others, of the essence itself, of some original hidden twist - and at the other pole - up to the point that only the essence itself is captured, which, according to Compared to the general conformity, it has lost all its volume.
A schizoid’s assessments are either very accurate and subtle, or straightforward and insufficiently colored (in the sense of emotionality and in the sense of the versatility of the phenomenon) - the essence is captured, but its different shades and facets are not captured, so the assessment turns out to be both correct and insufficient.
Schizoids are characterized by rigidity of control. This is related to the same thing. Schizoids control and strictly check everything: their decisions, their own actions, the proposed material, outside information and sensory information. It’s as if a measuring instrument is applied to literally everything—everything is subject to control, including one’s own behavior.
Thus, schizoids develop inactive mental stereotypes. These are people with a very sustainable approach.
This does not mean that they do not learn different and additional ones. The set of these mental stereotypes increases, but they do not lose the old ones. Therefore, the schizoid is not changeable, but stable.
Now let's try to move from thinking to another level.
When in contact with people, schizoids turn out to be convincingly stubborn in their positions, statements, and theories. It is extremely difficult to convince them. The schizoid does not give up until a series of thunderclaps follow the same position; a huge number of arguments are given. All these arguments are checked, controlled, weighed. Everything continues to be checked; other methods of reasoning are proposed... And only when the schizoid is completely convinced (and this takes a huge amount of time and requires powerful, unabated pressure) - he finally gives up his position, changes it or takes a different position.
This is completely opposite to the behavior of a hysteroid, whom it costs nothing to convince by presenting him with one argument, but one that is quite emotionally charged. The hysteroid instantly renounces his conviction or position, but, having refused, does not admit it (although internally he refused a long time ago, externally he continues to assert the same thing - “the honor of the uniform”!..). Schizoids are the opposite: it is extremely difficult to convince them, however, if they are convinced, they immediately announce it.
The same can be said about the behavior of schizoids - they never “cover up.” By their behavior, these people are sincere. They publicly renounce their old (outdated) position.
Schizoids are stubborn not in behavior, but in thinking. Whatever their inner world is, that is how it is announced - if it is announced at all.
Another feature of a schizoid is the difficulty of deviating from the topic. A schizoid clings to the topic of his thoughts, to the topic of a conversation or dialogue (if it is a dialogue), and clings to independent work, alone with yourself. And he doesn’t allow himself to be led away from this direction. This is easy to notice in external forms. For example, characterologically it is very easy to distinguish any article in any field of science written by a schizoid. An article by a schizoid is always constructed directly, link by link, along the main line of reasoning. This can also be observed in fiction. Deviations, returns, with changes in places and times are not typical for schizoids. It's the same in conversation. When talking with a schizoid, you can say: “...But, by the way, it happens that...”. The schizoid will stop you and say that you are still talking about the main thing, and not about the details, even if they are related to the main topic of the conversation. We will talk about this later. And if he doesn’t say it, he won’t answer - he will remain silent only for reasons of good manners.
Contact with schizoids is always difficult. Because contact with a person or group of people requires turning to these people, and the schizoid is turned to himself. But schizoids are not self-centered. If hysterics are focused on contemplating their properties, qualities, their behavior, position, then schizoids are focused on the content of their inner world, on topics, phenomena, phenomena that interest them, and not on their personality. And it’s difficult for them to turn to people.
The contact of a schizoid is determined by the situation and necessity, and not by the need of the schizoid himself.
The schizoid's contact is selective (if it is possible to choose). If necessity dictates that you need to communicate with people of a certain profession, certain occupations, and there is a choice - the schizoid chooses; there is no opportunity - communicates with the one with whom you need.
I would like to emphasize once again that in order to understand many characterological properties of any type (and especially such as a schizoid), one must remember and rely on the idea of a system, an integral characterological system. Those. individual features and properties are not adjacent, but coordinated into a system.
Let us recall, for example, the schizoid way of thinking. And let us now imagine what criteria a schizoid has for defining a person at any given moment. First, they are not specific enough; secondly, they, like judgments, are unique; thirdly, schizoids are people with strict control, allowing minimal emotional overlays to pass through. The schizoid is not turned towards the person, he does it forcedly. Therefore, the degree of penetration and capture of a person by a schizoid is very weak.
Schizoids are people with a very weak degree of empathy, their orientation is strictly mental, and the set of criteria is not specific enough. Therefore, they grasp a person in a situation of communication with him somewhat formally. The schizoid does not take into account some informal colors and turns, does not catch human tendencies. And, of course, this often encounters dissatisfaction and cases of misunderstanding. Mutual tension arises in the contact. A schizoid often misunderstands a person’s mood in contact, his desire, fear, and ability to respond to signals. The same applies to the pace of joint activity. A schizoid works at his own pace, without catching or taking into account someone else's - he does not know how to do this.
And since schizoids do not know how to grasp the nuances of the situation and the capabilities of the contact partner, their assessments and criteria for assessment, although completely correct, are insufficient. Therefore, from the very beginning, contact is difficult for him and for contact partners. Then added to this is the fact that schizoids unexpectedly encounter protest, alienation, and coldness. This can already cause tension before the upcoming contact. Schizoids know that their contact is incomplete, so they always tense up (contact is undesirable for them), but they do not blame people for this, they do not treat people worse because of this.
The forms of external manifestations of schizoids, for example, speech, are also unique. They use less emotionally charged language than other types of people; they use more generalized concepts, and their speech becomes less understandable. But this is precisely what schizoids control poorly. Schizoids do not know how to take someone else’s point of view, look at themselves from the outside, or listen to themselves. But they know the consequences of this (they know that they are often misunderstood or misunderstood). Sometimes they get angry at this, change terminology, words, but everything remains at the same level - and schizoids get irritated when they are forced to repeat it, it offends them.
If such people also have some internal difficulties, if such episodes have repeatedly occurred in their lives, then such schizoids become sensitive.
At this time, the schizoid already had a need to relieve the existing tension, especially that arising in communication with people, but the means for this are not enough, and it is not possible to relieve the tension. Therefore, every failure, every mistake has a particularly strong impact - on pride, on well-being, on the color of one’s mood. These are the same sensitive schizoids who warily wait for a mistake, catch it, are afraid and experience it very painfully. On this basis, they become vulnerable, withdrawn...
There are cases (even not among sensitive schizoids) that outwardly look unexpected, sudden, as if unfounded - the contact suddenly breaks completely unexpectedly, breaks, the schizoid pushes away the person in close contact, loses him and does not forgive him for something... Outwardly this gives the impression of an eccentric, unreasonable, spontaneous act.
In fact, this is not true at all. This usually happens against the background of very deep contact. The deeper the contact, the more reason to believe and fear that it will be hit and broken. Because schizoids are not capable of what Conrad calls the “Copernican turn” - to get out of their position and look at themselves from the outside, so that later, returning to their position, they know how people see you, to look at themselves as “strangers.” » eyes. This turn, which hysterics are excellent at (in some position they are able to adjust), is almost impossible for schizoids.
Therefore, the more trust, the deeper the contact, the more such a schizoid attributes to his close friend his own views, his own properties and his own reactions. He accepts loved one almost like himself and therefore expects a complete coincidence. He believes that you, his friend, should react to some event, appeal, request in the same way as he does. And the person suddenly reacts differently. Although he loves, is attached to, understands his friend - a schizoid, but all the same - after all, he also has some twists of his own.
The schizoid perceives this discrepancy as a betrayal - and does not forgive it.
Therefore, we must remember that this deep, underdosed contact is a very dangerous thing. And if such a schizoid has one friend, to whom he becomes more and more deeply attached, literally “growing into” him, then the greater the danger that he will lose him, that their relationship will break.
Some parents and educators are happy that an introverted, lonely child finds a close friend. But we must not forget that greater danger that the teenager will push him away without forgiving him for some simple discrepancy. The deeper the contact, the more threatening it is.
In general, schizoids make friends slowly and difficultly, but keep them for a long time; Their contact is stable, although narrow.
Schizoids are loyal, albeit stubborn people. Usually they are tolerant and do not impose anything. They are ready to become involved in a person’s destiny, ready to help and assist him. But they do not always do it well, not always on time - they are clumsy. It happens that in subtle, emotionally volatile situations they reach the position of “an elephant in a china shop” - causing harm, wanting to do good.
Therefore, their behavior is awkward, awkward - they miss. They are often accused of stupidity for this. But this is unfair - this is not stupidity, but a lack of flexibility and subtlety, and sometimes a misunderstanding due to a lack of specificity.
They are quirky, not stupid. They miss some things, but they grasp the main points perfectly. They usually give people extremely accurate characteristics, although (and almost always) incomplete. They perfectly grasp the essence of a person, but do not know many of his traits and manifestations.
Now let's get back to one of the main points.
Since the schizoid is not turned to the outside world, he does not have other methods and forms of contact (after all, contact can be not only verbal, but also motor, facial expression, and intonation). All other (except speech) methods of contact are poorly provided for them. A schizoid has poor expressive motor skills, although this does not prevent them from having very good fine motor skills- good and accurate. They have an excellent hand, they are precise in their execution, they are usually good craftsmen - designers. Worse than epileptoids, because they are peculiar and lack small automated movements and are not pedantic. They have sedentary facial expressions; facial muscles do not work for expressiveness.
Failure expressive means also works on the inferiority of contact of schizoids. In addition, in words they express only their general feelings, and sometimes they do not express them at all, since they do not have the need to “vent”. They are not active in conversation, they speak more when necessary, and answer questions without asking them.
And when a person needs, for example, sympathy, understanding, empathy, a schizoid can understand, sympathize, and even empathize, but cannot express it. Therefore, they are considered insensitive and cold.
Schizoids are emotionally adequate and often grasp a person’s mood very well. But they don’t know how to adapt to someone else’s mood, and they are not trusted in this regard. In addition, since these are people of strict control, they do not allow themselves to do this, even verbally. Because emotions and experiences should not take the leading place (so they think). First of all - logic, first of all - truth and meaning. It is important to find a way out, it is important to help the person. Think, think...
In superficial contacts this is very disturbing, but in deep ones one must imagine and understand all this, so that even close people are not mistaken and understand that a schizoid is not insensitive. If you can help, the schizoid will do the maximum and express the minimum. Many people don't understand this.
But, it’s true, schizoids are not as superficially sensitive as hysterics or psychasthenics, who feel literally every slightest breath of mood. Schizoids feel the main thing, and having felt it, they instantly take a rational direction - not to worry, going deeper, but to do something, look for how to correct the situation. And they try to correct - from their point of view, with their internal movement, often not falling into the tone of the one for whom they are actually acting. Therefore, with the best intentions and activity, they sometimes receive a very decisive rebuff, and the rebuff is completely undeserved.
This, in turn, also turns them away from contact, because they expect failures in advance and are afraid of them; this also increases the tension of contact. A schizoid always expects misfires beyond their control.
This creates a reluctance in advance to get too close. The contact of a schizoid is always slightly distant.
In the area of contact, these characteristics of the schizoid create ambivalence. On the one hand, they, following the rational path, want contacts; on the other hand, they are always afraid of them, because emotional contact is always unpleasant for them. Sometimes like this characteristic A schizoid person is noticeable in appearance, and it can be difficult to discern whether such a schizoid person is drawn to you or repelled.
In contact and in speech, schizoids avoid precise formulations. This is generated by the fact that from the very beginning, having the experience of being misunderstood by others, they are afraid to pronounce formulations in the form in which they are accurate for themselves. Internally, schizoids are quite capable of precise formulations, but they spoil it by trying (and failing) to adapt to their interlocutors. Schizoids can very rarely accurately navigate a situation. At the same time, they very accurately grasp the meaning of the situation, its place in a number of other situations, other events. But they miss the details of the situation. This leads to the fact that they well determine the causes of the situation, its character, its structure, as it were, but they predict the dynamics very poorly and do not take into account what turns are possible in it. And when people come into contact, the prognosis is often more important than the reasons.
The immediate turns of the situation are inaccessible to schizoids, but for longer periods they succeed better than others.
The same tendency towards generalization is to blame for these failures: schizoids take the level a little higher than necessary, missing what is nearby. After all, there may be delays, interference by some extraneous factors that change the rhythm and flow of the situation. Schizoids do not take them into account.
Schizoids know and control such tension and inaccuracy, but they treat it differently - depending on their emotional reactivity, sensitivity, more or less high. Sometimes they experience their failures very painfully, sometimes they get used to it and agree with this situation; This is how they live - they are not given any other perception of the world in their environment.
The higher the intelligence of a schizoid, the less and weaker his discomfort. At low levels of intelligence, the discomfort is greater and more painful. Because the higher the intellect, the more turns leading schizoids to tolerance, the wider the range of their other interests, the more distractions, the more ways to reach not contact with people, but theoretical plans of activity.
Schizoids are the only type that has surface and depth. A hysteroid, a psychasthenic and an epileptoid look exactly the same from the surface to the very depths. Analyzing the characteristics of people of these types, we seem to remove layer by layer, but under each layer, in each subsequent, deeper layer, we discover the same, only more understandable mechanisms.
But a schizoid is a completely different type in structure. Cases of coincidence between surface and depth are rare.
Schizoids are closed in contact, unique in their thinking, so they always have a shell that fences them off from the outside world.
This does not at all mean deliberate secrecy and fear (such cases exist, but they are not typical). And coincidence (on the surface, in behavior - the same as in depth) - for a schizoid - is the rarest option.
Sometimes a polar variant is observed - on the surface there is one thing, but in the depths it is completely opposite. For example, a person adapts to live as a dutiful, reasonable, fair, dry person... This is how those around him know him (on the surface). And deep down he can be a person with great humor, emotionally very sensitive to beauty, gentle, soft, with interests not as a technician - as an administrator (as those around him know him), but internally he can be a passionate musician, poet, etc. This is his inner world, he lives by it, but he has no need to show it or tell it to someone - after all, schizoids are not demonstrative at all.
Sometimes this is expressed in formalized hobbies - remember those same physicists, who are almost entirely quite talented poets or humorists (the collection “Physicists Are Joking”!). They don’t go to any magazines, don’t offer their poems to anyone, and even rarely read them to friends. This will remain the case until people manage to somehow figure it out for themselves.
Another option is simply a divergence: on the surface a schizoid is one person, but inside, at a depth, he is not polar, not opposite, but different. Let's say the same person - outwardly a dry, rational administrator - may turn out to be a little bit of an adventurer, hunter, athlete in the depths. This is not an opposite, but simply a mismatch.
Another option is the zero depth option. This is formalized in such peculiar formations as, for example, collecting. But collecting is special.
Usually collecting, i.e. collectibles are symbolic things. A person who collects, for example, stamps, is interested in geography, history, ethnography... This is some kind of field of knowledge, science and some kind of path to it. Stamps are a representation of some direction of human life (albeit distant in time), life not actually social, but historical. Other people collect, for example, butterflies, gems, stones. These are, in essence, people of art, biologists who collect, for example, symbols of creative products.
Along with this, there are collectors who collect things that are not symbols at all (not symbolizing anything). For example, broken knives are not knives of a certain era, or of a certain application. A break is not a representation of any areas of life and thought. Either it is plugs, traffic jams, any wall inscriptions, announcements (“the entrance is nearby”, “the puppy is missing”, etc.)
Such “collecting” is one of the most common identifying marks of an “empty” schizoid,
Such people know and remember the rules of behavior, social activities. They are carried out when necessary, but are never interested in them. These are emotionally cold people. They are indifferent, their conscience is always inactive and calm. In the same way (only by thinking and “estimating”) they form a family - they get married, get married.
In the same way, a woman raises her children - she does everything that is necessary for them, but never provides the child with real warmth. Because I’m not at all emotionally interested in this. (This is not a passionate woman-mother.) Simple - she knows how to think, does what is required, but skips cases where sensitivity is needed, does not give preference to any of the people. Such people do not actively interfere in the course of events around them, they intervene only when they see that it is necessary to intervene, because “that’s what decent people do”, “that’s how it’s supposed to be.” It is not decency itself that “works,” but only knowledge about it.
All these options are based on different mechanisms.
For example, people are very reserved, but very emotional, i.e. those close to sensitive most often give polarity.
The divergent option is given by people who are not very sensitive, but very closed.
Coincidence is the most common option for people with the least degree of isolation. These are schizoids for whom it is easiest to turn to the outside world, to the environment. However, this case is relatively rare.
Finally, there is another case of this phenomenon - the presence of a special (special) depth covered by the polar surface. These are the so-called reserves - oases. These reserves are usually protected.
Schizoids who have such an oasis in their depths, something most dear, intimate - these are precisely the people who are afraid and do not really like it when they “get into their soul.” They do not reveal anything, they resist, they try to hide what is most dear to themselves.
Emotional reserves are very sensitive places; they are literally the “Achilles heel” of a person. And if you hit it, the schizoid may die. And it turns out that a person, in general, is not very secretive (in other areas he allows himself to be questioned quite calmly), in the area of the emotional reserve he will do his best to defend and defend the inviolability of his reserve. These are cases of great uneven distribution of emotions.
These people in contact are really cold, not just unable to express, but truly cold, reacting poorly to everything except this emotional reserve. There they are passionate. All the emotion they have is thrown there and is therefore encapsulated. It is this type of people who are most often to blame for the origin of the legend about the “emotional coldness of schizoids.”
From a suicidological point of view, this is precisely the threatened “Achilles heel” of a person.
When a blow hits such an emotional reserve, it is suicide, and the suicide is usually completed! This is a complete collapse - na later life there are not enough emotions (she is not emotionally secure) - all connections are broken. Otherwise, these are stable people, not fragile, bearing significant blows in other areas, resisting them without much reaction.
For example, this could be a person who suffered a big professional failure, he had to change his specialization, maybe lose his authority... Nothing. He straightened out. I felt a little sad and again sat down with the sources of my information, studied and took a new direction of activity. Slowly and quietly, not paying attention to anyone, he climbed out of the hole. There was no reactive state, there was only some period of gloominess - the person turned out to be persistent. He also had periods of severe material disadvantages and illnesses - he endured everything. And nothing had any effect on his self-esteem.
But his hobby, his reserve, is that he is an amateur artist. He makes miniatures, sits and works on them, locked up, and gets great pleasure from his miniatures. He doesn’t reveal this to anyone, except perhaps his wife, if he loves her very much... And so, due to some condition (perhaps a disease that, in general, did not leave serious consequences), he is deprived of the opportunity to engage in this most expensive, hidden from all activities. This is a blow he cannot resist. This is - most often - suicide, or withdrawal into alcoholism (and in this case - with a very rapid decay).
On what side are these people most vulnerable, fragile in relation to the emergence of mental pathology?
Because of their duality, they - if this is due to the situation - strive for contact and, at the same time, anticipating failure and understanding its possibility, they push away from contact with fear and resentment. In addition, these are people who constantly control themselves, evaluating not only their behavior, but also their thoughts, assessments, and experiences.
If, with this strict self-control, a person develops some tendency, some feeling, a thought with which he is dissatisfied and would not like to allow their existence in himself, then he finds, as it were, an enemy within himself. When such a process of strict self-control is deep and strong, one can allow oneself to imagine the situation as if in the form of two different people in the same person. If one of them feels something, and the other registers this feeling, then the experience itself immediately fades, sometimes even fades away (since there are not two people, but both positions within the psyche of one person!).
Try to observe, going to the mirror, how you look in a moment of anger, shame... You will never succeed. Precisely because the very act of awareness (“I’m angry... I’m ashamed at the moment...”) suppresses the experience. And in the mirror you will see... just attention!
Therefore, people for whom such a division of internal tendencies runs deep, in unfavorable situations of development and life, gradually become emotionally impoverished, areactive, lose emotional resonance - sometimes to the point of losing orientation in the situation (especially if these situations are emotionally significant).
We must also understand that this second, “controlling” person does not always “behave” calmly and only gives assessments of what is happening and what is being experienced. Often he actively protests, interferes, despises, makes him feel ashamed... Inside the psyche of a schizoid, a struggle of tendencies begins, reaching very high degrees voltage. In addition, a person becomes ambivalent not only in his immediate sensations, but also in his assessments and motivation. One “half” craves what is disgusting to the other, one hates what the other loves, one of these “ internal people"(about which C. G. Jung writes a lot, analyzing them!) thinks what to another seems stupid, nonsense. These two different tendencies seem to form two different people in one person (for example, one of them is a timid, sensitive esthete, the other is a rational entrepreneur; one is a romantic or mystic, the other is a cynic and a mocker...) Such two “people” cannot get along peacefully; one always wants to get rid of the other. Such dualistic people are restless, always tense and anxious; in everyday life they are called “nervous”.
Of course, both tendencies are not always expressed equally strongly, but to a lesser extent this case is quite common.
These two “halves” can represent the “depth” and “surface” of the psyche. Or the change of these “faces” occurs according to the situation, revealing first one or another tendency of a person (which Jung also analyzes in detail). Or these trends are distributed across different areas of human activity.
So, for example, a person can be helpless and timid, submissive in a family setting, but a confident, successfully proud administrator in his own life. professional activity. This is how familiar “two-faced” people are formed, whom, for example, their work environment, their colleagues do not recognize if they accidentally see them in a private, intimate life.
Schizoids of a high intellectual level, or those who have some kind of creative inclinations, are usually people of ideas (creative, political, social...).
Such schizoids again produce the well-known types of so-called fanatics. And then they have one fairly stable characteristic: they are people of high standards - fearless, selfless, capable of self-sacrifice... Although there are also the opposite cases - stubbornness, cruelty in their state, professional, social life, in the sphere of their ideas. But in privacy they are all inattentive, unceremonious and cold.
Try to trace such examples using material well known to us historical figures, remember many of the most talented artists - painters. Their wives were unhappy all their lives, their parents watched their rise and fame almost always from afar, never being invited to participate in people's lives. The pride of their closest friends or mistresses (lovers) always suffered crushing blows. In their personal lives they were unbearable. This, by the way, forces not very experienced biographers to make efforts to somehow explain or gloss over these manifestations: it seems strange - how could a person who so unusually subtly understood the beauty and depth of life be one of those on whom the history of human culture rests? , could treat his loved ones so barbarically! This should neither be explained nor hidden - this is a natural, characterological, typological phenomenon, and, in fact, there is nothing to be surprised here.
It is interesting and simple in this regard to trace the phenomenon using the example of two figures of the same time, acting in the same situation: Marat and Robespierre. Energetic, enterprising, always successful in quickly carried out operations, a brilliant comrade-in-arms and leader - Robespierre - was cruel to a level that we would call fascist, if we could apply a term that did not yet exist to those times. Robespierre had a fascist appearance. He was deeply schizoid.
Next to him, Marat, nicknamed “the friend of the people,” did not at all resemble him in appearance. His actions were emotional, first of all, passionate, therefore never reasonable, improvident. He behaved demonstratively, theatrically, producing an effect. By characterological type, he was not a schizoid at all, but a fairly pronounced hysteroid.
Some schizoids with varying degrees of severity of such duality of the psyche are threatened with increasing stress and unfavorable circumstances of life - mental illnesses in the form of reactive depressions (primarily and most often - apathetic and anhedonic), reactive psychoses, affective psychoses, neuroses (primarily obsessive neurosis states), inferiority complexes or high self-esteem, with frequent facilitated formation of overvalued ideas.
In conclusion, we list several characteristics of schizoids, not the main ones, not necessarily expressed, but constant signs of their mental activity. This already requires special understanding and deep thought. This has been clarified and verified in numerous studies and observations, so you can just kind of take note of it.
The volitional manifestations of schizoids are almost never “average”, changeable - either they are stable, long-lasting, to the point of being completely “iron,” or lack of will, lack of activity and persistence, lack of initiative (distancing).
In thinking - an objective attitude, which is not always feasible due to inadequate realistic orientation.
In work - a sense of duty (not always correctly understood) and uneven social orientation(a fixed social attitude or lack of interest in social life are also extremes).
Often - creative talent, or at least its elements.
Attention - with excellent concentration, but poor distribution.
Short chains of associations - the entire associative process flows in a jerky manner.
Rigidity of judgments, beliefs, experiences.
Efficiency is uniform, often high.
Individual mental tempo is high.
Fatigue is sudden.
The scope of perception is narrow.
Switching is difficult.
Representations are often perseverative (not changing or changing slowly).
Shape is perceived much better than color (this should especially be taken into account in pedagogy, when working with schizoid children at school, during the learning process).
Attitude:
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The schizoid personality type occurs in people suffering from such an eccentric schizophrenia spectrum disorder as schizoid personality disorder. This means that the behavior and manners of such a person are always very different from the behavior of the people around him.
Although psychiatrists classify schizoid personality disorder as part of the schizophrenic spectrum of mental illnesses, however, unlike schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder, people with this disorder generally do not experience psychosis.
Characteristic
A person of the schizoid type is always taken out of the context of social relations. The typical schizoid personality experiences great difficulty in expressing any of his emotions, or does so in a very limited range. This is especially evident when communicating with other people. Some people with this mental disorder also experience cognitive impairment (their thinking is schizoid), distortions of perception, as well as pronounced originality of behavior in everyday life (the so-called schizoid-hysteroid personality type).
A person with this disorder does not desire intimacy with other people. He tends to avoid any close relationships and is usually unable to experience love. The typical schizoid personality prefers to spend time alone with his thoughts rather than communicate with others or be in a group of people. Under normal conditions, a person with a schizoid personality type is perceived as a typical “loner.”
In addition, the typical schizoid personality has particular difficulty expressing his anger, even in response to direct provocation. This gives others the erroneous opinion that such people are cold and insensitive. Often their life seems to outsiders to be a purposeless existence. Typically, a typical schizoid personality pursues specific life goals that are incomprehensible to other people. Such people often react passively to unfavorable situations; it is difficult for them to give an adequate assessment and determine the significance of the most important events in their lives.
Poor social skills and a lack of desire for sexual experiences mean that people with this disorder have very few friends and rarely get married. It is very difficult for them to work for hire or engage in intensive work, especially if their work activity involves constant interpersonal interaction. But the typical schizoid personality manifests itself magnificently in conditions of social isolation and where remarkable intelligence is required. The examples of many famous scientists, such as Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton, clearly convince us of this.
The schizoid typical personality is formed on the basis of an eccentric pattern of internal experience and behavior that runs counter to the cultural norms of humanity.
Typically, such people exhibit signs of eccentric behavior in two or more of the following areas: cognition, managing people, interpersonal interaction, and managing their emotions. Their picture of the world is not flexible enough, and schizoid character traits manifest themselves in a wide range of personal and social situations.The typical schizoid personality is stable in its manifestations throughout life, and the first signs of schizoid personality disorder usually appear in adolescence or youth. The schizoid character type is more common among men than among women. Its prevalence in the general population is between 3.1 and 4.9 percent.
Causes
Researchers still don't know for sure what causes schizoid personality disorder. Different theories name different reasons for the development of a schizoid personality.
A person's personality is a combination of thoughts, emotions and behavior that makes each person unique. These characteristics are manifested in our attitude towards the outside world, as well as in the way we see ourselves. Any personality is formed in childhood due to the interaction of heredity and environmental factors.
In normal personality development, children learn over time to accurately interpret social demands and respond appropriately. What goes wrong in children of the schizoid type is not known exactly, but it is quite possible that some factors cause certain problems personal formation. Brain function and genetics also play an important role.
Most experts adhere to the biopsychosocial model of causation. In their opinion, the reasons due to which a person develops a schizoid typical personality is a combination of such factors: biological, genetic, social (for example, the child’s interaction with family and other children) and psychological (character and temperament, confrontation skills stressful situations). This suggests that no single factor can be considered leading - the formation of one or another personality type is a very complex process, which is influenced by all of the above factors. However, studies have shown that there is an increased risk of passing this disease from parents to children.
Who is at risk? The schizoid personality type is often observed among members of the same family. You may be at risk if you have had or have a family member with schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, or any other personality disorder.
Childhood experiences also play a significant role in the development of this disease. Such factors include:
- emotional and physical abuse;
- neglect;
- psychological trauma or constant stress;
- emotional coldness of parents.
Symptoms
Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by distance in social relationships and a limited range of emotional expression in interpersonal contacts. Such personality traits appear starting from early youth and are present in various variations. Typically, a schizoid personality type includes four (or more) of the following characteristics:
Because this personality disorder relies on persistent patterns of behavior, it is most often diagnosed in adulthood. It is quite difficult to diagnose in childhood or adolescence because the child or adolescent is constantly developing. If this happens, the above symptoms should be observed in the child for at least one year.
However, early symptoms of schizoid personality disorder, such as increased interest in individual activities or a high level of social anxiety are already clearly noticeable in adolescence. The child may be an outcast at school, or lag behind his peers in social development, which is why he is often the subject of bullying or ridicule.
As with most other personality disorders, the manifestations of the schizoid personality type become more intense with age, so the symptoms of this mental disorder are most pronounced at the age of 40-50 years.
Diagnostics
Schizoid personality disorder is diagnosed by mental health professionals such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Ordinary therapists do not have sufficient skills and tools for psychological diagnosis.
Unfortunately, many people with schizoid personality disorder do not seek treatment. Typically, people with personality disorders do not seek treatment until their disorder begins to have a significant impact on their life.
The diagnosis of a schizoid personality type is made only by a specialist (psychotherapist or psychiatrist), and it is based on anamnesis and symptoms. It is he who decides whether your symptoms meet the criteria for schizoid personality disorder. In addition, there are a number of specific medical tests (MMPI, TAT, Rorschach test) that make the diagnosis even more accurate.
Therapy
People with this disorder are often at high risk of developing anxiety or depression. They also have poor social skills and lack meaningful relationships with people. Without treatment, people with this disorder become increasingly uncomfortable in social situations, leading to even greater isolation.
Treatment for schizoid personality disorder usually involves long-term psychotherapy with a specialist who has sufficient experience in treating this personality disorder. Some types of psychotherapy have proven to be very effective in the treatment of schizoid personality disorder.
Psychological counseling helps the patient form the “right” relationship. Often used in conjunction with social skills training to help a person feel more comfortable in social situations.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps address erratic and socially undesirable behavior. A person is taught how to act in social situations, how to respond to obvious and hidden social signals. CBT also teaches you to recognize unusual or harmful thoughts so you can reframe them.
Famous schizoid personalities:
Such people:
- they exist in parallel, as it were, in two realities - internal and external. Most The schizoid spends time precisely in his inner world, at the first opportunity, escaping there from harsh reality. He is of little interest in the external side of life - he lives in the world of his ideas, does only what interests him, not noticing anyone or anything around him. While in his refuge, he indulges in thoughts and fantasies: he invents bicycles, fights windmills, constructs abstract theories, creates time machines, travels parallel worlds. Often he does not set great goals for himself and does not achieve success - the thinking process itself, scientific research - is much more important to him than the result. And, nevertheless, all the main discoveries and inventions created by humanity belong precisely to these brilliant “cranks” and “scientific crackers”... More than others, they turn out to be “outsiders”, observers, researchers of human existence.
- isolation is a basic personality trait. The core characteristic of this type of character is withdrawal into oneself, the inability to establish meaningful, emotionally interpersonal relationships.
- schizoid is uncommunicative , he doesn’t let many people into his soul, often limiting himself to only formal contacts. He rarely makes a sensitive listener and a good comforter, - global problems humanity interests him much more than the suffering of individual people. It is extremely difficult for him to understand the grief or joy of his neighbor.
- intuition is his weakest point: The schizoid does not “feel” the interlocutor, does not pick up on someone else’s mood, does not understand who treats him and how. He may turn out to be superfluous in the company, irritate those present, cause ridicule, but he does not always understand this. In turn, a schizoid can also easily hurt someone’s feelings in a conversation, but will not notice it at all.
- main protection - retreat into the inner world, into the world of imagination . The inner world of a schizoid, filled with bizarre fantasies, is closed to outsiders. He is a thing in himself. It is not for nothing that the famous German psychiatrist Kretschmer likened schizoids to “Roman houses devoid of decoration, villas whose shutters are closed from bright light, but in the twilight of their inner chambers luxurious feasts are celebrated...”
- passionately crave intimacy, although they feel the constant threat of being absorbed by others. They establish distance to maintain their safety, but at the same time suffer from remoteness and loneliness. The alienation from which schizoid people suffer so much stems in part from the experience that their emotional, intuitive and sensual capabilities have not been sufficiently appreciated - others simply do not see what they are doing.
- concerned with the need to avoid the danger of being absorbed, sucked, chewed, attached, eaten. The surrounding world is felt as a space full of consuming, distorting, destructive forces that threaten security and individuality.
- they are perplexed: how can everyone else deceive themselves so successfully if the harsh truth of life is so obvious.
- dispassionate, ironic and slightly contemptuous attitude towards others
- can be very caring towards other people, although they continue to need to maintain a protective personal space.
- They cannot be called completely unemotional - coldness and inaccessibility in communication with people can be combined with a strong attachment to animals. They may be distinguished by a passion for some non-human science, for example, mathematics or astronomy, where they are able to give the world creative ideas of high value. The statements may convey unexpected warmth towards people whom they know little or have not seen for a very long time. They are characterized by fascination with inanimate objects and metaphysical structures that have attracted their interest.
- Often drawn to those who have opposing, enviable aspirations, schizoids are often attracted to warm, expressive, sociable people, for example, hysterical personalities.
- suffer from significant Anxiety about basal safety (feeling of one’s own insecurity, weakness, helplessness, insignificance in this treacherous, attacking, humiliating, evil, full of envy and abuse world). Feeling depressed, they hide - either by literally going into reclusion or by immersing themselves in their fantasies.
- sexually some schizoid people turn out to be amazing indifferent , often despite the ability to function and have an orgasm. The closer the Other, the fear is stronger that sex means a trap. Partners of schizoid individuals sometimes complain that their way of loving is mechanical or dispassionate.
- The most adaptive and exciting ability of schizoid personalities is their creativity. The more disturbed individuals in this category reside in their own personal hell, where their potential abilities are consumed by fear and detachment. Sublimation of autistic care in creative activity is the main goal of therapy with schizoid patients.
- the self-esteem of people with schizoid dynamics is often maintained individual creative activity. At the same time, it is the aspects of personal integrity and self-expression that turn out to be more important for them, and not the aspect of self-esteem. The schizoid strives for confirmation of its exceptional originality and uniqueness. Confirmation must be internal rather than external, and, thanks to high standards in creativity, schizoids are often sharply self-critical.
- accumulated perceptions of the patient as exceptional, unique, misunderstood genius or unattainable sage
- not particularly concerned with whether they are right or wrong from a generally accepted point of view.
- characterized by frequent enthusiasm for various philosophies, ideas for improving the world, and construction schemes healthy image life (due to unusual diets, sports activities), especially if this does not require direct dealing with other people.
- There may be a high risk of addiction to drugs and alcohol for pleasure.
- schizoid does not know how to present himself in a favorable light, not distinguished by eloquence . Awkward, unnatural, with poor facial expressions, he often speaks in a monotonous, expressionless voice, making giant pauses between words. All this, of course, does not facilitate mutual understanding between him and the people around him. It is very difficult to understand a schizoid: his mouth is a mess, his words are confusing, he uses clever terms and does not try to be understandable. A typical example: the schizoid Hegel, who lectured to the only student who signed up with him, Ludwig Feierbach.
- Self-absorbed schizoid cares little about what he looks like. A jacket with torn buttons and frayed elbows, trousers “bubbling” at the knees, mismatched socks, battered, half-decayed shoes are quite in his style. Not for a long time washed hair, sloppily trimmed nails, ridiculous, out-of-fashion clothes, often worn inside out, complete his portrait. A typical schizoid is a sort of absent-minded Man from Basseynaya Street, who, instead of a hat, in a hurry, pulled a frying pan on his head, and “instead of felt boots, he pulled gloves onto his heels.”
- By physique they are most often ectomorphs
Archimedes was so absorbed in science that he sometimes forgot to eat, drink and sleep. Wherever he was and whatever he was doing, the great inventor did not interrupt his scientific thoughts. While washing in the bathhouse, he thoughtfully drew geometric shapes sitting in front of the fire, he drew circles and triangles with a twig on the ash, sitting in front of the fire. When one day, while swimming, he accidentally discovered the law of fluid displacement, he became uncontrollably delighted. With a cry of “Eureka!” he jumped out of the bathroom and ran, in his mother's clothes, through the streets of Syracuse.
Archimedes hurried home to quickly try out his famous theory, which was later so remarkably confirmed. And what the respectable townspeople would think about him running around the city naked was of little concern to the famous scientist.
The schizoid is the same: he lives in the world of his ideas, doing only what interests him, not noticing anyone or anything around him.
There is a legend that in his youth, Einstein, being poor and unknown to anyone, always wore the same stretched out old sweater. “Does it matter? Nobody knows me here,” the scientist who had just arrived in America responded to the critical remarks of others. When, having become rich and famous, he never parted with his holey cast-offs, he motivated it differently: “What's the difference? Everyone already knows me”...
Once upon a time there lived a very shy British lord, Henry Cavendish. He avoided women, communicated with servants using notes, and in order to avoid interfering with the maids, he always went down the attached external staircase. But Cavendish rarely went out into the world: he kept writing something in his hole, conducting experiments and taking notes, putting them on the table. And then he died. Cavendish was buried according to his will: he was tightly walled up in the crypt and no inscription was left indicating who was buried here. Not a single portrait remained after the lord, but an archive was found: 20 thick notebooks. Having sorted them out, scientists realized that Cavendish was a great physicist and chemist, all his works were published and now every physics student knows the name of this schizoid.
To diagnose schizoid disorders personalities
the condition must correspond to at least four of the following qualities or behavioral patterns:1) only a few activities bring joy;
2) emotional coldness, distance
3) reduced ability to express warm, tender feelings or anger towards others;
4) external indifference to the praise and criticism of others;
5) decreased interest in sexual experiences with other people (taking into account age);
6) almost constant preference for solitary activities;
7) excessive depth in fantasy and introspection;
8) lack of close friends (at best, no more than one) or trusting relationships and reluctance to have them;
9) clearly insufficient consideration of social norms and requirements, frequent unintentional deviations from them.
"Handbook of a practical psychologist" by I.G. Malkina-Pykh. //The newest directory of a psychologist//Moscow, Eksmo 2010