Neurosis
(from the Greek ?e???s??) refers to a class of functional mental disorder involving distress but not delusions nor hallucinations, where behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. [1] It is also known as psychoneurosis
or neurotic disorder
, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic
. Once a common psychiatric diagnosis, the term is no longer part of mainstream psychiatric terminology in the United States, though it continues to be employed in psychoanalytic theory and practice, and in various other theoretical disciplines.
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NEUROSIS TICKETS
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History and use of the term
Neurosis
was coined by the Scottish doctor
William Cullen in 1769 to refer to "disorders of sense and motion" caused by a "general affection of the
nervous system." For him, it described various nervous disorders and symptoms that could not be explained physiologically. It derives from the
Greek word
neuron
(nerve) with the suffix
-osis
(diseased or abnormal condition). The term was however most influentially defined by
Carl Jung and
Sigmund Freud over a century later. It has continued to be used in contemporary theoretical writing in psychology and philosophy.
[2]
The American
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has eliminated the category of Neurosis, reflecting a decision by the editors to provide descriptions of behavior as opposed to hidden psychological mechanisms as diagnostic criteria.
[3], and, according to The American Heritage Medical Dictionary, it is "no longer used in psychiatric diagnosis."
[4] These changes to the DSM have been highly controversial.
[5]
Psychoanalytical account of neurosis
As an
illness, neurosis represents a variety of mental disorders in which emotional distress or
unconscious conflict is expressed through various physical, physiological, and mental disturbances, which may include physical symptoms (e.g.,
hysteria). The definitive symptom is
anxieties. Neurotic tendencies are common and may manifest themselves as
depression, acute or chronic
anxiety,
obsessive-compulsive tendencies,
phobias, and even
personality disorders, such as
borderline personality disorder or
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. It has perhaps been most simply defined as a "poor ability to adapt to one's environment, an inability to change one's life patterns, and the inability to develop a richer, more complex, more satisfying personality."
[6] Neurosis should not be mistaken for
psychosis, which refers to loss of touch with reality, or
neuroticism, a fundamental personality
trait according to
psychological theory.
According to
psychoanalytic theory, neuroses may be rooted in
ego defense mechanisms, but the two concepts are not synonymous.
Defense mechanisms are a normal way of developing and maintaining a consistent sense of self (i.e., an
ego), while only those thought and behavior patterns that produce difficulties in living should be termed
neuroses
.
Effects and symptoms
There are many different specific forms of
neurosis
:
pyromania,
obsessive-compulsive disorder,
anxiety neurosis,
hysteria (in which anxiety may be discharged through a physical symptom), and an endless variety of
phobias. According to Dr. George Boeree, effects of neurosis can involve:
...anxiety, sadness or depression, anger, irritability, mental confusion, low sense of self-worth, etc., behavioral symptoms such as phobic avoidance, vigilance, impulsive and compulsive acts, lethargy, etc., cognitive problems such as unpleasant or disturbing thoughts, repetition of thoughts and obsession, habitual fantasizing, negativity and cynicism, etc. Interpersonally, neurosis involves dependency, aggressiveness, perfectionism, schizoid isolation, socio-culturally inappropriate behaviors, etc.
Jung's theory of neurosis
Jung found his approach particularly fitting for people who are successfully adjusted by normal social standards, but who nevertheless have issues with the meaning of their life.
I have frequently seen people become neurotic when they content themselves with inadequate or wrong answers to the questions of life (Jung, [1961] 1989:140).
The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith (Jung, [1961] 1989:140).
[Contemporary man] is blind to the fact that, with all his rationality and efficiency, he is possessed by "powers" that are beyond his control. His gods and demons have not disappeared at all; they have merely got new names. They keep him on the run with restlessness, vague apprehensions, psychological complications, an insatiable need for pills, alcohol, tobacco, food – and, above all, a large array of neuroses. (Jung, 1964:82).
Jung found that the unconscious finds expression primarily through an individual’s inferior psychological function, whether it is thinking, feeling, sensing, or intuition. The characteristic effects of a neurosis on the dominant and inferior functions are discussed in
Psychological Types
.
Jung saw collective neuroses in politics: "Our world is, so to speak, dissociated like a neurotic" (Jung, 1964:85).
References
- {{DorlandsDict|six/000072074|neurosis}}
- Human Experience: Philosophy, Neurosis, and the Elements of Everyday Life
- The Loss of Sadness
- The American Heritage Medical Dictionary
- Wilson, Mitchell, (1993), "DSM-III and the Transformation of American Psychiatry: A History". ''The American Journal of Psychiatry'', 150,3, pp 399-410.
- A Bio-Social Theory of Neurosis