Rigidity: characteristics, causes of appearance and treatment

Not only specialists in psychology ask a deep question, what rigidity is and how it is conditioned, but also ordinary people who are interested in this feature of the human psyche and its consciousness. Next, we will take a closer look at what this unusual word is, we will study in more detail the concept of rigidity and its varieties. We will also try to understand the reasons for its occurrence and methods of overcoming it. Moreover, the advice of professionals in this field will be explained and their general recommendations will be given.

The concept of "rigidity" has several interpretations and definitions. It should be noted right away that this is a kind of complexity and unwillingness of human consciousness to respond to certain types of situations that force a person to leave their own comfort zone. But this is not always a pathology.

Rigidity in psychology and psychiatry means full or partial inability of a person to change his intended path and program of consciousness, complete denial or serious difficulty in changing conditions that must be changed to some extent. In simple terms, a person simply does not want and is afraid to change what requires change. Rigid people do not tend to change their habits, whatever they may be. They are very stubborn in many situations, even if they realize that they are wrong in a given situation. They simply cannot afford to agree with an opponent or with one or another point of view.

Rigid people very often have stress and mental problems, they are emotionally unstable and at the same time quite impressionable. It is rather difficult for close and simply surrounding people to conduct a dialogue with such people, for this, as a rule, you have to put a lot of effort or distract such a person with other topics. But it is not all that bad. Despite the "stereotyped reality", such people can achieve good success in life, but this depends on many factors.

Today in psychology there are several types of rigidity, which include:

• cognitive;
• affective;
• emotional;
• motivational.

Let's consider each of the varieties for a more detailed understanding of this phenomenon.

Cognitive rigidity is a difficulty in restructuring perception from one question to another, from changing one topic to another, and from completely changing one picture of the world to another. Many subjects live in their exclusive reality, categorically refusing to create a new picture of the world, even if it is required by certain conditions and new information that replaces the old one. People with cognitive rigidity will act in certain situations and solve some problems only according to their old and proven patterns.

Affective rigidity presupposes the presence of certain responses in human consciousness. This type implies the affectivity of certain responses to changing emotional objects.

Emotional rigidity implies the difficulty in restructuring the system of motives in certain life circumstances. At the same time, circumstances require restructuring, plasticity and behavior change.

Many scientists argue that emotional rigidity is a kind of "stable emotion" to everything, a constant reaction. It turns out that despite the regular change of circumstances or situations, the individual continues to react to them in the same way, without changing his emotions. That is, no matter what happens, there will be no change in the emotional state.

Motivational rigidity is a kind that involves stagnation of a person in his own reality and a complete reluctance to replace monotony. That is, a person categorically refuses to burden himself with such tasks in order to adapt to the new world and information. This also includes the fact that the individual does not want to change the usual ways of satisfying his needs, completely "trusting" the old.

Since in psychology the term rigidity refers to the category of mental disorders, one should know where it comes from.

This mental disorder implies a decrease in certain processes of mobility and adaptation of human consciousness to life's difficulties and problems arising in it. That is, the lack of such adaptation to life entails a lack of flexible thinking, which means that it becomes very difficult for an individual to navigate in a world that is changing every second.

The emergence of rigidity, as a rule, is associated with many factors, which are most often not isolated and are distinguished by specialists in a complex. So, this disorder may be due to somatic factors:

• the structure of the central nervous system and its mobility;
• certain pathologies associated with diseases of the central nervous system;
• genetic predisposition and any endocrine disorders;
• changes in the course of growing up and aging;
• serious violations in nutrition and their own diet;
• severe poisoning of the body, including chemicals and substances;
• serious head injuries;
• also, the disorder can be caused by the regular use of alcoholic beverages and various kinds of drugs.

The following points are related to the psychological factors of stiffness conditioning:

• features in human temperament;
• Various types of upbringing, starting from childhood;
• the presence of psychological trauma and serious shocks that affect the individual;
• the presence of concomitant disorders - nervousness and hysteria, as well as some others that cause anxiety, apathy, emotionlessness and a neutral attitude to life;
• personal conflicts, split personality;
• psychoses of various etiologies, including paranoia, manic psychosis, schizophrenia and other related conditions.

Many psychologists and psychotherapists who worked on the type of higher activity and the totality of the innate properties of the nervous system also worked on the emergence of rigidity mechanisms. American psychiatrist R. Cloninger identifies 4 types of mechanisms in his writings.

• Formation of a certain dependence on certain things by means of encouragement or punishment. In this case, the behavior of the individual could be disapproved of by the parents from childhood or completely suppressed by severe punishments.
• Lack of search skills, life according to a template. Unwillingness to learn something new as a result of the absence of any stimulating factors.
• Formation of personal behavior, which involves avoiding certain life circumstances.
• Lack of personal experience in solving certain life tasks and any problems that arise in different ways. As a rule, individuals use stereotyped behavior and cliches that they have already mastered that do not require novelty.

Many points can be attributed to the psychological signs of rigidity of thinking. Since a person cannot form or correct his behavior under certain circumstances, the following points can be signs:

• excessive impressionability and emotionality with interlocutors;
• defending one's innocence under any circumstances;
• excessive loyalty to routine habits;
• sometimes strong suggestibility;
• inability to analyze and correct certain actions.

People with rigidity can have complex personalities, they are very often attached to experienced stereotypes. Despite many factors, there are pluses here.

As for character, it should be noted here that people of this type are quite purposeful, which is typical for many leaders. They always have a clean house, such people are characterized by self-confidence, they always rely only on themselves. By their nature, rigid people most often do not show their emotions, hiding them from other people. But this does not mean at all that they have no emotions at all, they just hide them.

Also, as an example, it can be said that many people with mental rigidity are more resistant to everyday stress due to their adapted responses and patterned emotions.

As a rule, people with rigidity are natural rivals. They are very fond of arguments and debates, but this does not mean at all that it is impossible to communicate with them, it is just that, as elsewhere, you need to find your own approach.

Relationships with other psychotypes can be different, since it depends on many factors.But in general, many people may not even notice that there is a rigid person next to them, because his communication will not differ from others.

Such people are excellent at realizing themselves in many areas of activity, finding a common language with employees and colleagues. They can be both introverts and extroverts. They are unambiguously inherent in common sense, and sometimes cold calculation, so indispensable in some professions.

Despite the fact that, as such, rigidity may not bear negative consequences, sometimes it also happens that people with excessive severity of rigidity are considered mentally unhealthy, which requires appropriate treatment from specialists.

Stiffness occurs in both children and adults. Just like that, after reading a book, it is unlikely that it will be possible to change the character of the child or to re-educate what was missed. In most cases, the consultation of a professional is required, who can select the appropriate complex of training, behavior correction, and sometimes special drugs.

However, some moments of the manifestation of rigidity do not always require serious adjustment; this issue is also best discussed directly with a psychologist or psychiatrist, who can provide answers to many questions.

As a rule, overcoming a stiffness is a very difficult process that takes a lot of time. Especially if it is the pathology that has been identified. The goal of the doctor here becomes a kind of imposition of correct and competent thoughts on the patient. But at the same time, the patient must think that these rational thoughts come from himself, that is, in the process of therapy they are not imposed on him. At the same time, therapy will be crowned with success if the patient realizes that he really needs it and will do his best to correct his thinking, reaction and further behavior.

The rigidity of certain psychological processes may not be a pathology, since it manifests itself in almost every person under the influence of certain life circumstances. It can also develop over time. In many cases, nothing needs to be done.

It is worth contacting a specialist only if the individual has pronounced signs of rigidity, moreover, if they negatively affect a person and his life. Depending on the specifics of the patient, therapy can be easily selected, but only personal efforts will help to achieve success.

Experts recommend that many people attend psychoanalysis sessions, thereby revealing their negative thoughts and experiences to the doctor. In order to independently improve your condition and reveal the positive aspects, you can engage in art therapy, yoga and meditation. Various kinds of trainings aimed at identifying the best qualities can help to understand their role in society and purpose.

Summing up, it should be noted once again that the rigidity of character and thinking may not be a pathology at all, it all depends on a specific set of human qualities, his attitude to certain situations and emotions.

In more detail, the regular type of character is discussed in the next video.