Sensitivity: personality types, their nature and relationships

We are all very different. Each person has his own individual traits, which shape his character. Usually they are born with character, but much is formed both in childhood and in adolescence. Nevertheless, in psychology, there is a division into types of accentuation. We will tell you more about this in our material.

Psychologists have long noticed that one cannot approach all people with one yardstick: what one considers normal does not at all fit into the ideas of another. Sensitivity is a personality trait that manifests itself in increased sensitivity to certain events., information, experiences peculiar only to this type of personality. Each psychotype has its own sensitive reference point. On the basis of a general understanding of the difference in psychological types of personality, the world's first typology was created, based on the doctrine of accentuation. It happened in 1968. German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard proposed to classify all people according to certain types, depending on their sensitivity.

The German expert argued that about 50% of the population are accentuators, while the other half are normal people. Thus, Leonhard considered accentuation to be a certain deviation from the norm, however, in no way interfering with a person's life. In 1977, Soviet psychiatrist Andrei Lichko, taking Leonhard's typology as a basis, created his own typology, which was intended to diagnose psychopathy in adolescence.Modern psychiatry defines accentuations as a variant of the norm, but emphasizes that in each case an individual approach and diagnosis is required.

Leonhard identified 12 types of accentuation, such as:

• hyperthymic - people who crave activity and activity, constantly need fresh bright experiences and emotions, great optimists, always focused on achieving success;
• dysthymic - types inhibited, experiencing, pessimistic, expecting a catch and failure, often appealing to ethical norms;
• affectively labile - combines the signs of an optimist and a pessimist, they mutually balance each other well;
• affective-exalted - an exalted person who highly values ​​everything sensual, the emotional sphere for them is in the first place;

• anxious - timid, very timid, not willing to defend points of view, submissive, malleable;
• emotive - very compassionate, empathic, participating in the experiences of others, gentle and sincere person;
• demonstrative - very self-confident, vain, boastful, often a liar and flatterer;
• pedantic - a person who has difficulty in making decisions, but very conscientious, a person with high ideals, personal goals and requirements;
• stuck - suspicious, touchy, vulnerable, very vain with strong and frequent mood swings;
• excitable - a very hot-tempered person who is led by instincts.

With regard to sensitivity, the sensitive types usually include anxious personality types. Take another look at the presented typology of Leonhard, it will become obvious that sensitive people are very anxious people who are afraid of the new, look anxiously into the future, often shy and very impressionable, long and painfully experiencing failures. This includes the stuck, anxious, and partially dysthymic type of personality accentuation. Does this mean that the sensitive person is sick. Not always, he just has a special sensitivity, which under unfavorable circumstances, however, may well become a disease.

A sensitive person can be recognized even in childhood: a sensitivity disorder can manifest itself either in the form of its aggravation, or a lack of sensitivity. Anything or even a whole complex of factors can affect the formation of sensitivity, such as heredity, possible organic damage to the structures of the brain, educational measures used by the parents, as well as certain age stages of life. Violations can also occur at the level of temperament, which, in fact, is only the speed of reactions to the world around, on nervous pathogens. It follows that sensitivity cannot be considered a disease. Melancholic people are more often than others sensitive individuals. Their suspiciousness and anxiety are extremely high.

In a sensitive person, already in childhood, there is a tendency to low self-esteem; later, it can develop into high self-demands (demands on oneself) against the background of a low level of aspirations. In most cases, children outgrow this condition without significant consequences. In an extremely pronounced form, sensitivity becomes psychopathy.

A sensitive person is anxious, and this should not be forgotten when building a relationship with him, hiring such a person, entrusting him with something important or urgent. Sensitivity tends to manifest itself especially clearly during certain periods of life, for example, in adolescents. But in the absence of pathology as such, such a person has every chance to get rid of heightened sensitivity over time, which will noticeably improve the quality of life of both him and the people around him.If the traits of character accentuation (for example, anxiety or the strength of a negative reaction to events) increase and stabilize, then with a high degree of probability we are still talking not about sensitivity as such, but about a personality disorder. There are two degrees of severity of accentuations in general: explicit and latent. The first is expressed throughout life, not compensated. The second is a variant of the norm, there is a likelihood of compensation and disappearance of symptoms.

In children, sensitivity is usually observed as early as 2 years of age and a little older. Children with increased sensitivity are very shy, more shy than their peers, they are incredibly impressionable in the most insignificant, everyday situations, timid. Often children with sensitivity feel untenable, an inferiority complex begins to emerge. They endure troubles and grief for a long time, constantly mentally returning to unpleasant memories. They have psychological barriers in communicating with other people. Often such children prefer a solitary game to a noisy children's team, they very clearly and quickly feel the mood of others, pay attention even to their small fluctuations in one direction or another.

An adult sensitive person, regardless of gender and age, always evaluates the speech, behavior of another person, he intuitively very subtly feels other people, their mood and state at the moment. For them, there are no unimportant details - in clothes, hairstyle, work - in absolutely everything a man and a woman will show special abilities with sensitivity. They are given by nature a rare instinct: they can predict in advance the thoughts and feelings of other people, they often know how the other will act in a given situation.

In short, the described model is the norm under which the sensitivity will not go beyond the boundaries of what is permissible. If a person is hypersensitive, cries sobbing for no apparent reason, is hysterical, cannot sleep before an important event, and even after important events experiences problems with relaxation and falling asleep, since the nervous system is overexcited, if experiences for any reason are elevated to the category of a universal tragedy, it is imperative you need to consult with a psychotherapist.

If sensitivity is on the verge of norm and pathology, it will be very difficult for a person to adapt in society - to get a profession, work in a team, and build personal relationships. People with unusual sensitivity should plan their lives taking into account those personal characteristics that are characteristic of them.

Anxious accentuators usually intuitively choose the professions in which they feel most comfortable. They have good qualities that are appreciated by employers: they are responsible and will never undertake something that they cannot afford, they will not take risks and put everything on the line, but if they do something, they do it painstakingly. pedantic, honest. In addition, sensitive people are very constant: changing jobs, going on adventures is not in their spirit. In general, they are wary of everything new and unknown. They do not need dizzying career growth, they need stability, even if in one place.

When choosing a profession, you should avoid areas of activity in which teamwork is provided.despite the special flair and mood of colleagues, a sensitive person prefers to work independently. Such people can be unbalanced if something inflames their nervous system to the limit, so you should stay away from professions that require endurance, will and high stress resistance. Thus, it is best to avoid management, management, emergency services, fire brigades, police, business in key positions, diplomacy and politics.

The system of psychological tests can, even in school years, identify an area in which a child with increased sensitivity will feel most in demand and useful. It is best to choose technical specialties related to the repair, maintenance and operation of complex technical devices and fixtures. Sensitive young people turn out to be very thoughtful engineers with a high degree of responsibility and great analytical skills.

If you have a heightened perception of reality, you can become a famous artist or photographer, cinematographer, decorator, writer, poet, actor or art critic, museum curator, archivist. Sensitive people are sensitive not only to other people, but also to nature, animals, therefore, such professions as a veterinarian, zoo worker, gardener, ecologist, agricultural specialist, biologist, marine biologist, zoologist are suitable for them. Sensitive people also make good financiers, accountants, translators (texts and books), mathematicians and composers. The main thing is not to work where you have to deal with a large number of people and emergency situations. They are contraindicated in medicine, pedagogy, insurance, stock exchanges, journalism, military affairs and other areas that require close contact with society and iron nerves.

The self-esteem of sensitive people is often inadequate. They are touchy and very sensitive, which prevents them from becoming leaders, leaders in society. Their perception of reality does not imply adventures and courage, thrills, they almost always do not like alcohol, and they are also rather timid with the opposite sex. Quite often, such people cannot themselves decide on their own attitude to this or that person, since they have a lot of their own hidden feelings that occupy all his thoughts. They do not like pretense and lies, so it is easier for them to stay away from big companies than to adjust to the rules of the team, flatter, please and try to seem like a "darling".

However, they will not go to clarify their relationship with the offender, they prefer to “huddle” in a resentful corner of their own apartment in order to “think it over well”. However, they tend to get depressed. For them, the mere thought that someone might have thought badly of them is unbearable. Don't assume that you can easily cheer up a sensitive person. He may politely smile at you, but he will not dare to sincere joy, or rather, he will be ashamed of its manifestations.

Sensitive people of a melancholic disposition usually have low or extremely low psychosexual activity, therefore, courtship and the prospect of building family relationships are a burden for them. But they will gladly accept the initiative of a partner in many matters of organizing their own personal lives. There is one important nuance that the partner of a sensitive person should know about: with age, he can partially compensate for his hypersensitivity, as mentioned above, but at the same time he can begin to lead a "double life": with others with whom he is forced to communicate at work, outside the house, he will be polite, courteous, calm.

But once at home, he will immediately throw off the "mask" that is nasty to them, and then the partner will have to listen for a long time and patiently how everything annoys and strains, what an imperfect and wrong world, what unpleasant and unfair people. Everything that has accumulated because of the "mask" will become a topic for conversation on quiet family evenings. From a spouse, a sensitive person will demand understanding and all kinds of sympathy.If even with a gesture or a glance the partner shows that he is tired of listening to this or he is tired, or he is not interested in it now, then the resentment of a sensitive, anxious melancholic hurt by such a “betrayal” will be global. He will immediately have more reasons for suffering and worries.

You can try to do this with sanguine people - representatives of this type of temperament get along quite easily with any other types, it will not be so difficult for them to establish a rather close emotional contact with a sensitive partner. In addition, the "terry optimist", which is a sanguine person, will gladly share with a sensitive spouse a share of confidence, give him vigor and a drop of faith in himself. However, in the stream of his love for life and optimism, a sanguine person may not notice how he inadvertently offends a sensitive partner, which can cause quarrels and misunderstandings. It will be interesting for two sensitive partners, who, in fact, both are melancholic, to make friends, communicate, but their family life will resemble a difficult life drama and a very drawn-out plot. Both will be offended, both will be focused on their experiences, the sensitive family will suffer itself and make everyone who will be around suffer.

Quickly forgetting quarrels, a sharp and assertive choleric person will involuntarily offend a sensitive partner at every step, he can scream, press, make fun of his spouse, which will remain in the soul of the second a huge splinter of resentment for a long time. A sensitive person with a classic phlegmatic has good chances of a successful family. In such an alliance, no one will offend anyone, but there will also be few bright passions and feelings there. If partners do not learn to speak and not drag out conflicts, then everything will be fine. Otherwise, both can sit for a long time in different corners and suffer from grievances, if they accumulate, then it will be more difficult to make peace.