Throughout my life, I’ve heard of people being “neurotic” while not necessarily understanding what the term meant. Once I began practicing care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “behavioral health”), I better understood this condition.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines the term as follows:
Any one of a variety of mental disorders characterized by significant anxiety or other distressing emotional symptoms, such as persistent and irrational fears, obsessive thoughts, compulsive acts, dissociative states, and somatic and depressive reactions. The symptoms do not involve gross personality disorganization, total lack of insight, or loss of contact with reality (compare psychosis).
In psychoanalysis, neuroses are generally viewed as exaggerated, unconscious methods of coping with internal conflicts and the anxiety they produce. Most of the disorders that used to be called neuroses are now classified as anxiety disorders.
There are two points of clarity that may be useful for understanding my perspective regarding this matter. First, people aren’t their conditions, diagnoses, or symptoms. For instance, while a person may exhibit neurotic tendencies, this doesn’t mean an individual is neurotic.
Second, I practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a form of cognitive behavior therapy developed by the late psychologist Albert Ellis who used to practice psychoanalysis. For better, worse, or otherwise, much of REBT literature is influenced by psychoanalytic terms.
As an example, in one source written with a coauthor, Ellis stated:
The main barriers to effective thinking and emoting include these: (1) Some people have too much stupidity to think clearly. Or (2) they possess sufficient intelligence to think straight, but just do not know how to do so. Or (3) they have enough intelligence and education to think clearly but act too disturbedly or neurotically to put their intelligence or knowledge to good use.
Here, “disturbedly” relates to the REBT concept of self-disturbance—the process by which people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs. In particular REBT recognizes four major irrational beliefs:
· Demandingness (e.g., I must perform well at work)
· Awfulizing (e.g., It would be awful not to perform well at work)
· Low frustration tolerance (e.g., I couldn’t stand not to perform well at work)
· Global evaluations (e.g., If I don’t perform well at work, I’m totally useless)
Per Ellis’ perspective, some people have too much stupidity (the quality of lacking intelligence or reason) to think clearly. I invite you to suspend your easily disturbed sensibilities and consider how truthful that statement is. Some people lack the ability to effectively reason.
Also, Ellis proposed that while some people maintain sufficient intelligence to keep from self-disturbing, their ignorance (lack of knowledge or comprehension) creates a barrier to effective thinking and emoting. This is where psychoeducation may benefit such individuals.
Finally, Ellis posited that some people behave in a neurotic fashion so much so that they can’t properly use intelligence or apply knowledge. Colloquially speaking, “neurotic” is defined as an emotionally unstable experience, as this is the essence of self-disturbance.
Keep in mind that herein I’ve not proposed that people are neurotic, stupid, or ignorant. Rather, I’ve stated that they respond in neurotic ways, have too much stupidity, or exhibit ignorance. Solidifying this notion, one REBT source states:
In addition to verbal discussion between clients and therapists, it strongly emphasizes that logical parsing and rational persuasion on the part of both therapists and clients be employed to help the clients act and work against their neurotic attitudes and their self-defeating habit patterns. Clients are shown that they had better fight, in practice as well as in theory, against their acquired and invented irrational ideas and the dysfunctional behavior patterns that accompany these ideas. Unless therapists somehow induce their clients to undo, as well as to unthink, their self-defeating philosophies, no thoroughgoing reversal of the client’s neurotic process is expected to occur.
Therefore, emotional instability isn’t descriptive of who a person is. Rather, significant anxiety or other distressing emotional symptoms merely describe what an individual experiences. Building upon this narrative, consider what I stated in a blogpost entitled Self-Focus:
[T]he APA clarifies that an “excess of trait self-focus has been associated with the development of, or with heightened vulnerability to, several mental health disorders, such as alcohol use, depression, and anxiety disorders.” Thus, an excess of trait self-focus may result in neurosis.
On the contrary, self-focus doesn’t entail hyper-fixation on self-improvement to a pathological degree. Without promotion of neurotic tendencies, I advocate self-focus through the practice of [REBT].
One REBT objective is to help people focus on their rigid attitudes which lead to self-disturbance. Thus, behavioral health looks at outcomes and not merely the self. This involves centering one’s attention on processes of the self (i.e., believing, emoting, behaving, etc.).
Admittedly, the term “self-focus” can be slightly misleading, as an apt reclassification of this concept may relate to “self-process focus.” This adjustment severs the self from processes of the self (i.e., people are not their beliefs).
Minor distinction aside, the purpose of the current blog entry is to clarify what neurosis is and isn’t, using an REBT perspective. If you’d like to know more about how to stop neurotically disturbing yourself, I’m here to help.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
AEI. (n.d.). About Albert Ellis, Ph.D. Albert Ellis Institute. Retrieved from https://albertellis.org/about-albert-ellis-phd/
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Neurosis. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/neurosis
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Psychosis. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/psychosis
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023, November 15). Self-focus. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/self-focus
Bernard, M. E. and Dryden, W. (2019). Advances in REBT: Theory, practice, research, measurement, prevention and promotion. Springer. Retrieved from https://dokumen.pub/qdownload/advances-in-rebt-theory-practice-research-measurement-prevention-and-promotion-9783319931180-3319931180.html
Ellis, A. and Harper, R. A. (1975). A new guide to rational living. Wilshire Book Co. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/newguidetoration00elli
Hollings, D. (2024, May 30). Behavioral health care. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/behavioral-health-care
Hollings, D. (2024, May 19). Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/cognitive-behavior-therapy-cbt
Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2024, April 2). Four major irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/four-major-irrational-beliefs
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (2023, September 13). Global evaluations. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/global-evaluations
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2023, May 18). Irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/irrational-beliefs
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason
Hollings, D. (2022, December 2). Low frustration tolerance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/low-frustration-tolerance
Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth
Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Psychoeducation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychoeducation
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, January 4). Rigid vs. rigorous. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rigid-vs-rigorous
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2024, April 19). Self-focus. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-focus
Hollings, D. (2022, October 7). Should, must, and ought. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/should-must-and-ought
Hollings, D. (2022, November 15). To don a hat. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-don-a-hat
Hollings, D. (2022, August 8). Was Freud right? Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/was-freud-right
Wayhomestudio. (n.d.). Indoor shot of scared nervous man student bites finger nails, stares with fear, has dark hair [Image]. Freepik. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/indoor-shot-scared-nervous-man-student-bites-finger-nails-stares-with-fear-has-dark-hair_10521367.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=22&uuid=a51f92c5-6d65-4723-9e2c-92f5d067f197
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