Going Deeper Into Fear Neurosis Anxiety and Phobias
Anxiety Observed:
WE now begin our discussion of the particular psychological disorders themselves. In this article, we discuss the disorders that have been called "neuroses." In this article, we consider the disorders in which anxiety is actually felt by the victim. In the next article, we will deal with the neuroses in which anxiety generally is not felt, although its existence can be inferred from the patient's symptoms. In a latter article, we will consider the psychosomatic disorders, in which an organic problem can be exacerbated or even started by anxiety and other psychological events.
NEUROSIS DEFINED
What is a neurosis? What are the neurotic disorders? What is neurotic behavior? William Cullen, a Scottish physician, first used the term “neurosis” in the eighteenth century. Cullen's approach was biomedical; he guessed that the nervous system was the part of the body causing emotional disturbance. This belief prevailed until the twentieth century when Freud rejected it and claimed that neurosis resulted from anxiety. Freud believed that conflict between the ego and the id generated anxiety and that neurotic symptoms resulted from an attempt to harness this anxiety (Freud, 1924). In 1980, DSM-5 redefined the term "neurosis." In contrast to Freud, DSM-III uses the term only to describe a class of disorders; it disregards the issue of whether the disorders are caused by anxiety.
WE now begin our discussion of the particular psychological disorders themselves. In this article, we discuss the disorders that have been called "neuroses." In this article, we consider the disorders in which anxiety is actually felt by the victim. In the next article, we will deal with the neuroses in which anxiety generally is not felt, although its existence can be inferred from the patient's symptoms. In a latter article, we will consider the psychosomatic disorders, in which an organic problem can be exacerbated or even started by anxiety and other psychological events.
NEUROSIS DEFINED
What is a neurosis? What are the neurotic disorders? What is neurotic behavior? William Cullen, a Scottish physician, first used the term “neurosis” in the eighteenth century. Cullen's approach was biomedical; he guessed that the nervous system was the part of the body causing emotional disturbance. This belief prevailed until the twentieth century when Freud rejected it and claimed that neurosis resulted from anxiety. Freud believed that conflict between the ego and the id generated anxiety and that neurotic symptoms resulted from an attempt to harness this anxiety (Freud, 1924). In 1980, DSM-5 redefined the term "neurosis." In contrast to Freud, DSM-III uses the term only to describe a class of disorders; it disregards the issue of whether the disorders are caused by anxiety.
NEUROSIS AND ANXIETY
Freud not only used the term "neurosis" to describe emotionally distressing symptoms in an individual whose reality testing was intact, but he also used the term to refer to the process of defending against anxiety. He thought that this underlying process in which an unconscious conflict produced anxiety, coped with by a malfunctioning defense mechanism, caused the neurotic symptom. The distinction between description and process is a fundamental one.
Freud not only used the term "neurosis" to describe emotionally distressing symptoms in an individual whose reality testing was intact, but he also used the term to refer to the process of defending against anxiety. He thought that this underlying process in which an unconscious conflict produced anxiety, coped with by a malfunctioning defense mechanism, caused the neurotic symptom. The distinction between description and process is a fundamental one.
Egg Example:
Consider the relation of a hard-boiled egg to an uncooked egg. We can de-scribe how the symptoms of being a hard-boiled egg differ from the symptoms of being an uncooked egg...
Consider the relation of a hard-boiled egg to an uncooked egg. We can de-scribe how the symptoms of being a hard-boiled egg differ from the symptoms of being an uncooked egg...
The white of the egg is actually white and not transparent; the yolk is solid and not liquid; the membrane of the egg can be peeled. Alternatively, we can talk about the process by which an uncooked egg becomes a hard-boiled egg: the uncooked egg is covered with water; heat is applied to the water until the water boils; the boiling water causes a chemical change in the white, the yolk, and the membrane of the egg.
Similarly, in discussing a neurosis, description is a list of the symptoms of being neurotic, whereas process is the cause or etiology of becoming neurotic.
Freud saw two kinds of neurotics: (1) individuals with disorders in which anxiety was acutely felt, and (2) individuals with disorders in which no anxiety was felt, but in which anxiety was suspected as being the cause of the neurotic symptoms that were observed.
Phobic, individuals who show irrational fear of specific objects, fall into the first category. When in the presence of the phobic object or when anticipating that he or she might be in its presence, the phobic is overcome with anxiety. On the other hand, conversion hysterics who lose the physical functioning of part of their body for psychological, rather than physical causes are usually not anxious at all. Freud theorized that these individuals, although they could not be described by the presence of anxiety, showed the results of the neurotic process: their physical loss was a successful defense against underlying anxiety, and as such, anxiety was not seen.
Hans Eysenck, the British personality theorist, also views the neuroses as the result of anxiety. He argues that neuroticism is a major dimension of human personality and that varying degrees of neuroticism lie along a continuum—from normal to extremely neurotic. People at the end of this continuum have strong emotions that are easily aroused. They are moody, anxious, and restless. At the other end of this continuum are non-neurotic people. They are emotionally stable, calm, even-tempered, carefree, and re-liable (Eysenck, 1952; Eysenck and Rachman, 1965).
Eysenck claims that neuroticism can be genetically transmitted to one's offspring. Identical twins brought up either separately or together correspond more in their answers on questionnaires testing neuroticism than do fraternal twins (Shields, 1962).
In contrast to Freud and Eysenck, we will distinguish between neurosis when it is used as a description of symptoms, and when it is used to refer to a more speculative, causal process. Freud's distinction between neurotic dis-orders in which anxiety is felt versus neurotic disorders in which anxiety is inferred, however, is still very much with us. DSM-III calls both kinds of disorders "neurotic," retaining the term largely because it is already so widely used. DSM-III uses the term merely in its descriptive sense, without invoking a process or committing itself to any specific etiology for the dis-order. Thus, as we shall see, it uses "neurosis" to describe symptoms that are distressing, recognized as unacceptable, with reality testing intact, and with symptoms that do not grossly violate social norms.
More at:
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
Of course you know the treatment method I recommend
for Fear Neurosis Anxiety and Phobias!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
Freud saw two kinds of neurotics: (1) individuals with disorders in which anxiety was acutely felt, and (2) individuals with disorders in which no anxiety was felt, but in which anxiety was suspected as being the cause of the neurotic symptoms that were observed.
Phobic, individuals who show irrational fear of specific objects, fall into the first category. When in the presence of the phobic object or when anticipating that he or she might be in its presence, the phobic is overcome with anxiety. On the other hand, conversion hysterics who lose the physical functioning of part of their body for psychological, rather than physical causes are usually not anxious at all. Freud theorized that these individuals, although they could not be described by the presence of anxiety, showed the results of the neurotic process: their physical loss was a successful defense against underlying anxiety, and as such, anxiety was not seen.
Hans Eysenck, the British personality theorist, also views the neuroses as the result of anxiety. He argues that neuroticism is a major dimension of human personality and that varying degrees of neuroticism lie along a continuum—from normal to extremely neurotic. People at the end of this continuum have strong emotions that are easily aroused. They are moody, anxious, and restless. At the other end of this continuum are non-neurotic people. They are emotionally stable, calm, even-tempered, carefree, and re-liable (Eysenck, 1952; Eysenck and Rachman, 1965).
Eysenck claims that neuroticism can be genetically transmitted to one's offspring. Identical twins brought up either separately or together correspond more in their answers on questionnaires testing neuroticism than do fraternal twins (Shields, 1962).
In contrast to Freud and Eysenck, we will distinguish between neurosis when it is used as a description of symptoms, and when it is used to refer to a more speculative, causal process. Freud's distinction between neurotic dis-orders in which anxiety is felt versus neurotic disorders in which anxiety is inferred, however, is still very much with us. DSM-III calls both kinds of disorders "neurotic," retaining the term largely because it is already so widely used. DSM-III uses the term merely in its descriptive sense, without invoking a process or committing itself to any specific etiology for the dis-order. Thus, as we shall see, it uses "neurosis" to describe symptoms that are distressing, recognized as unacceptable, with reality testing intact, and with symptoms that do not grossly violate social norms.
More at:
http://social-anxiety-treatment-cure.weebly.com/
Of course you know the treatment method I recommend
for Fear Neurosis Anxiety and Phobias!
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html