What does it mean to be neurotic?

[sat2493]

And do you have examples of people like this in your life?

 

[Black Rose]

I have nervousness and feel like crap sometimes (majority of the time).
Last night it was like a fever and dreaming half awake does no feel good.
Most of the time I barely function, hard to read, hard to watch videos.
Justs exhausted, takes too much effort to do anything mental/cognitive.

I like going on drives places, listening to music, just feel drained.
The nervousness problem happens when I can't think of anything and try to.

I think I have a regulation problem. (that's all of mental illness I think?)

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

Oversensitivity to any stimulus and extreme aversion to anything that deviates from normalcy and safety, I would imagine.

I have a friend who has those kind of traits. He has a lot of weird phobias and is very afraid of deviating from social norms.

I imagine this is due to not getting the right amount of stressors when growing up. Either to little or too much.

 

[Black Rose]

I did stuff all day instead of being in front of the computer.
A third of the time I was focused on self-regulating.
Focusing increased my focus. I don't know how things will be tomorrow.

 

[sat2493]

I have nervousness and feel like crap sometimes (majority of the time).
Last night it was like a fever and dreaming half awake does no feel good.
Most of the time I barely function, hard to read, hard to watch videos.
Justs exhausted, takes too much effort to do anything mental/cognitive.

I like going on drives places, listening to music, just feel drained.
The nervousness problem happens when I can't think of anything and try to.

I think I have a regulation problem. (that's all of mental illness I think?)

I can actually relate this. If I’m not stressed out, I’m anxious as heck. Times when I’m supposed to relax, feel like the calm before the storm for me.

 

[sat2493]

Oversensitivity to any stimulus and extreme aversion to anything that deviates from normalcy and safety, I would imagine.

This description sounds really spot on. So essentially over-reactiveness to unexpected change. Internal chaos.

I have a friend who has those kind of traits. He has a lot of weird phobias and is very afraid of deviating from social norms.

I imagine this is due to not getting the right amount of stressors when growing up. Either to little or too much.

Not just environmental nurture, but nature as well. Some people just are less stable or more sensitive than others. I can actually identify with your friend’s quirks as well.

So the brain seems to be easily aroused then for people like this. I personally try to predict outcomes to avoid unpleasant surprises. But I realise this actually makes the element of surprise even worse for me.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

I'd like to differentiate between organic neuroticism the personality construct vs "justified" neuroticism as seen in say, folks with PTSD in the form of residual vs acute hypervigilance. They're probably superficially similar. What do you think those differences might be?

But I realise this actually makes the element of surprise even worse for me.

Why do you think that is?

 

[sat2493]

I'd like to differentiate between organic neuroticism the personality construct vs "justified" neuroticism as seen in say, folks with PTSD in the form of residual vs acute hypervigilance. They're probably superficially similar. What do you think those differences might be?

Good categorization.

To be honest, I don’t know the full answer. For one thing, I’m starting to be convinced I’m neurotic, and this has probably been me from the beginning (so the organic neuroticism).

Speaking from experience, I get “triggered” unpredictability. It’s hard for me to pinpoint a central cause to why I feel the way I do. The stimulant seems to always come from a different place.

I’m assuming this is less so for what you called “justified” neuroticism. Their neuroticism is learned/evolved behaviour, where mine is a personality trait. Therefore, their overreactions could be more easily traced to a central source.

It’s like where we first associate our learned knowledge with a teacher, for instance. We have not yet internalized it fully.

Why do you think that is?

I expect that something will turn out exactly how I pictured it. Of course that only magnifies how reality deviates from my head.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

Speaking from experience, I get “triggered” unpredictability. It’s hard for me to pinpoint a central cause to why I feel the way I do. The stimulant seems to always come from a different place.

I’m assuming this is less so for what you called “justified” neuroticism. Their neuroticism is learned/evolved behaviour, where mine is a personality trait. Therefore, their overreactions could be more easily traced to a central source.

Hehe..... I have both and can't tell them apart by any means other than the exposure curve.

What's your exposure curve like? By this, I mean how many times and with what frequency do you have to be exposed to the same stimulus or category of stimuli before you stop reacting? I get over novel stimuli fairly quickly, but there's a relapse if I don't encounter it again for a long time. It's pretty much reversed for hypervigilance. The greater the frequency, the more I react.

I expect that something will turn out exactly how I pictured it. Of course that only magnifies how reality deviates from my head.

This is either unrefined Ni, or being forced to use Ni in the absence of adequate observational data.

I’m starting to be convinced I’m neurotic

Labels risk becoming self-fulfilling prophecies, whether applied to the self and/or others. I believe that most people are neurotic, but it has different manifestations in different personalities that are revealed under different circumstances.

 

[sat2493]

Hehe..... I have both and can't tell them apart by any means other than the exposure curve.

What's your exposure curve like? By this, I mean how many times and with what frequency do you have to be exposed to the same stimulus or category of stimuli before you stop reacting? I get over novel stimuli fairly quickly, but there's a relapse if I don't encounter it again for a long time. It's pretty much reversed for hypervigilance. The greater the frequency, the more I react.

Hm. I don’t know off the top of my head lol. I haven’t examined myself like that yet. Better get a third party’s input on that.

This is either unrefined Ni, or being forced to use Ni in the absence of adequate observational data.

Hm, so either I’m a shit predictor or the data I have is not enough. I say both. I lack experience in a lot of things so that’s to be expected.

Labels risk becoming self-fulfilling prophecies, whether applied to the self and/or others. I believe that most people are neurotic, but it has different manifestations in different personalities that are revealed under different circumstances.

So confirmation bias and over-simplication. I get it.

Well I’ve always known myself to be sensitive, but have viewed neuroticism under a heavier connotation. Basically I’ve always thought it wasn’t me, but I’m shocked that it’s getting some parts right.

You’re right though, at the end of the day, it’s only a label. And a label contains an array of other implications.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

So this is what I'm thinking/exploring:

What value is there in simply identifying as neurotic given the nature and implications of subjective labels as mentioned above? The only one that comes to mind is individuation, considering that neuroticism could be considered part of Dabrowski's overexcitability; a catalytic component. If that's the case, then its purpose is to be overcome. Red pill or blue?

By volunteering first, I chose the red pill to seek truth. Such is my nature, the "lesson" being to challenge oneself when one experiences conflicting aspects of their own nature.

 

[sat2493]

So this is what I'm thinking/exploring:

What value is there in simply identifying as neurotic given the nature and implications of subjective labels as mentioned above? The only one that comes to mind is individuation, considering that neuroticism could be considered part of Dabrowski's overexcitability; a catalytic component. If that's the case, then its purpose is to be overcome. Red pill or blue?

By volunteering first, I chose the red pill to seek truth. Such is my nature, the "lesson" being to challenge oneself when one experiences conflicting aspects of their own nature.

Well I don't identify with neuroticism in the same way a nationalist does with their country. In other words, I'm not reducing myself to the label. I'm just seeing characteristics of it in myself. I know I am more complex than the label.

You just explained the point of labels. Labels aren't meant to reduce something to a word. They're meant to make it easier to target the problem. Sometimes they aren't even 75% accurate, but doing something is better than nothing.

Also the more concrete something is, the easier it is to grasp. After grasping it, you don't have to stay at that level of understanding. You can go up.

Also you seem disciplined or at least strong-willed when it matters. Good for you. I'm more someone that takes half of each pill. Sometimes it blows it up in my face where I end up ruining both pills completely. But that's a personal matter outside the this post.

 

[sat2493]

Okay definitely I oscillate between Levels II and III