Psychological problems: symptoms, prevention of development

Problems of psychology are more relevant than ever for modern people striving to achieve heights in life in the face of fierce competition, regularly changing technological conditions, providing permanent stress. Representatives of the “science of the soul” offer many solutions necessary for the full development of each individual personality. The technogenic-pragmatic world is ready to depersonalize people, turning them into a common gray mass, and in order for a specific person to preserve his individuality, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of the structure of the psyche, the dynamics of the processes occurring in it, taking into account gender-age factors, and the influence of society.

The essence of psychological problems

The essence of difficulties is that they are felt, but not realized. Internal conflicts result in unwanted emotional reactions and behavior that upsets the person himself. He is not happy with himself and does not understand why he reacts to some life situations the way he does.

In some cases, a person seems to understand the reason. However, the work of the subconscious is so complex that it often turns out that in fact the problem lies in something completely different. For example, defiant behavior in adolescents actually reflects an unmet need for attention.

Another example. A woman thinks that her overeating is the result of stress, an irregular work schedule, and weak willpower. In fact, the unmet need for love is to blame; the woman experiences emotional hunger. And it happens that a person eats right and plays sports, but fails to lose weight. The reason is an unmet need for security (weight protects). However, this already has something to do with psychosomatics.

Story one. With an eye on the family

Psychological problem

A young married woman came to see me. She believes that due to maternity leave she lost her qualifications and will not be able to cope with future work. She was invited to an interview in her specialty at a large organization related to her previous place of work, but did not receive a response. Confidence was replaced by fear of the future.

Working with her little son for days on end, she does not feel the support of her husband. When asked what the job is for, he answers that he strives to ensure financial independence if a divorce occurs. It becomes clear that the main obstacle to employment at this stage is chronic emotional stress.

Looking for a solution

As it turned out, the woman did not even want to think about the possibility of divorcing her husband. She hoped that active involvement in her career would help resolve an urgent family conflict. But with all the sympathy for her situation, it is clear that with this approach, work can become that fateful ax that will finally cut the family in half. And this result was unconsciously sabotaged by the wise psyche with fear of the interview.

The motivation for employment in such cases should be completely different. Future work may not divide, but unite the family. For example, additional income will allow you to spend part of the money on a nanny and be together more often, “going out.” Such a decision will free up time to strengthen the union in the couple, and will also help the separation of the son from the mother.

Together we found motivation for employment, which helped the woman harmonize her family and return to work.

Psychosomatics

Psychosomatics is a branch of medical psychology that studies the relationship between illness and stress. According to this theory, any internal conflict, suppressed emotions and needs result in bodily diseases. You can suspect a connection between the psychological and the somatic by analyzing a person’s speech:

• “Doesn’t let you breathe peacefully” – ac – gastrointestinal diseases;
• “I can’t digest it” – bowel disorder;
• “My backbone will soon break” - fatigue due to the abundance of responsibilities, hyper-responsibility.

At first glance, it seems that the psyche and physiology are in no way connected, but this is not so. Illness is the last desperate attempt of the subconscious to point out the problem. For example, sick leave allows you to take a break from work. And the disease allows a person to stop caring about others and get at least a little attention himself. Childhood illnesses can also be an attempt to reconcile parents.

The principle of the development of psychosomatics is this: internal conflict turns into chronic stress, which leads to hormonal disruption and depletion of the body’s main systems. The general immunity weakens, various diseases arise. And it happens that there are no physical disorders, but the symptoms are felt - this is also psychosomatics.

Psychoanalyst Adler's Study

According to classical Adlerian psychology, feelings of inferiority arise again when adults want to achieve some unrealistic goal or feel a constant need for improvement. Stress associated with feelings of inferiority causes a pessimistic attitude towards life and an inability to overcome difficulties. According to Adler, every person, to one degree or another, has a feeling of inferiority, but this is not a disease, but rather a stimulator of healthy, normal aspirations and development. It becomes a pathological condition only when the feeling of inferiority suppresses the personality, and does not stimulate him to useful activity. The complex makes the individual depressed and incapable of further personal development.

Types of psychological problems

There are dozens of types of neuroses, syndromes, and disorders. It is not possible to list them all. Let us draw attention to the main socio-psychological problems of the individual, the relevance of which is noted by modern experts (current requests in the psychologist’s office):

• complexes;
• low self-esteem;
• diffidence;
• phobias;
• indecision;
• impulsiveness and unpredictability;
• tired of life;
• increased anxiety;
• loneliness;
• betrayal and conflicts in the family;
• dependence on other people's opinions;
• pathological attachment, falling in love;
• addictions;
• depression;
• crises;
• destruction (self-destructive behavior);
• dysmorphophobia (non-acceptance of one's appearance).

In a broad sense, the following groups of conflicts can be distinguished:

• difficulties in the field of communications;
• family troubles and family crises;
• age-related crises, for example, during the teenage crisis, the risk of behavioral disorders increases;
• failures in the labor sphere;
• difficulties in interacting with the opposite sex;
• complexities of personality development and formation.

In psychology, there is no generally accepted classification of types of psychological problems. Let's look at some of them. What are the psychological problems and difficulties:

1. By level of manifestation: cognitive, emotional, behavioral.
2. By their nature: primary (the cause of other disorders) and secondary (the consequence of other difficulties).
3. By time of manifestation: old, new and chronic.

By nature, difficulties can be obvious or unobvious. The subject guesses about the presence of the former. If we are talking about hidden conflicts, then a person, as a rule, does not notice them. For example, few people understand that they are programmed for self-destruction. In this case, there seems to be no conflict, because the person himself is not aware of it, but in fact there is a contradiction.

A specific type is contrived difficulties. This is similar to hypochondria: a person invents symptoms for himself, makes diagnoses and believes in it.

Interesting! In 2019-2020, the phenomenon of making up diagnoses became especially popular. In youth circles, it is considered fashionable and cool to have psychological disorders; every second person has panic attacks, depression, bipolar, or the like. Of course, this is not true in reality, but some people sincerely believe it. Self-hypnosis can provoke the development of a real disease.

Accelerated pace of life

People began to cover long distances in a short time, which means that they are more likely to engage in any type of activity. Scientific development has made it possible to save time on some things, but at the same time it has also given the opportunity to spend the saved time on others. In the modern world, dependence on computer games and social networks is growing. And in this way, people only increase the stress on the psyche instead of resting; the brain is increasingly overloaded. This is confirmed by many psychological studies. Psychological problems caused by the fast pace of life in society are a real scourge of our time, psychologists say.

We should not ignore the painful signals of our psyche and engage in the prevention of psychological disorders. If there is no way out of a problematic situation, then it would be optimal to simply switch to something distracting and more useful. Sometimes an excellent solution to psychological problems is to visit a psychologist.

Structure of psychological problems

There are socio-psychological problems of different structures. Psychologist N.D. Linde identified the following problem structures:

1. A person’s feelings are aimed at achieving a goal, but something interferes with this. In this case, the goal and obstacle can be both real and fictitious.
2. The feeling is aimed at getting rid of the obstacle. In this case, the obstacle can be real or imagined, internal or external.
3. There are no obvious obstacles on the way to the goal, but the person himself cannot decide whether he needs it or not, he experiences conflicting feelings (he cannot decide).
4. A person experiences two equally strong feelings in relation to two contradictory and incompatible objects (cannot choose).
5. The feeling is aimed at getting rid of the obstacle, but for this you will have to interact with another unwanted object (subject, conditions). A person has to choose the lesser of two evils; he cannot avoid the choice.

Thus, the structure of a psychological problem includes a person, a goal, feelings and an obstacle. To determine the psychological nature of the problem, you need to focus on its origins; they are always connected with the inner world of the individual (beliefs, ideas, needs). For example, if in his dreams a person is successful, but in real life this is not the case, then he becomes disappointed, dissatisfied with himself, and angry.

Inferiority complex

An inferiority complex is an extreme pathological degree of self-doubt and is a huge psychological problem for a person. In essence, it is a lack of self-worth, doubt and very low self-esteem, as well as a feeling of inability to live up to standards.

It is often subconscious and it is believed that people suffering from this complex try to compensate for this feeling, which is expressed in high achievements or extremely antisocial behavior. In modern literature, it is preferable to call this psychological phenomenon “lack of hidden self-esteem.” The complex develops through a combination of genetic characteristics of the individual and upbringing, as well as life experiences.

An inferiority complex can increase when feelings of inferiority are triggered by failure and stress. Individuals at risk for developing the complex typically exhibit signs of low self-esteem, have low socioeconomic status, and also have symptoms of depression.

Children raised in environments where they were constantly criticized or did not live up to their parents' expectations may also develop an inferiority complex. There are many different warning signs for those who may be more prone to developing an inferiority complex. For example, someone who is attracted to attention and approval may be more receptive.

Causes of difficulties

Difficulties have psychological, social and physiological prerequisites.

Psychological reasons include:

• unmet needs;
• living against one's nature;
• systematic suppression of feelings, emotions, desires.

In simple words, a person either worries that he is missing something, or suffers from the fact that he cannot get rid of something. One way or another, we are talking about self-suppression. This is what makes the individual unhappy.

Interesting! For most people, the habit of suppressing emotions, feelings and desires appears in childhood, when parents keep repeating: “Don’t scream”, “Don’t cry”, “You’ll get by”, “This is impossible”, “I don’t want a lot of things either, but necessary".

The second group of psychological prerequisites is strong emotional shocks or many minor experiences. For example, the death of someone close is a strong shock. An example of frequent minor shocks is systematic humiliation, insults, and beatings.

Social and psychological reasons include:

• poverty or unstable income, delays in payments, dim prospects;
• unemployment;
• unstable situation in society;
• drastic changes in life (divorce, move, job change, dismissal, wedding, retirement).

In addition, physiological causes of psychological problems can be identified. Prolonged or severe illness, head injuries, tumors, intoxication, hormonal imbalance can also cause disturbances. Abnormal functioning of neurotransmitters leads to depression, anxiety disorders, apathy, irritability and other problems.

Low self-esteem

The main psychological problem, according to most psychologists, is the low self-esteem of a huge number of people.

Low self-esteem can affect various aspects of a person's life. People with low self-esteem tend to say a lot of negative things about themselves. They may criticize themselves, their actions and abilities, or joke about themselves with sarcasm. People with low self-esteem tend to doubt themselves or blame themselves when they encounter any obstacles along the way. They may also not recognize their positive qualities. When someone with low self-esteem receives compliments, they may simply think that they are being flattered or that their positive qualities are being exaggerated.

These people don't value their abilities and focus on what they haven't done or the mistakes they've made. People with low self-esteem may expect that they will not succeed. They often feel depressed and anxious. Low self-esteem can affect your performance at work or school. People with low confidence achieve less than people with adequate self-esteem because they believe that they are less worthy and capable than others.

This category of people tends to avoid problems, fearing that they will not cope. People who do not value themselves may work very hard and force themselves to overwork because they believe that they need to hide imaginary shortcomings. They have a hard time believing any positive results they receive. Low self-esteem makes a person shy and very shy, not believing in his own abilities.

Symptoms

You can suspect the presence of psychological problems by the mental and somatic reactions of the body:

• headache and dizziness;
• nausea;
• loss of appetite (overeating or refusal to eat);
• dyspepsia;
• numbness and icing of the limbs;
• periodic tingling or pain in different parts of the body;
• gastrointestinal disorder;
• sleep problems (insomnia, frequent awakenings, trouble falling asleep);
• apathy and lethargy, especially in the morning;
• chronic fatigue;
• frequent colds;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• chills and tremors;
• sexual dysfunction (decreased desire, impotence, inability to get pleasure, etc.).

Interpersonal conflicts

Another area that is studied by both practical and scientific (theoretical) psychology is various kinds of conflicts.

Open and unobvious conflicts with other people are harmful to a person’s mental activity and represent a serious problem of a socio-psychological nature. These conflicts can be classified:

• Family conflicts (different values, problematic relationships with children, sexual dissatisfaction, feelings of misunderstanding and resentment, betrayal, divorce).
• Conflicts in the workplace (conflict situations, emotional stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, stress, dissatisfaction, aggression, the feeling that this interferes with mutual understanding, work and career advancement).
• Conflicts with friends and family (psychological irritation, envy, painful jealousy, resentment).
• Conflicts with strangers (street conflicts, in vehicles, indoors with strangers).

Diagnosis of mental state

The best diagnostic method is consultation with a psychologist. During the conversation, observing the client’s reactions and analyzing his answers, the specialist identifies the true reason. Ancillary tests are used to confirm the diagnosis. By the way, testing can also be done at home. However, it is important to remember that a diagnosis is never made based on the results of one test.

Important! In some cases, the problem is hidden so deep in the subconscious that it can only be identified through hypnosis.

Like diagnostic methods, technology for solving psychological problems is selected on an individual basis. In general, to solve the problem, the psychologist builds interaction with the client according to the following algorithm:

1. Establishing contact, building trust.
2. Client's confession. A detailed story about what worries him, a description of problems and feelings.
3. Clarifying dialogue. The psychologist asks questions, clarifies what the client said, gives hints, guides him to solve the problem and helps the person understand himself.
4. Solution to the problem. The client himself realizes and finds a way out of the current situation.

Thus, during psychotherapy the client receives the following:

• awareness of true problems, cause-and-effect relationships;
• release of emotions;
• searching for and making an adequate decision;
• accepting what cannot be changed and adapting to it;
• personal growth and the ability to better understand oneself and others.

The specific rehabilitation plan depends on the nature of the situation and the individual characteristics of the client. A psychologist has hundreds of different methods in his arsenal.

“The psychologist didn’t help me, and I won’t go to a psychiatrist”

In Russia, people are still afraid to go to a psychologist, because they are afraid to end up with a psychiatric diagnosis, says family and personality psychologist, sexologist Dmitry Sobolev

.

“Russians more often seek psychological help when the problem is so serious that the question arises between psychological and psychiatric help. And when a person decides to turn to a psychologist (since people in our country are afraid to turn to a psychiatrist right away), then in practice psychological tools can no longer help him adequately. What conclusion does a person ultimately make? “The psychologist didn’t help me, I won’t contact him again. But I won’t go to a psychiatrist - these are pills, and I’m not crazy!” As a result, the problem remains unresolved,” states the psychologist.

This fear and reluctance to admit one’s own psychological problems is nothing more than a consequence of a long period of punitive psychiatry in the history of our country, Sobolev is convinced.

clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist Oleg Dolgitsky, agrees with him.

.

“In principle, people are afraid to go to specialists in this field, because the most famous and advertised diagnosis since the times of the USSR is considered to be schizophrenia, which really imposes many restrictions on the patient. In addition, this disease is often chronic and incurable. Fortunately, we no longer have a diagnosis of “sluggish schizophrenia”, which could be given to any person; such a fact took place in history. Therefore, fear here has, although already irrelevant, but still a real basis. It will be impossible to change this in the near future, since there are deep systemic problems in medicine. We will have to live with this for some time and explain to each patient that such a common disease as depression is curable, and making this diagnosis does not affect anything and does not impose any restrictions,” notes Dolgitsky.

However, in the Soviet Union, attempts were made to introduce psychology and psychiatry into the healthcare system, notes clinical psychologist and consulting psychologist Anastasia Ksenofontova

.

“In the USSR, psychology was banned for a long time. In the 1920s, pedology, a science at the intersection of psychology and pedagogy, began to gain momentum, which actively introduced psychological testing into schools in order to select students based on intellectual abilities. The party did not share such sentiments, so in 1936 the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks issued a decree “On pedological perversions in the People’s Commissariat for Education” system. Thus, psychology was banned in the USSR and remained so until the 80s. Only during perestroika, when the Soviet Union collapsed and information about what was happening in the West became more accessible, psychology began to appear in Russia in a roundabout way, like a broken telephone,” explains Ksenofontova.

Stereotypes of the Soviet past about psychology and the importance of maintaining mental health must be eradicated, Dmitry Sobolev is convinced. Comparing Russia with Europe, it has remained at the level at which it is"

“We should strive for the same approach in Russia,” the specialist is confident.

Prevention of the development of psychological problems

To prevent the development of psychological problems, you need to increase your awareness, learn to understand your true needs and satisfy them, learn to understand and express your feelings and emotions, and adapt to those circumstances that cannot be changed.

Collected a lot of unnecessary things

There are people who just love to collect things or hang on to them, even if they are broken objects. Most likely, you have seen such houses with old knick-knacks, broken dinnerware sets, non-working clocks, old or broken furniture on the balcony, and faulty bicycles.

On the plus side, this may indicate a person who is conservative by nature and doesn't like to change things. The meaning of this habit is an attempt to hide from change. But in the worst case, a person can become a hoarder, bringing useless garbage into the home to add to the clutter. It also indicates a compulsive and neurotic disorder.

The sink, laundry basket, or trash can may be full

Not many people can say that they enjoy cleaning. Some people dislike it to the point that they are intimidated by the prospect of washing clothes and dishes. In such houses, garbage collects on the balcony, dishes in the sink, and the laundry basket is always overflowing.

Such people love procrastination, which is common to many. This may manifest itself in their daily tasks. Some people find it more convenient to do a little each day rather than all at once. There are also those who often justify their doing nothing with lame excuses, such as “no time,” “laziness,” or “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Procrastination is terrible, and if you are prone to it, then at least start doing something. Wash your plates immediately after eating or throw away your trash every day. These things develop healthy habits over time until you go into automatic mode.

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Always dirty bathroom

A clean bathroom with a pleasant smell is the perfect place to relax. A hot bath in a clean room can help you relieve stress and improve your mood. Herbal salts and essential oils can even normalize skin health and internal organ function. The condition of the bathroom shows how a person cares about his body and his psychological comfort. A clean room with good quality shower gels, oils, creams, body lotion and toothpaste is a sign that the owner of the house enjoys taking care of himself.

If there is only a razor and some soap in the bathroom, this is a clear sign that the person is stressed or does not have time to take proper care of themselves.

Concept and essence

In psychology, the concept of “problem” has several meanings. To identify difficulties that are psychological in nature, you need to focus on the root of their occurrence. For a psychological problem, it is internal: it is associated with a person’s idea of ​​the world, himself, and interpersonal interactions.

Psychological problems often have subtle symptoms and interfere with implementation in several areas of life. There are 4 main zones that affect psychological problems:

1. Individual difficulties. Closely related to physicality. A person who has disorders in this area often has physical health problems. He has obvious or imaginary flaws in appearance, sexual dysfunction, and may have a disability or chronic illness.
2. Subjective difficulties. Associated with the implementation of purposeful actions. People who have problems in this area have a weak will, a low level of intelligence, and they do not have enough motivation for self-development. Subjective problems not only limit opportunities, but also prevent them from looking for ways out of difficult situations.
3. Personal difficulties. They prevent a person from being a full-fledged member of society and participating in social life. Such people have low self-esteem and do not feel part of the group.
4. Individual difficulties. Associated with self-realization. The most difficult type of problem to understand because it is difficult to describe and classify. Such problems include fears associated with life losses: the sudden death of loved ones, illness, a feeling of emptiness, loss of the meaning of life.

Almost every person has psychological problems, but the level of psychological literacy remains low. Often a person lives with a problem all his life, not realizing that he can get rid of it.

Therefore, it is important to be able to notice the symptoms and get rid of them in time.

Losing the meaning of life

Pathological hoarding

This symptom of obsessive behavior consists in a person’s desire to surround himself, sometimes, with completely unnecessary things. Most often, such people keep their numerous “riches” at home. If the apartment has long been turned into a warehouse for storing garbage, old things, unnecessary rubbish, and these stocks are not thrown away, but, on the contrary, are regularly replenished, then most likely the owner of the property has the notorious “Plyushkin syndrome.”

If careful handling of unnecessary things has not yet reached the scale of a natural disaster within a given apartment, we can talk about the conservative character of its owner. Such people are extremely sensitive to changes and try not to disrupt their usual way of life, surrounding themselves with useless, but so familiar things.

The habit of hiding your junk

When you first enter these people's home, the apartment may seem nice and clean. Everything seems to be in its place, books are organized and orderly on the shelves, the room is covered with fresh wallpaper. But you need to look in the closets. They will be dirty and full of garbage, crumpled and unkempt clothes, and broken objects. In general, the clutter in the house is simply hidden.

This is typical for dramatic personalities.

The way things look on the outside is more important to these people. They prefer to do something only to make the right impression on others, they like to show only their good side

Such people usually do not get rid of old things, nor do they maintain order, but prefer to hide it. For them, an attractive looking home is more important than a truly clean home.

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