2020 threw a lot of curveballs at us. We were all put under a lot of stress, whether through unemployment, grief, or just the general anxiety surrounding politics or the state of the world. It’s normal if you felt more negative emotions in 2020 than you had in previous years.

But for many people, 2020 was another year of leaning toward negative emotions. We all know someone who is prone to feeling anxious, global pandemic or not. They are more likely stressed-out than not, and their emotions may be all over the place.

In the world of personality psychology, we may refer to this trait as “neuroticism.”

What is Neuroticism?About the Big FiveIs Neuroticism a Mental Illness?Are You Neurotic?Is Neuroticism Bad?Can Neuroticism Be Changed?How to Take Control of Your Natural Reactions

What is Neuroticism?

About the Big Five

Is Neuroticism a Mental Illness?

Are You Neurotic?

Is Neuroticism Bad?

Can Neuroticism Be Changed?

How to Take Control of Your Natural Reactions

Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative moods. Although this is a term that is most commonly used when talking about the Big Five Personality Theory, tests and learning material may refer to this trait as “natural reactions.”

At first, this list was long: 4,000 traits to be exact. But this proved to be a very hard list to work with. So in the 1940s, personality psychologists went in a completely different direction. Hans and Sybil Eysenck identified three traits (or rather, three spectrums) that would determine personality: neuroticism/stability, extraversion/introversion, and psychoticism/socialization. Although this work got us closer to today’s accepted theory of psychology, it needed a little more clarification.

Students of Eysenck expanded upon their theory to create The Big Five Personality Theory. This theory takes a look at five different dimensions of personality:

(The acronyms OCEAN or CANOE can help you remember these traits.)

The term neuroticism did evolve from the term neurosis - a word that generally described mental illness in the time of psychologists like Sigmund Freud. Rest assured, if you are someone that scores high in neuroticism, it does not necessarily mean that you have a mental illness.

What Does “High Neuroticism” and “Low Neuroticism” Look Like?

A person who experiences high neuroticism is prone to conditions like anxiety and depression. They are also likely to feel negative emotions like anger, guilt, or sadness. Another term that personality psychologists use for neuroticism is emotional instability. If you have high neuroticism in your personality, it is likely that you have a hard time controlling your emotions or tend to let your emotions “get the best of you.”

People with high neuroticism are likely to go through:

High Neuroticism Examples

Although high neuroticism is not a mental disorder in and of itself, people with high neuroticism in their personalities are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or other mood disorders. They may also have a higher risk of abusing drugs and alcohol or experiencing problems with addiction.

Low Neuroticism Examples

Letting go of stress and anxiety allows a person with low neuroticism to think clearly before, during, and after encountering a stressful situation. They tend to be level-headed, even-tempered, and self-assured.

All people experience negative emotions - even people with low neuroticism. Stress, grief, sadness, and frustration are all natural reactions to the human experience. The difference between someone with a high level of neuroticism and a low level of neuroticism is how long they hold onto those feelings.

The fear of having something “wrong” with your personality can be a never-ending cycle of self-consciousness but it’s important to identify if have a tendency to be anxious, hostile, or sensitive to stress. Read the following statements and see if you agree:

If you agree with most of these statements, you would likely score high when it comes to neuroticism. Do not worry. No one personality trait is “good” or “bad,” and everyone exists on a spectrum that varies over the course of one’s life. There is nothing “wrong” with you if you have high neuroticism in your personality.

A Reddit user made a post on the BigFive subreddit titled, “Neuroticism is a curse.” They wrote:

“Neuroticism has no advantages instead it’s full of disadvantages. I have 100% high neuroticism and all my problems in life are because of it. If I wasn’t so neurotic, my life would be much better.”

The answer has varied throughout the history of modern psychology. The “nature vs. nurture” debate has raged for decades. When it comes to neuroticism, psychologists do believe that genes play a role in the makeup of your personality, but your environment and external situation plays an even larger role. Events from your childhood, trauma, or even diet are considered “causes” of anxiety, both on the mild and more severe scale.

This doesn’t mean that someone who is depressed should just “try to feel better” or that people who lived in “happy” lives shouldn’t be anxious. This just means that the complexities behind neuroticism, personality, and mental illness cannot be boiled down to one set of cause and effect. Just as you may have noticed that certain external factors caused a higher level of stress in 2020 than in previous years, you may notice that certain environmental factors, or even actions that you take yourself, can lead to a lower level of neuroticism.

Learning how to manage stress can’t be done overnight. This is a long - even a lifelong - process, but it starts with simple steps.

The hormones racing through your body often have an impact on your mood and stress. Getting outside, exercising, and moving your body can help to trigger hormones that make you feel good. Adjustments to your diet may also change what your body is capable of handling when it comes to stress or other moods.

Anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other related disorders may be intertwined with trauma that has not been processed. A mental health professional can help you identify what is causing you to feel stressed and implement strategies to help you manage stress more effectively.

Related posts:The Psychology of Long Distance RelationshipsBeck’s Depression Inventory (BDI Test)Operant Conditioning (Examples + Research)Variable Interval Reinforcement Schedule (Examples)Concrete Operational Stage (3rd Cognitive Development)

Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2021, April).Neuroticism (Meaning + Examples).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/neuroticism/.Practical Psychology. (2021, April). Neuroticism (Meaning + Examples). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/neuroticism/.Copy

Reference this article:

Practical Psychology. (2021, April).Neuroticism (Meaning + Examples).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/neuroticism/.Practical Psychology. (2021, April). Neuroticism (Meaning + Examples). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/neuroticism/.Copy

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