Sensitivity in psychology is a person’s sensation of increased sensitivity, uncertainty and vulnerability. Most often, such people complain that they do not understand. Patients, when referring to a specialist, speak about the sensation of hostility of others, as well as the understanding that they are worse than others. Sensitivity is a manifestation of excessive stiffness and shyness.
Special sensitivity
Sensitivity in psychology is a concept regarding personality traits. It consists in excessive vulnerability and sensitivity, increased conscientiousness, as well as a constant tendency to doubt in one’s actions and in fixing oneself on one’s experiences. A sensitive person is mentally vulnerable.
This state of special sensitivity may be short-lived. It often accompanies severe disappointment, grief, or nervous tension.
Sensitivity can also be frequent or even permanent. Often such a way of thinking, when it seems to a person that the whole world is against him, impedes the social adaptation of a person.
In the event that such symptoms occur, there is a need for consultation with a psychotherapist. The specialist must collect reliable information about the patient in order to choose the right treatment tactics and alleviate the patient's condition.
Sensitivity is a condition that can be the result of various mental disorders. These include:
- neurosis;
- stressful conditions;
- organic brain diseases;
- personality pathology;
- Depression
- anxiety disorders;
- mental disorders of an endogenous nature;
- brain damage of a toxic type.
Critical period
Sensitivity of age is often observed in children. In their life there comes a moment when the mental maturation of a small person occurs, which contributes to the assimilation of certain functions by him. As a rule, the environment surrounding the child presents him with a variety of cases for exercise. These exercises should be appropriate to the needs of the small individual. But there are situations when this does not happen. The child thus loses the possibility of natural assimilation.
So, for the development of speech, the sensitive period (the optimal period for the development of mental abilities) is the age from a year to three years. In the case when a child is brought up in a poor speech environment, his lag in speech development is very significant. It is very difficult to compensate for this gap in the future. The sensitive period for the development of phonemic hearing is five years old, and for the development of writing skills - six to eight years.
Premature as well as late training gives, as a rule, low results.
Susceptibility to external factors
Along with age-related psychology, the so-called characterological sensitivity is distinguished. This phenomenon of exacerbation of emotional susceptibility to a certain kind of external influences. This condition is manifested in relationships with people around. Characterological sensitivity is the ability to deeply understand personal manifestations and empathize with a particular situation. In this sense, it is a positive feature. But, on the other hand, this type of sensitivity makes a person vulnerable psychologically. On this basis, painful manifestations of resentment and vulnerability can develop. In the most adverse cases, neurotic disorders occur .
Temperament Features
The degree of sensitivity is judged by the force of external influences, which is necessary for the emergence of any mental reaction. So, in one person certain conditions may not cause any irritation, at the same time for another they are a strong excitatory factor. For example, in case of some unmet need, one person may not notice this at all, and the other under the same conditions will certainly suffer. Thus, we can conclude that sensitivity is a concept that depends on the temperament of a person.
Different types of people by character
Choleric sensitivity of temperament is characterized by imbalance and excessive excitability. Such people often have cyclical behavior. Their intense activity can dramatically decline. This is due to a decrease in mental strength or loss of interest. Such people differ from the rest in sharp and fast movements, as well as vivid expressions of feelings in the facial expressions of speech. Insignificant sensitivity is observed in sanguine persons. These people easily adapt to changing environments. That is why external factors do not always have a negative impact on their behavior.
Sensitive rigidity is characterized by phlegmatic. Such people have a slow course of psychological processes. The phenomenon of arousal in phlegmatic people is balanced by strong inhibition. That is why such people are able to restrain their impulses.
Increased vulnerability and emotional sensitivity are different melancholy. They react very painfully to a sudden complication of the situation. In dangerous situations, they have a feeling of intense fear. In dealing with strangers, melancholy people feel very insecure.