Why are people prone to affects? What does it depend on? From the life situation in which they find themselves, or temperament, character, inability to control themselves? Or maybe this is a manifestation of signs of poor parenting? Further in the article we will understand this, as well as the meaning, symptoms and causes of the named phenomenon.
Definition of the term
An affective reaction is a bright, rapidly flowing action; emotional reaction in response to a particular impact; quick mood swings; transition to a new state different from the previous one. It is characterized by explosive experiences of the individual. Examples of affective reactions are sudden unbridled joy, anger, a fit of fear, and so on. However, they may cause minor incidents.
Affects have a strong effect on a person, affect life, make adjustments to the psyche and often leave behind themselves long-term affective traces that tend to accumulate.
This condition is characterized by the so-called narrowing of consciousness, as a result of which there is a brain stupor and a person commits rash acts that have an emotional coloring. But the individual can learn to control his affective reactions.
Signs of an affective state
They can be divided into two conditional groups:
- Feel. They are expressed in a short loss of memory and self-control and a feeling of unreality of what is happening.
- Behavior. This includes changes in facial expressions, appearance, speech and motor activity.
The study of this issue is deeply involved in the field of criminal law. It is here that there is an urgent need for a clear distinction between affect and other mental states, since it is characterized by impulsive behavior, sudden development and a profound change in the psyche.
Types of affect
Emotional affective reactions are a response to biological or socially significant factors. They are short-lived, more intense in comparison with emotional states. After a surge of violent emotions, a person returns to his usual state.
An extremely intense and pronounced emotional reaction is called an affect. To the level of the latter, both negative and positive experiences can intensify, which subsequently result in a sharp demonstration of anger, fear, menacing or glee, self-forgetfulness, joy, and euphoria.
According to the characteristics of the manifestations, the emotional reaction is divided as follows:
- Pathological affect. It is accompanied by a painful neuro-psychological overexcitation, the result of which is complete confusion and blocking of the will.
- Physiological. It is characterized by a sudden strong emotional disturbance that manifests itself in a temporary disorganization of consciousness.
- Abnormal affect. He takes an intermediate position. If a person has an affect in a state of mild intoxication, he will belong to the second type, and for psychopathic personalities (that is, people who are characterized by rapid excitability, and the strength of the manifestations does not correspond to the cause that causes them) - to the first. Affect is close to it, but does not belong entirely, because psychopathy is not a pathology of the whole personality, but only its individual properties, for example, character, and plays the role of an extreme version of the norm of behavior.
Causes of affect
We examined the types of affect, and what contributes to the occurrence of emotional disorders? Psychosocial factors are the main cause. Prolonged negative and positive stresses contribute to the tension of the nervous system, which depletes the personality. This can provoke the formation of a depressive syndrome, which can cause:
- loss of a loved one or loved one;
- family conflicts and troubles;
- economic insolvency, etc.
Affective reactions can also be caused by biological and genetic factors. This condition is believed to be caused by acute or chronic stress. For example, if a person has been under the influence of stress factors (bullying, humiliation) for a long time, and he has a breakdown. In this situation, one ridiculous reason with a rebuke about a broken cup can provoke an affective reaction.
Types of affective reactions
The term "affective disorder" refers to mental abnormalities (diseases) that are accompanied and manifest in a mood disorder. They are divided into three groups:
- Depressive. Dysthymia. There is a suppressed, depressed state. It is characterized by loss of interest, increased fatigue, decreased activity.
- Manic. This group is characterized by an elevated emotional state, hyperactivity and megalomania.
- Bipolar (manic-depressive). Cyclothymia. The disease with alternating bouts of depression and a manic state.
According to experts, an affective reaction can be stopped at the initial stage. At the peak moment of emission of emotions, it is almost impossible to control oneself. At this moment, a person has tremendous power, which is not characteristic of a calm emotional state.
Phases
There are three stages of affect:
- Pre-affective phase. It is characterized by a sense of hopelessness. The person focuses on the source of the problem. Emotional outbursts are manifested so unexpectedly that a person does not have time to react, analyze and control them.
- Explosion stage. It is expressed by violent manifestations and motor activity. Emotions prevail over the mind and are expressed in explosive behavior. There is a partial loss of control over will and behavior.
- Post-affective phase. It comes after emotionally calming. Man is spiritually and physically devastated. Feels remorse, shame, regret, misunderstanding of what happened and drowsiness. May be accompanied by numbness and loss of consciousness. If the traumatic situation is resolved, a feeling of relief is felt.
After the final phase, it is very important to allow the body to recover. Healthy sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, social activity, meditation, etc. will contribute to this.
How to determine the tendency to affective reactions?
Diagnosis of a person’s mental state includes an examination by an endocrinologist and a neurologist, as affective symptoms can be a consequence of thyroid diseases, a violation of the nervous and mental system. For each type of disorder, certain signs are characteristic.
Acute psychoses
It will be about affective-shock reactions. Short-term mental states arise in critical situations, which are very significant for the individual. They are formed at the moment of danger to life or in the conditions of unexpectedly occurring adverse changes in social and personal life. They can be expressed by motor lethargy, psychomotor agitation or emotional stupor. They can last from several minutes to a day and end with asthenia (physical and mental impotence, exhaustion).
Affective-shock reactions do not apply to chronic mental illnesses. They can also appear in completely healthy people who are in a critical situation with the highest psychological stress. Reactions block the ability of the nervous system to adapt by forming psychological defenses or by processing and analyzing information. The likelihood of their development increases if there is an accentuation of character, borderline conditions, neurosis, etc. Treatment is carried out by psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists.
Affective children
For the extreme degree of an already excited emotional state of a child, the slightest cause is enough. And already in affect, he cannot control himself. Children who are prone to affective behavior are usually called affective, hysterical, or hysteroid.
The manifestation of the condition is facilitated by:
- Failures in the learning process.
- Disagreement with peers.
- An internal conflict between the level of requirements (based on an overestimation of self-esteem) and the bar that is characteristic of him in reality.
- The tendency to affective forms of relationships and conflict resolution.
Often, stable conditions in children add up to the onset of painful experiences due to the fact that they are supposedly not loved, not respected, underestimated, mocked, or bullied. On the basis of what negative behavior patterns are formed. A student who is constantly experiencing resentment becomes angry, isolated, stubborn, rude, does not obey the requirements of the teacher, contrasts himself with the whole class. It flares up at the slightest irritating factor.
As a rule, in each class there are children with affective reactions. They are the most difficult to reeducate and require increased teacher attention. By the way, these children often begin to abuse their penchant for hysteria to achieve their goals.
Individuals with highly developed affective behavior cannot study in a regular class. But to overcome affective behavior is still possible through a competent educational process. The teacher needs to focus on the positive qualities of the child, to praise him.
Psychological characteristics
Affective behavior is demonstrated through stubbornness, pugnacity, bouts of anger and rage. As a rule, such behaviors are formed due to poor relationships with peers or parents. They can cause a brewing family conflict or an overabundance of parents' irritability.
Such a child subtly feels the mood of others, easily unravels the emotions of his parents. He is not afraid of fights with high school students, does not think about the consequences of his actions. Very vulnerable. Shy, but can be annoying. It does not tolerate noise, although he himself creates it. He is cowardly, incredulous, eagerly perceives information, but is afraid of the new and unknown. And due to negligence and negligence, it often gets into bad situations.
In mentally retarded children, affective reactions are one of the predominant phenomena in behavior. And they exist together with aggression, psychomotor anxiety and increased reactivity.
Behavioral disorders in adolescents
Due to unfavorable development conditions, adolescents also have problems with adaptation in society in the form of acute affective reactions, neuroses, psychopathic disorders, etc. Due to the strong emotional stress, the adolescent loses self-control and is not able to make informed decisions.
Acute affective reactions are short-term (from several minutes to two days) emotional disorders that occur in a difficult situation. They appear in the form of:
- suicidal tendencies;
- leaving home;
- disturbances in behavior;
- simulations of ailments, etc.
Acute affective reactions can also have the color of demonstrativeness. The reason is grievances from loved ones, fear of punishment or exposure, etc. Showy activities are aimed at causing pity, regret, getting rid of troubles, establishing contact and maintaining good relations with relatives, for example.
The most commonly used demonstration is the threat of suicide or the invention of a disease. Such persons are distinguished by behavioral disorders through drinking, theft, etc. These demonstrative affective reactions are characteristic of adolescents with a hysterical personality type.
The main thing is to love your children, take an active part in their lives, take care, respect, and help. Only in an emotionally healthy, strong, reliable family will a real person with a stable, formed psyche grow up.