Mental syndromes, which we will consider in this article, will interest everyone who is interested in personality psychology.
In the 21st century, with its speed and capabilities, we are sometimes so carried away by electronic trinkets that we completely forget about our mental health.
Perhaps that is why mental illness is considered the scourge of our time. One way or another, it is worth knowing about the most important psychological syndromes for every educated person.
In this article, we will look at 10 of the most common psychological syndromes that directly or indirectly affect the quality of life of a person who has them.
Lovers of psychology and self-development will certainly be interested in this.
Duckling syndrome
Many people know that ducklings take the first person they saw when they were born for the mother. And it doesn't matter to them whether it is a real mother duck or some other animal, and sometimes even an inanimate object. This phenomenon is known in psychology as "imprinting", which means "imprinting".
People are also susceptible to this phenomenon. Experts call it duckling syndrome. This syndrome is due to the fact that a person automatically considers the object that first caught his eye as the best, even if it contradicts objective reality.
Often people with this trait become categorical and intolerant of the opinions of others.
For example, a friend of yours bought his first laptop with the Windows XP operating system. Several years passed, and this system was no longer supported by the manufacturer. You ask him to install something newer, but he doesn't agree.
If at the same time your friend understands the real superiority of new systems and honestly says that he is simply used to Windows XP and does not want to master new interfaces, then this is a private opinion.
If he categorically does not recognize any other system, considering Windows XP the best among others, then there is duckling syndrome. At the same time, he may agree that other operating systems have some advantages, but in general XP will still win in his eyes.
To get rid of duckling syndrome, you need to analyze your thoughts more often using critical thinking techniques. Take an interest in the opinions of the people around you, use information from different sources, try to look at things as objectively as possible and only after that make a decision on a particular issue.
Watchman's syndrome
The porter's syndrome, or the little boss's syndrome, is something that is familiar to almost everyone who has ever visited the housing office, the passport office or the clinic.
But even if you are not familiar with the average customs of workers in such establishments, surely everyone has come across people who, occupying not the highest position or having a certain status, literally revel in it, asserting themselves at the expense of others. Such a person seems to say: "Here I am - a watchman, but what have you achieved?"
And okay if it was just narcissism. But people with watchman's syndrome sometimes create big problems with their behavior.
For example, they can demand a lot of unnecessary documents, invent “rules” that are not in their job description, and ask a lot of unnecessary questions that have nothing to do with the case in a businesslike manner.
As a rule, all this is accompanied by arrogant behavior bordering on rudeness.
At the same time, when such people see a truly important person, they turn into courtesy itself, trying in every possible way to curry favor with him.
In most cases, a person with watchman's syndrome is a frustrated individual who tries to compensate for his failures by suppressing others.
When dealing with a "watchman", one should ignore his demeanor and not enter into direct conflict with him. In no case do not give in to rudeness, but confidently and clearly formulate requirements, defending your rights.
Keep in mind that the weak point of such people is the fear of accepting real, not imaginary, responsibility. Therefore, do not hesitate to hint that their behavior may have negative consequences.
Dorian Gray Syndrome
This syndrome, first described in 2001, was named after the character in the novel by Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray", who was terrified of seeing a decrepit old man in the mirror. An interesting fact is that experts consider this syndrome a cultural and social phenomenon.
People who have this condition try with all their might to preserve youth and beauty, making any sacrifices for this. It all starts with excessive use of cosmetics, ending with the worst examples of plastic surgery abuse.
Unfortunately, today's cult of youth and impeccable appearance forms a false idea of reality, as a result of which some people begin to perceive themselves inadequately.
Often they compensate for the natural aging process with an addiction to youth symbols and clothing. Narcissism and psychological immaturity are common among people with this syndrome, when minor defects in appearance cause constant anxiety and fear, significantly affecting the quality of life.
Below you can see a photo of 73-year-old billionaire Jocelyn Wildenstein, who underwent many plastic surgeries. You can read more about it (and see a photo) here.
Dorian Gray syndrome is common among public people - pop stars, actors and other celebrities, and can lead to severe depression and even suicide attempts.
However, it also happens to those who are far from show business.
For example, I know a woman who is, in general, a completely normal person in conversation. But she, being well over 70 years old, smears bright red lipstick on her lips, draws her eyebrows and paints her toenails. Combined with flabby senile skin, all this makes a depressing impression. At the same time, she does not at all notice that people are laughing at her. It seems to her that thanks to cosmetics, she looks much younger and more attractive. There is Dorian Gray syndrome here.
To get rid of it, experts recommend switching attention to other activities: paying attention to your health, playing sports, finding a useful hobby.
It should not be forgotten that youth depends not so much on the appearance as on the inner state of the personality. Remember that he is young - who does not age in soul!
Adele Hugo's syndrome
Adele Hugo's syndrome, or Adele's syndrome, is a mental disorder that consists in an unrequited love addiction, similar in severity to a drug.
Adele's syndrome is called an all-consuming and lasting love obsession, a painful passion that remains unanswered.
The syndrome got its name thanks to Adele Hugo - the last, fifth child of the outstanding French writer Victor Hugo.
Adele was an extremely beautiful and gifted girl. However, after she fell in love with the English officer Albert Pinson at the age of 31, the first signs of pathology appeared.
Over time, her love grew into addiction and obsession. Adele literally stalked Pinson, told everyone about the engagement and wedding with him, interfered in his life, upset his wedding, spreading rumors that she gave birth to a stillborn child from him (which there is no evidence) and, calling herself his wife, became more and more immersed in her own illusions.
Ultimately, Adele completely lost her personality, fixated on the object of her addiction. At the age of 40, Adele ended up in a psychiatric hospital, where she remembered her beloved Pinson every day and regularly sent him letters of confession. Before her death, and she lived for 84 years, Adele in her delirium repeated his name.
People with Adelie syndrome are advised to completely exclude contact with the addict, remove from sight all things that remind of this object, switch to new hobbies, communicate more often with family and friends and, if possible, change the environment - go on vacation or move completely to another place.
Munchausen syndrome
Munchausen Syndrome is a disorder in which a person exaggerates or artificially induces symptoms of an illness in order to undergo medical examination, treatment, hospitalization, and even surgery.
The reasons for this behavior are not fully understood. The generally accepted explanation for the causes of Munchausen's syndrome is that feigning the disease allows people with this syndrome to receive the attention, care, sympathy and psychological support that they lack.
Patients with Munchausen syndrome tend to deny the artificial nature of their symptoms, even when presented with evidence of simulation. They usually have a long history of hospitalizations due to simulated symptoms.
Without the expected attention to their symptoms, patients with Munchausen syndrome often become scandalous and aggressive. In case of refusal in treatment by one specialist, the patient turns to another.
White Rabbit Syndrome
Do you remember the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland who lamented: “Ah, my antennae! Ah, my ears! How late I am! "
But even if you have never read the works of Lewis Carroll, then you yourself have probably found yourself in a similar situation.
If this happens rarely, then there is no reason to worry. If constant delays are normal for you, then you are susceptible to the so-called White Rabbit syndrome, which means it's time to change something.
Try a few simple tips:
- Set all clocks in the house forward 10 minutes to get ready faster. An interesting fact is that this technique works even though you perfectly understand that the clock is in a hurry.
- Distribute your affairs according to their importance. For example, important and minor, urgent and non-urgent.
- Be sure to write down what you plan to do every morning, and cross out what you have done in the evening.
Two articles will help you to understand this topic in more detail: The 5 Seconds Rule and Procrastination.
Three-day monk syndrome
Perhaps most people at least once in their lives took up a new business (whether it be playing sports, learning English, reading books, etc.), and then quit it after a short period of time. This is the so-called three-day monk syndrome.
If this situation is repeated regularly, it can significantly complicate your life, interfering with the achievement of truly important goals.
To overcome the "monk for three days" syndrome, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Do not force yourself, but try to find the motivation that is relevant in your case. For example, a morning run can be both "torture" and a pleasant psychophysiological process.
- Do not make Napoleonic plans (for example: from tomorrow I go on a diet, start playing sports and learning three foreign languages). So you can easily overstrain and burn out.
- Constantly remind yourself of the purpose for which you are doing this or that task.
Othello's syndrome
Othello's syndrome is a disorder that manifests itself as morbidly jealous of a partner. A person suffering from this syndrome is constantly jealous of his husband or wife, accusing the other half of having already taken place or planned treason.
Othello's syndrome manifests itself even when there is no reason and reason for this.
Moreover, people literally go crazy from him: they constantly monitor the object of their love, their sleep is disturbed, they cannot eat normally, they are constantly nervous and do not think about anything except that they are allegedly being cheated on.
The only thing that you can do on your own to solve such a problem is complete sincerity, a frank conversation and an attempt to get rid of any reasons for jealousy. If this does not help, you may need to contact a specialist for professional help and appropriate therapy.
Stockholm Syndrome
Stockholm Syndrome is a term describing a defensive-unconscious traumatic bond, mutual or one-sided sympathy that develops between the victim and the aggressor in the process of capture, abduction, use or threat of violence.
Under the influence of strong emotion, hostages begin to sympathize with their captors, justify their actions and, ultimately, identify with them, adopting their ideas and considering their sacrifice necessary to achieve some "common" goal.
Simply put, this is a psychological phenomenon, expressed in the fact that the victim is imbued with sympathy for the aggressor.
Jerusalem syndrome
Jerusalem Syndrome is a relatively rare mental disorder, a type of delusion of grandeur and the delusion of messianism, in which a tourist or a pilgrim in Jerusalem imagines and feels that he possesses divine and prophetic powers and as if he is the embodiment of a certain biblical hero who is necessarily entrusted with a mission to save the world.
This phenomenon is considered psychosis and leads to hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital.
Statistics show that Jews, Christians and Muslims, regardless of denomination, are subject to the Jerusalem syndrome with equal success.
So, we examined 10 psychological syndromes that occur in our time. Of course, there are many more of them, but we have selected the most interesting and, in our opinion, relevant among them.
In the end, I recommend reading two articles that have become very popular and found a lively response among our readers. These are Errors of Mind and Basics of Logic.
If you have any thoughts about the described psychological syndromes, write them in the comments.
