Schizoid personality disorder: is it dangerous? Schizoid personality type: signs at different stages and types of psychotype

Schizoid personality disorder or schizoid psychopathy is a person’s behavioral characteristics that manifest themselves in avoidance of relationships that may be rich in emotions and experiences. And both negative and positive. Warm feelings or experiences are replaced by fantasies, overly “thought out”, rethought and theorized. This kind of substitution and avoidance occurs due to the fact that real relationships and emotional connections with other people bring fatigue and discomfort.

Speaking about the schizoid personality type, it is worth saying that the most noticeable signs may be precisely this disinterest in any contacts with others and a clear disregard for social norms. Such people may not respond to greetings, dress “strangely” even for the current very tolerant times, do not respect the chain of command, which is why they have constant problems in socialization, both at the stage of training and in the process of trying to get a job. They often have an attitude towards society as a “herd”, which adjusts them to its laws, and therefore a disdainful attitude towards the majority of people, above whom they feel themselves.

It is believed that there are generally eight character types: narcissistic, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, psychopathic, hysterical, depressive-manic, masochistic and schizoid.

The schizoid type of character is caused by a certain discrepancy between the feeling of oneself and the world around us, a feeling of detachment.

Many famous geniuses were schizoid: Albert Einstein, Van Gogh, Kant, Hegel, Archimedes, Newton, Bach... Among living people, these include the intellectual Anatoly Wasserman and the mathematician Grigory Perelman, who refused the European Mathematical Society Prize in 1996, in 2006 – Fields Medal and in 2010 – the Clay Mathematical Institute Millennium Prize.

In addition, the schizoid character type is attributed even to fictional characters: Don Quixote and the Hedgehog in the Fog.

People with a schizoid character type tend to:

How and why this type is formed

There are a large number of theories on this matter. From a physiological point of view, the nerve endings of schizoids are more sensitive. Even at a very young age, such children may show irritation or depression from the strong lighting of the room or the constant hubbub. It’s no secret that many kids, on the contrary, love the constant presence of adults, it calms them down and gives them a feeling of security. In schizoids, on the contrary, “extra people and movements” tire.

Other theories explain development in connection with the specifics of upbringing: a tough, nervous, explosive, critical father and a “loving” mother who violates personal boundaries. In addition, significant factors for the formation of this type are:

Such a child spends his childhood alone and often in a harassed state. He is better off alone, alone with books, fantasies and conclusions. But, despite their well-read and calm nature, teachers also do not like such a child: he does not participate in amateur activities, cannot explain or write anything beautifully, and “too much” knowledge in narrow areas can generally cause a feeling of competition and a desire to “punish an upstart who undermines authority.” teacher."

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of schizoid psychopathy can be made by a specialist if four or more symptoms are present:

However, a schizoid personality is not always the same in behavior if you observe it. Manifestations can be either of the autistic type with all additional signs (including an extreme degree of problems with socialization), or of the sthenic schizoid type with high success in narrowly focused areas of activity that require extreme forms of pragmatism, coldness and unemotionality in decision making.

One example describes a human resources policy advisor for a large enterprise, who became famous for his absolutely “impersonal” approach to assessing the importance of a particular employee for the overall successful operation of the enterprise, regardless of the employee’s length of service, his prior contribution, current family circumstances, health status and other additional nuances that emotionally responsive people always look at. As a result, he fired workers who had devoted their entire lives to this production and were currently experiencing some kind of life difficulties. And the case became famous because of several suicides that were committed by fired people and which did not cause any emotional reaction in the described adviser.

However, schizoid personality disorder is never diagnosed in the presence of schizophrenia, Asperger's syndrome and delusional disorders.

According to Theodore Millon, there are four subtypes of this disorder:

exhausted, lethargic type, which is characterized by chronic exhaustion, fatigue, lethargy, slowness, apathy;
an anxious, distant type, which is characterized by isolation and separation from the realities of life, isolation, wandering, the inability to stay in one job for a long time and to find a job at all;
depersonalized type, the main specificity of which is a feeling of separation of one’s body and consciousness, absorption in fantasy;
the unemotional type, gloomy and the most emotionally unperturbed.

According to the classification, schizoid disorder belongs to the cluster of unusual and eccentric disorders. The manifestations that were described earlier should be observed from the period of early maturity, that is, from eighteen years of age and older.

It should also be emphasized that some signs must be correlated with age criteria, physiological characteristics and aspects of upbringing. For example, the need for sexual contact may fade with age or be suppressed by a certain upbringing, and the lack of friends may be due to negative life experiences or a physical feature that becomes a psychological barrier. However, in these cases, the person does not lose his emotional assessment of this fact: he complains, worries, gets angry, ironizes, makes excuses. In a word, he shows emotions.

In psychoanalysis, such problems are interpreted from the point of view of the presence of a borderline level of development of personal organization in the schizoid personality type. The schizoid type has a tendency to “defensive fantasizing.” Another of his defense mechanisms is intellectualization, which allows him to reduce the emotional significance of events without avoiding the events themselves.

Moreover, his necessary support is sublimation, which is based on his fantasies. With its help, internal tension is relieved, and energy is redistributed in another direction, which is more acceptable for such a person: drawing, sculpture, solving incredible problems.

The main meaning of this approach is that the primary conflict that forms schizoidism is the problem of rapprochement and distance. Such a person constantly maintains a distance from other people, which makes him want to get closer. However, he regards rapprochement as a violation of personal boundaries and absorption, which forces the schizoid to jealously maintain this very distance in order to preserve personal space in his concept. This explains the eccentricity and dissimilarity of many such individuals: following generally accepted norms is also regarded as “absorption.” Therefore, the schizoid clearly neglects the laws of society and social norms.

However, this type of personality does not always act independently. Most often, we are faced with a schizoid-hysteroid personality type, in which schizoid personality disorder adds symptoms of hysteroid: suggestibility, inadequate demonstration of one’s sexual and external attractiveness, posing and “showing off” are added.

Moreover, it should be noted that since he demonstrates this same “attractiveness,” such a person often fits into public opinion: “you can’t look without tears.” Too bright color combinations, overtly emphasizing their shapes. In a word, a red skirt, green tights, an incomprehensible, old-fashioned, but revealing top and at the same time unwashed hair is a completely normal picture of such a girl. Remarks about the absurdity of her appearance cause surprise and can be considered envy.

Many relatives whose loved ones suffer from schizoid personality disorder wonder: is it dangerous? As can be seen from what was stated earlier, such people are characterized by isolation and focus on their inner world. They do not show aggression; on the contrary, they try in every possible way to reduce the number of contacts. So they are absolutely safe for others.

In addition, their emotional detachment from the suffering of others is absolutely not equivalent to a lack of understanding of what is happening, because the intellect does not suffer. As a result, a schizoid psychopath, in the event of committing offenses, is fully liable, because they are not mentally ill. But for the person himself, such a disorder can turn into trouble, both in the form of employment problems, and in the form of ridicule and bullying, which begin from school and are caused by some detachment, extravagance and the inability to join the company.

But in the case of a confirmed diagnosis in persons with schizoid personality disorder, the army is most likely excluded.

Treatment

In the case of classic schizoid personality disorder, treatment is extremely difficult, not because these cases are not treatable, but because the patients themselves do not consider their condition a problem. They cannot understand why they are forced to “fit into the herd.” Therefore, they come to the appointment either under pressure from relatives, or with other complaints, for example, with the problem of addiction. The problem of socialization is perfectly solved with the help of role-playing games. Schizoids literally have to figure out how people feel and what they are offended by.

A frequent problem is the selection of the necessary psychologist who is able to make contact extremely intelligently, without violating the boundaries of the schizoid and, at the same time, without getting carried away by his philosophizing and reasoning that is not the essence of the problem.

As for drug treatment, the appropriateness of its use has recently been called into question.

But who really needs a psychologist is the relatives of such a person, because it is their isolation and alienation of the child that causes panic, they worry about his future and suffer from his coldness. All this accumulates in a large lump of unspokenness, which can subsequently result in personal health problems: gastrointestinal diseases, heart diseases, diabetes, etc. Work with relatives is aimed at relieving anxiety, tension, and “recharging with love and warmth” in the form of supportive sessions. And the most important thing is the opening of the opportunity to accept such a child as he is.

In everyday life, we often meet people with “oddities” in behavior, but their “peculiar” features do not take on the character of an illness, and they are not mentally ill.

How to distinguish a deviation (originality) of character - schizoid personality traits, schizoid personality disorder (psychopathy) - from a serious pathology, schizophrenia?

Schizoid personality type (schizoid personality traits)

Schizoid personality traits persist throughout life. But favorable life circumstances and environment can enable such a person to be adapted in the family and society, to develop professionally and to be fully socialized.

The schizoid personality type is characterized by a predominance of mental abilities over emotional ones. This creates a personality that is guided by ideas rather than feelings. Emotionally, they are vulnerable, sensitive and not syntonic, which gives rise to their clumsiness in communication. And using their intellectual capabilities, they strive to distance themselves from their social circle. They are characterized by interests in unusual, rare hobbies, sports, and they study rare languages. Hence the nickname among schizoids - “eccentrics”. Outwardly cold in communication, they describe themselves as follows: “I’m like a drop of hot wine in a glass of ice.”

All schizoid individuals are characterized by social avoidance, which manifests itself already at the age of 4-5 years. Such children do not play with their peers, prefer solitude, and their parents do not evoke the proper emotional response in them. At school age, unusual intellectual abilities often appear. Schizoid people have introverted, non-standard, original thinking; they have their own idea of the world, and their answers are often discouraging. At the same time, the movements of such children are rough, constrained, and clumsy. This does not apply to fine manual skills such as playing the piano, making handicrafts, or painting. Therefore, individuals with a schizoid bias can become brilliant musicians or artists.

By the age of 10-11, children gradually adapt to the external environment. They find a small number of friends with whom they communicate. There can be formal relationships with other people without emotional attachment. However, any opportunity to communicate or join a team is associated with tension and a feeling of discomfort.

The schizoid personality type is often combined with a characteristic somatotype - these people, as a rule, are tall, motorically clumsy, guided in life by their intellectual constructs, and are capable of extreme devotion to any idea. There is information that Hitler’s guards were recruited based on the criterion of having schizoid traits. Features such as bizarre hobbies and emotional non-syntonity give them a formal resemblance to patients with schizophrenia, although in essence, the schizoid personality type has nothing in common with schizophrenic illness. And in the premorbid period (the period before the onset/onset of the disease), a schizoid character is rarely found among patients with schizophrenia.

Schizoid personality disorder (schizoid psychopathy)

We can talk about schizoid psychopathy (schizoid personality disorder) in cases where acute character traits are so expressed that they meet the criteria of totality, i.e. manifest themselves in any life situation without being adequate to it, and, as a result, social maladaptation occurs.

Schizophrenia

If we talk about such a disease as schizophrenia, then it should be noted that this mental pathology is accompanied by:

negative symptoms (apathy, dissociation, autism),
positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, catatonic symptoms),
proceeds with the formation of apatho-dissociative, apatho-dissociative personality defect,
requires drug treatment.

Patients suffering from schizophrenia are immersed in their unhealthy inner world. They live in their own experiences while ignoring reality, which has nothing to do with the outside world. Their thinking is not only autistic, but also paralogical, and then it becomes divorced from reality, and their judgments are not amenable to any correction and logical arguments.

Often in patients with schizophrenia, “ blockages" and interruptions of thoughts (sperrungs). He notes that “he feels empty and lack of thoughts in his head.” There may also be a “stream of thoughts (mentism), where there are many uncontrollable thoughts that do not meet the given needs and situation (“off topic”).

When thinking is impaired, people suffering from schizophrenia are characterized by the phenomenon "thought slippage". The patient talks about one situation, and a moment later describes a completely different one. For example, to the question: “What is the difference between a doll and a woman?”, the patient answers: “The doll is made of plastic, but it is alive. Everything in the world is alive. If the stone were dead, it would have disintegrated long ago.”

People with schizophrenia are characterized by disorders of thinking (delusions) and perception (hallucinations), catatonic motor disorders, which never occur in individuals with schizoid psychopathy.

Delusion is when a person with schizophrenia is convinced of something that does not correspond to reality, and it is impossible to dissuade him of this. These are delusions of jealousy, persecution, relationship, damage, influence, greatness, etc.

Hallucinations can be visual, auditory, tactile, etc.

A person with schizophrenia perceives these images as truth. He integrates them into the framework of his delusional thoughts. If an ordinary person can believe in magic, aliens and paranormal phenomena, then when he actually sees, hears and touches them, this already indicates illness.

As the disease progresses, such people become apathetic; it is difficult for them to study, work, and communicate. They lose their professional skills, their incompetence increases, although their intelligence is not formally impaired.

With the right approach and medication correction, a patient with schizophrenia can return to normal life, continue to work or study. He may develop criticism towards painful experiences and illness, and he can establish contacts with others.

Schizoid type

The most significant feature of this type is considered to be isolation, isolation from the environment, inability or unwillingness to establish contacts, and a decreased need for communication. A combination of contradictory traits in personality and behavior - coldness and refined sensitivity, stubbornness and pliability, wariness and gullibility, apathetic inactivity and assertive determination, unsociability and unexpected importunity, shyness and tactlessness, excessive attachments and unmotivated antipathies, rational reasoning and illogical actions, the wealth of inner peace and the colorlessness of its external manifestations - all this made us talk about the lack of “internal unity”. Recently, attention has been drawn to the notion that lack of intuition is the main defect. By intuition here we should mean, first of all, the use of unconscious past experience.

Schizoid traits are revealed earlier than the character traits of all other types. From the first years of childhood, I am struck by a child who likes to play alone, is not drawn to peers, avoids noisy fun, prefers to stay among adults, and sometimes silently listens to their conversations for a long time. To this is sometimes added some kind of coldness and childish restraint.

Adolescence is the most difficult period for schizoid psychopathy.

With the onset of puberty, all character traits appear with particular brightness. The isolation and isolation from peers is striking. Sometimes spiritual loneliness does not even bother a schizoid teenager who lives in his own world, with his interests and hobbies that are unusual for others, treating with condescending disdain or obvious hostility towards everything that fills the lives of other teenagers. But more often, schizoids themselves suffer from their isolation, loneliness, inability to communicate, and inability to find a friend to their liking. Unsuccessful attempts to establish friendly relationships, mimosa-like sensitivity at the moments of their search, rapid exhaustion in contact (“I don’t know what else to talk about”) often encourage even greater withdrawal into oneself.

Lack of intuition is manifested by the lack of a “direct sense of reality”, the inability to penetrate into other people’s experiences, guess the desires of others, guess about hostility towards oneself or, conversely, about sympathy and disposition, to grasp the moment when one should not impose one’s presence, and when, on the contrary, , you need to listen, sympathize, and not leave the interlocutor to himself.

To the deficiency of intuition should be added the closely related lack of empathy - the inability to share the joy and sadness of another, to understand the insult, to feel another's excitement and anxiety. This is sometimes referred to as a weakness of emotional resonance. The lack of intuition and empathy probably causes what is called the coldness of schizoids. Their actions can be cruel, which is more likely due to an inability to empathize with the suffering of others than a desire to receive sadistic pleasure. To the range of schizoid characteristics we can add the inability to convince others with our own words.

The inner world is almost always closed from prying eyes. Only for a select few can the curtain suddenly rise, but never completely, and just as unexpectedly fall again. A schizoid often reveals himself to people he doesn’t know well, even randomly, but somehow appeals to his whimsical choice. But he may forever remain a hidden, incomprehensible thing within himself for those close to him or those who have known him for many years.

The wealth of the inner world is not characteristic of all schizoid adolescents and, of course, is associated with a certain intelligence or talent. Therefore, not every one of them can serve as an illustration of Kretschmer’s words about the similarity of schizoids to “decorated Roman villas, the shutters of which are closed from the bright sun, but in the twilight of which luxurious feasts are celebrated.” But in all cases, the inner world of schizoids is filled with hobbies and fantasies.

Schizoid teenagers fantasize for themselves; they are not inclined to talk about their dreams to others, nor to mix everyday life with the beauties of their fictions and dreams. This is the fundamental difference between schizoid and hysterical fantasies. Schizoid fantasies either serve to console one’s own pride or are of an erotic nature.

The inaccessibility of the inner world and restraint in the manifestation of feelings make many of the actions of schizoids incomprehensible and unexpected for those around them, because everything that preceded them - the entire course of experiences and motives - remained hidden. Some antics are eccentric in nature, but unlike hysterics, they do not serve the purpose of attracting everyone's attention.

The reaction of emancipation often manifests itself in a very peculiar way. A schizoid teenager can endure petty supervision in everyday life for a long time, obey the routine and regime established for him, but react with violent protest to the slightest attempt to invade the world of his interests, hobbies and fantasies without permission. At the same time, emancipatory aspirations can easily turn into social nonconformity - indignation at existing rules and orders, ridicule of the ideals, spiritual values, interests widespread around, and rancor about the “lack of freedom.” Judgments of this kind can be nurtured for a long time and secretly and, unexpectedly for others, be realized in public speeches or decisive actions. Often one is struck by straightforward criticism of others without taking into account its consequences for oneself.

The grouping reaction is usually weakly expressed outwardly. As a rule, schizoid teenagers stand apart from their peers. Their isolation makes it difficult to join the group, and their intractability to the general influence, the general atmosphere, their non-conformity does not allow them to either merge with the group or submit to it. Having found themselves in a teenage group, often by accident, they remain black sheep in it. Sometimes they are ridiculed and even brutally persecuted by their peers, but sometimes, thanks to their independence, cold restraint, and unexpected ability to stand up for themselves, they inspire respect and force them to keep their distance. Success in a peer group may be the deepest dreams of a schizoid teenager. In his fantasies, he creates similar groups, where he occupies the position of leader and favorite, where he feels free and easy and receives those emotional contacts that he lacks in real life.

The reaction of infatuation in schizoid adolescents is usually more pronounced than all other specific behavioral reactions of this age. Hobbies are often distinguished by their unusualness, strength and stability. Most often we come across intellectual and aesthetic hobbies. Most schizoid teenagers love books, devour them voraciously, and prefer all other entertainments to reading. The choice for reading can be strictly selective - only a certain era from history, only a certain genre of literature, a certain movement in philosophy, etc. In general, in intellectual and aesthetic hobbies, one is struck by the whimsical nature of the choice of subject. We have seen among modern teenagers a passion for Sanskrit, Chinese characters, the Hebrew language, sketching the portals of cathedrals and churches, the genealogy of the House of Romanov, organ music, comparing the constitutions of different states and different times, etc. and so on. All this is never done for show, but only for oneself. Hobbies are shared if they meet sincere interest. They often hide them, fearing misunderstanding and ridicule. With a lower level of intelligence and aesthetic aspirations, matters may be limited to less refined, but no less strange objects of hobby. The collections of schizoid teenagers, sometimes unique, sometimes striking in their worthlessness, also serve more the purpose of sophisticated aesthetic needs than just hoarding. One teenager collected doublets of postcards with reproductions of paintings by famous artists and postage stamps depicting the same paintings.

In second place are hobbies of the manual-physical type. Clumsiness, awkwardness, and inharmonious motor skills, often attributed to schizoids, are not always found, and a persistent desire for bodily improvement can smooth out these shortcomings. Systematic gymnastics, swimming, cycling, and yoga exercises are usually combined with a lack of interest in collective sports games. Hobbies can take place in lonely long hours of walking or cycling. Some schizoids are good at fine manual skills - playing musical instruments, applied arts - all this can also form a hobby.

Reactions associated with emerging sexual attraction may, at first glance, not appear at all. External “asexuality”, contempt for issues of sexual life, is usually combined with persistent masturbation and rich erotic fantasies. The latter are prone to development, feed on random information and episodes and easily include perverse components. Painfully sensitive in company, incapable of courtship and flirtation, and unable to achieve sexual intimacy in a situation where it is possible, schizoid adolescents can, unexpectedly for others, discover sexual activity in the most crude and unnatural forms - standing guard for hours to spy on someone’s naked genitals, exhibiting in front of children, masturbate under other people's windows, from where they can be seen, enter into relationships with random people they meet, make phone dates with strangers “for one time,” etc. Schizoid teenagers deeply conceal their sex life and sexual fantasies. Even when their actions are discovered, they try not to reveal their motives and feelings.

Alcoholization among schizoid adolescents is rare. Most of them do not like alcoholic drinks. Intoxication does not cause pronounced euphoria in them. They easily resist the persuasion of their comrades and the drinking atmosphere of companies. However, some of them find that small doses of alcohol, without causing euphoria, can facilitate the establishment of contacts and eliminate the feeling of timidity and unnaturalness during communication. Then a special kind of mental dependence is easily formed - the desire to regularly use small doses of alcoholic beverages, often strong, in order to “overcome shyness” and facilitate contacts. Drinking alcohol as such a communicative dope can be done both with friends and alone. For example, a 15-year-old schizoid teenager secretly kept a bottle of cognac in his bed and drank it every morning in order to “feel free at school.”

Drugs apparently pose no less of a threat to schizoid adolescents than alcohol. Perhaps they can fulfill the role of communicative doping better than alcohol. Perhaps some volatile substances add grist to the mill of schizoid fantasies, making them more sensual, colorful, and emotional.

Suicidal behavior is not characteristic of schizoid psychopathy, and schizoid accentuation does not, apparently, favor such a method of solving difficulties. To mental trauma, to conflict situations, to situations where the schizoid personality is presented with demands beyond its strength, the reaction is manifested by an even greater withdrawal into oneself, into one’s inner world of deeply hidden fantasies. Or this reaction is revealed by unexpected, pretentious, and sometimes cruel actions.

Delinquency occurs infrequently, and schizoid features are clearly evident in delinquent behavior itself. While still examining homeless teenagers in the twenties, N.I. Ozeretsky noted that schizoids prefer to steal alone, choosing a thieving “profession” that requires skillful skills - for example, stealing money from inside pockets or the ability to get into an apartment through a window. Indeed, schizoid adolescents are not prone to group delinquency, but can commit serious offenses, acting “in the name of the group,” wanting to be “recognized by the group as their own.” Sexual crimes are also committed alone (exhibitionism, indecent acts against minors, sexual aggression, etc.). Sometimes delinquent behavior is preceded by taking a small dose of alcohol as a “doping”, but there is no real alcohol intoxication.

The self-esteem of schizoids is distinguished by a statement of what is associated with isolation, loneliness, difficulty in contacts, and misunderstanding on the part of others. Attitudes towards other problems are rated much worse. They usually do not notice the contradictions in their behavior or do not attach any importance to them. They like to emphasize their independence and independence

Somatic signs that since the time of Kretschmer have been considered characteristic of schizoids - asthenic build, flabby muscles, stooped figure, long legs and high pelvis, poorly developed genitals, angular movements - can not always be seen in modern adolescents. Acceleration and associated endocrine changes can distort these traits, causing, for example, excessive obesity, early and strong sexual development.

From the first steps in identifying schizoid psychopathy, attention was drawn to its similarity with some forms of schizophrenia (in particular, with the sluggish form and with pictures of the defect after a schizophrenic attack). This gave reason to many psychiatrists to generally doubt the existence of schizoid psychopathy as a constitutional character anomaly, and to interpret everything that was described under its name as a defect after an attack of schizophrenia that went unnoticed or happened in early childhood, or as “latent schizophrenia.” In recent years, attention has again been drawn to the fact that in families of patients with schizophrenia, especially its continuously progressive form, schizoid personalities can often be found.

As a result, in recent decades, schizoid psychopathy has almost ceased to be diagnosed and its pronounced cases have become usually interpreted as sluggish schizophrenia, and the corresponding schizoid accentuations with good social adaptation once again suggested the idea of “latent schizophrenia.” Even the differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and psychopathy began to be carried out in relation to all types of the latter, except schizoid.

This situation cannot be considered correct. The diagnosis of sluggish schizophrenia is legitimate if there are signs of a process, albeit slowly developing, if these signs are identified by a carefully collected anamnesis and confirmed by observation. Guesses about a “fur coat” that was transferred unknown when and not noticed by anyone remain only guesses and cannot serve as the basis for a diagnosis.

Adolescence creates special difficulties for the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia and schizoid psychopathy. The pubertal sharpening of the latter can easily be mistaken for a process that has begun or for a “new coat.” And, conversely, the onset of schizophrenia may be masked by pubertal behavioral disorders. We consider it important to emphasize the identification of schizoid psychopathy as a special form.

The schizoid type is not a very common character option. Only 5% of 300 hospitalized adolescents with psychopathy or accentuations were classified as this type, and another 5% had a combination of schizoidism with traits of other types - sensitive, psychasthenic, hysterical or epileptoid. It should be noted that all cases of “pure” schizoids were regarded as psychopathy, including most as severe and pronounced. In moderate cases, social disadaptation was partial - a breakdown occurred either at home when the place of study or work was good, or at school or at work when adaptation in the family was satisfactory.

Schizoid accentuations usually do not lead to social disadaptation, severe behavioral disorders, or acute affective reactions and therefore probably do not come under the supervision of a psychiatrist. The schizoid type of accentuation is not so rare.

Hidden schizoid accentuation can be detected if demands on a person are suddenly made that are beyond their capacity - for example, to quickly establish a wide range of informal and fairly emotional contacts. Schizoids also break down when someone persistently and unceremoniously “gets into their soul.”

Even Kretschmer, describing the schizoid type, identified expansive and sensitive options. The latter, as indicated, is more correctly considered as a special type, belonging to the group of asthenic psychopathies, since isolation here is secondary, compensatory. Nevertheless, among schizoids there are also more sthenic and completely asthenic individuals. The variety of schizoid manifestations can be so great that the number of described options could become two-digit. Therefore, it seems appropriate to us to state the combination of schizoidism with traits of other types. The main basis of character, its core always remains schizoid. Sensitive, psychasthenic, paranoid, epileptoid, hysterical or unstable features may be layered on it.

The schizoid personality is one of the rare psychological subtypes, which is based on the desire, on the one hand, for complete independence from others, but also, on the other hand, for complete control over the environment and the situation as a whole. These are the same people who say: I won’t interfere with you, and you, please, don’t interfere with me. But if you have already climbed in, be kind enough to live by the rules that I established. After all, it was you who came to me!

General characteristics of the psychotype (according to Shishkov)

Ideological, symbolic content of the inner world. There are a lot of experiences and feelings (they are overwhelming), but most of them do not come out, are not released out as emotions. Experiences are transformed into bizarre ideological and symbolic structures and only then are they advertised. A comprehensive, all-encompassing desire (captivating the mind) for the realization of one’s ideas-desires (extra-valuable ideas). These ideas often diverge from the real needs of the body. Idealization of what is desired. The rigidity of territorial and personal boundaries, their upholding. Self-removal from society bordering on its rejection (disgust) and arrogance. The position “I am a king”, “I am the master of my life”, “I am a god-manager”, “I am free”, “no one orders me”.

A person of the schizoid type is always taken out of the context of social relations. This person experiences great difficulty in expressing any of his emotions, or does so in a very limited range. This is especially evident when communicating with other people. Some people with this mental disorder also experience cognitive impairment (their thinking is fragmented, that is, jumps from one topic to another), distortions of perception, as well as pronounced originality of behavior in everyday life (the so-called schizoid-hysteroid personality type).

A person with schizoid disorder does not desire intimacy with other people. He tends to avoid any close relationships and is usually unable to experience love. A schizoid personality prefers to spend time alone with their thoughts rather than communicate with others or be in a group of people. Under normal conditions, a person with a schizoid personality type is perceived as a typical “loner.”

In addition, the schizoid personality has particular difficulty expressing his anger, even in response to direct provocation. This gives others the erroneous opinion that such people are cold and insensitive. Often their life seems to outsiders to be a purposeless existence. Typically, a schizoid personality pursues specific life goals that are incomprehensible to other people. Such people often react passively to unfavorable situations; it is difficult for them to give an adequate assessment and determine the significance of the most important events in their lives.

Poor social skills and a lack of desire for sexual experiences mean that people with this disorder have very few friends and rarely get married. It is very difficult for them to work for hire or engage in intensive work, especially if their work activity involves constant interpersonal interaction. But the schizoid personality manifests itself magnificently in conditions of social isolation and where remarkable intelligence is required. The examples of many famous scientists, such as Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton, clearly convince us of this.

The schizoid psychotype is formed on the basis of an eccentric pattern of internal experience and behavior that runs counter to the cultural norms of humanity. As a rule, signs of eccentric behavior are observed in such people in two or more of the following areas: cognition, managing people, interpersonal interaction, managing one’s emotions. Their picture of the world is not flexible enough, and schizoid character traits manifest themselves in a wide range of personal and social situations.

The schizoid personality is stable in its manifestations throughout life, and the first signs of schizoid personality disorder usually appear in adolescence or youth. The schizoid character type is more common among men than among women. Its prevalence in the general population is extremely low, ranging from 3.1 to 4.9 percent.

Causes of schizoid disorder

Researchers still don't know for sure what causes schizoid personality disorder. Different theories name different reasons for the development of a schizoid personality.

A person's personality is a combination of thoughts, emotions and behavior that makes each person unique. These characteristics are manifested in our attitude towards the outside world, as well as in the way we see ourselves. Any personality is formed in childhood due to the interaction of heredity and environmental factors.

In normal personality development, children learn over time to accurately interpret social demands and respond appropriately. What goes wrong in children of the schizoid type is not known exactly, but it is quite possible that some factors cause certain problems in personality development. Brain function and genetics also play an important role.

Most experts adhere to the biopsychosocial model of causation. In their opinion, the reasons due to which a person develops a schizoid personality is a combination of such factors: biological, genetic, social (for example, the child’s interaction with family and other children) and psychological (character and temperament, skills to cope with stressful situations). This suggests that no single factor can be considered leading - the formation of one or another personality type is a very complex process, which is influenced by all of the above factors. However, studies have shown that there is an increased risk of passing this disease from parents to children.

Who is at risk? The schizoid personality type is often observed among members of the same family. You may be at risk if you have had or have a family member with schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, or any other personality disorder.

Childhood experiences also play a significant role in the development of this disease. Such factors include:

emotional and physical abuse;
neglect;
psychological trauma or constant stress;
emotional coldness of parents.

Symptoms

Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by distance in social relationships and a limited range of emotional expression in interpersonal contacts. Such personality traits appear starting from early youth and are present in various variations. Typically, a schizoid personality type includes four (or more) of the following characteristics:

Because this personality disorder relies on persistent patterns of behavior, it is most often diagnosed in adulthood. It is quite difficult to diagnose in childhood or adolescence because the child or adolescent is constantly developing. If this happens, the above symptoms should be observed in the child for at least one year.

However, early symptoms of schizoid personality disorder, such as increased interest in individual activities or high levels of social anxiety, are already clearly noticeable in adolescence. The child may be an outcast at school, or lag behind his peers in social development, which is why he is often the subject of bullying or ridicule.

As with most other personality disorders, the manifestations of the schizoid personality type become more intense with age, so the symptoms of this mental disorder are most pronounced at the age of 40-50 years.

Harmonious traits of a schizoid personality

Stable preferences (I chose to eat, do, etc.).
Respect for other people's boundaries.
Intelligence (respect for yourself and your interlocutor).
Aristocratic (selected circle, high rules).
Good owners of a large house, farm, managers.
Ambitious (to be the best, to stand out), vain.
Clannishness (my clan, my family, my home).
Smart, well-read, inquisitive.
A rich inner world of ideas and fantasies.
Development of thinking (meticulousness, analysis-synthesis, induction-deduction).
Respect for the complex (complex tasks, structures, ideas, etc.).

Disharmonious traits of a schizoid personality

Protecting one’s own territory and borders even when it is not required (“don’t put pressure on me - I myself know what and how to do”, “this is my home - free the territory”, etc.)
“Everything will be my way” (in my home, territory, family) - with a thirst for personal freedom, denying it to your loved ones.
Fencing oneself off from society (“I really don’t need anyone”), being isolated in one’s own world of ideas and desires.
Another, often incomprehensible to others, logic with an unwillingness to be more understandable to others.
Arrogance towards other people (“I’m the smartest”), snobbery.
They don’t like, they refuse to help people just like that, from the heart (only from an idea, benefit).
Over-idealization of one’s ideas-desires – difficulties in implementation (“this is not my prince, but some chubby fool”).
“Cynicism, nihilism, sarcasm, orgasm” are the values of a schizoid.

Fear/discomfort in a schizoid personality causes

Lack of freedom (actions, thinking, ideas).
Imposition of other people's ideas, advice (I myself know what and how), coercion (as a form of lack of freedom).
Violation of personal territory (home, family, personality, overvalued idea-desire).
Failure to realize the main extremely valuable idea-desire.
Stupidity, loss of mind, madness.
Losing your self, your integrity, your boundaries.
Necessity in society (they do not like work related to communication).
Other people's influence on their destiny (they hate being pawns).

Professions most suitable for a schizoid personality

Analysts.
Intelligence officers, counterintelligence officers.
Running your own personal business.
Philosophers.
Science fiction writers.
Programmers.
Physicists, mathematicians.
Bank employees, economists, chief accountants, taxation (implementation of complex tasks).
Theoretical scientists (new vision, complex ideas, incomprehensible).
Directors, artists, inventors (extraordinary).

Treatment

In general, there is nothing to treat here. This is a personality subtype, not psychopathy. Accept yourself as you are. In the end, what would have happened if Einstein and Newton had self-medicated instead of science? Right. Nothing good would have come of it. Yes, a schizoid personality is very susceptible to depression, but here you need to learn to get out of depression. That's all. To finally understand that you do not need treatment, watch the video:

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The schizoid type of personality accentuation has the most striking and ambiguous manifestations. On the one hand, these people are endowed with superpowers, on the other hand, they are doomed to loneliness and constant opposition to themselves. This is explained by the borderline state. A psychotype has a fine line between normality and pathology. Any stress or severe psycho-emotional shock can lead to the development of schizophrenia, which is not so easy to cure. True schizoids have difficulty making contact and are perceived ambiguously by others. Determining the prerequisites for the development of this accentuation in early childhood can be corrected with the help of certain educational behavior, which solves many problems in adulthood.

Schizoid personality type - definition in psychology

A description of this type of accentuation is found in the classifications of Lichko and Leonhard. The schizoid personality type in psychology implies partial or complete detachment from the real world and fixation on one’s own person, as a result of which the development of the spiritual component is inhibited. Rejection of public opinion and complete detachment from stereotypical thinking does not allow them to splash out emotions and frankly express their own opinions. A multifaceted thought process is constantly going on in your head, but it is not possible to talk openly about it. All actions and deeds are aimed at alienating oneself from the social environment. Due to arrogance and cynicism, such people stay apart. People around them consider schizoids to be strange eccentrics or overly closed individuals who are on their own.

Schizoidism in its development necessarily has a provoking factor at an early stage of the child’s development. Severe stress, loss of a loved one, oppression from adults and much more can affect the development of personality. Psychologists say that the reason is even the threat of termination of pregnancy or the constant stressful state of the mother at the time of gestation. Even at this intuitive level, the foundations for schizophrenic tendencies are already being laid.

The child receives the main development of schizoid manifestations in the preschool period. As a rule, this is insufficient attention, lack of care and affection on the part of parents. Overprotection and excessive intrusiveness are also one of the reasons for development, because the child constantly has a desire to isolate himself from the parent and make independent decisions. The most common factor is dysfunctional families, where parents often conflict or unreasonably lash out at their children. With this development of events, the child is left to his own devices, and despite his own fear, he is forced to establish relationships in the family. A long stay in conditions of stress and uncertainty forces him to focus on himself and his own problems; open communication and socialization have no place in his life.

It is important for every child to feel safe and under the care of adults, otherwise he begins to seek the strength to resist the outside world, thereby building barriers and closing himself off from it. Lack of confidence in one's own safety provokes the development of a schizoid personality.

Age characteristics

The development of the schizoid type of accentuation goes through several stages of formation. By identifying the prerequisites for each of them, further development can be prevented:

Early childhood. The first alarming symptoms are detected in the child’s behavior already at 3-5 years of age. Typically, such children do not cause discomfort to their parents and seem to be quite independent. They can play alone for hours, painstakingly sorting through toys. Adults are not of particular value to them. Characterized by early development, showing interest in adult conversations and even reading books. Among their peers they are little geniuses.
Childhood. At school, a teacher may note a child’s arrogance towards his classmates. There is a constant contradiction with the opinions of others; there is a vision for everything, but the child is silent about this. High curiosity and a tireless desire to develop are reflected in high academic performance. Conceit is so great that there are no authorities for a person. Criticism from the teacher is not accepted in any way; he still does everything at his own discretion. Of all forms of communication, he recognizes only productive ones aimed at exchanging knowledge, while there are no emotions, only dry perception of information and skepticism. Emotional coldness is very easy to identify; the child experiences neither joy nor anger. It is difficult for adults to understand what is in a child’s thoughts at the moment. A special test to determine the psychotype will confirm the presence of the disorder.
Teenage period. At this age, the final formation of personality occurs and much depends on the environment. If peers react sharply to a schizoid, then he withdraws into himself even more. His intellectual abilities set him apart from students with poor academic performance, but his aloofness prevents him from coming into contact with them and developing in society. In this regard, there is a constant change in self-esteem, from high to inadequately low with elements of self-flagellation. The desire of parents to intervene and understand the reasons for such differences is doomed to failure. On his part, one can observe a protest against any invasion of privacy.

The non-standard nature of schizoid behavior and the reluctance to communicate in a group with other representatives of it are often perceived as a deviation. Such people become outcasts, observing from the outside what is happening in society, but they are only happy about this, because the existing arrogance does not allow them to fall on the same level as others.

When raising children with schizoid tendencies, it is worth paying more attention to care and affection. One of the key values is communication. Adults are required to be able to hold a conversation on an intellectual topic. There is no point in engaging in socialization and forcing communication with anyone; you need to unobtrusively help select friends with similar interests. Violence and cruelty should not be present in upbringing; on the contrary, every wrong deed and unlawful action must be analyzed in adult, quality language and an attempt must be made to convey the essence of the mistake. A child who has a genuine interest in intellectual development will happily accept a book as a gift. The mentor’s task is to select the right instructive literature that broadens one’s horizons and encourages harmonious relationships with the public.

Types

Schizoid accentuation includes two types of personality formation. The sensitive type assumes hostility to other people's opinions; any criticism causes painful internal sensations. Contact with other people, even within the same social group, can lead to a lack of appetite and the development of persistent depression. Such people do not recognize reality and spend most of their time in a fictional world, where everyone exists according to their laws and there is no place for aggression and other negative qualities. The individual tries to completely block any manifestation of violent emotions around him. To those around him, he looks like a completely detached person.

The expansive type of schizoid is cold-blooded and indifferent to the world around him. Such people are characterized by determination, confidence in their own actions, excessive arrogance and fearlessness in the face of any confrontation. The opinions and criticism of other people have absolutely no meaning for them; they are perceived as empty words, not worthy of attention. This type has a finer line with a pathological condition, because they often show aggression and eccentricity towards others. Protecting one's own interests is paranoid. This type also provides for the presence of a fictional world, but they clearly see the edges and still prefer to live within the framework of reality.

Signs

The formed schizoid personality type is based on many contradictory views. It is impossible for others to understand such people. No one knows what exactly evokes emotions in a schizoid, what upsets him, and what can make him happy. Everything that happens around is perceived as a fact and does not cause manifestations of character traits. Each specific schizoid perceives the world around him under his own prism. Sometimes even experienced psychotherapists can only guess from general signs what is in the patient’s head. Deep inner peace is combined with indifference to reality.

Schizoidity presupposes one's own perception of reality. Insignificant, unnoticeable little things can arouse genuine interest on his part, at the same time, socially significant and global events remain unnoticed. His own awareness of his uniqueness and intellectual development elevates his person several levels above those around him; he treats them with contempt. High self-esteem is often reduced due to the inability to build interpersonal contacts. Even interested in a conversation, he cannot build a dialogue and maintain a conversation.

The most banal social problems leave people stunned. A schizoid cannot adequately respond to aggression from an opponent, because outright hostility upsets the balance of his personality. Along with low socialization, intuitive abilities also suffer. It is extremely difficult for them to identify the attacker and intriguer. They do not see hints and do not distinguish the true reasons for certain actions. A girl with this type of accentuation, receiving regular signs of attention from a young man, will never independently guess that he is expressing sympathy. Ultimately, he will need to openly declare his feelings.

In family life, the schizoid personality type remains indifferent to everyday affairs. Sloppiness in home furnishings, indifference to the chosen wallpaper and complete lack of initiative in maintaining cleanliness and order are explained by women's inability to adapt to everyday life. They don't do it on purpose, it just doesn't make any difference to their personality. Even if you have to do the repairs yourself, it will be a functional and practical interior with a mandatory workplace or a separate corner for privacy. Men are characterized by love at first sight and a tendency to cheat. Young children cause alienation; usually in such families they take on the personality type and project the behavioral characteristics of their parents into their lives.

You can distinguish a schizoid from a closed or unsociable person by external features. Movements and gestures are markedly angular and unnatural, and mannerisms are often observed. The physique is rather asthenic, postural disturbances are pronounced, for example, stooping. During communication, you can notice how the shoulders tuck and rise towards the head. They avoid direct gazes, so they often keep their head lowered to the floor. There is no clear stylistic predisposition, the clothes look ridiculous.

High performance and the ability to clearly concentrate on the task at hand allow you to achieve unprecedented heights. There is no specific profession in which one can achieve the highest results; such geniuses were found among different forms of employment. Examples include such outstanding personalities as artists Van Gogh and Dali, scientists Mendeleev, Einstein and Newton, as well as musicians Beethoven and Bach.

Treatment

The schizoid type requires behavioral correction by a psychoanalyst. They rarely come to sessions on their own, because they will be required to communicate and open their inner world to a stranger. Experienced specialists know the approach, so they quickly get the patient to talk. Maximum and fastest results can be achieved with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. After short individual lessons, the schizoid begins to attend group lessons, where there is a greater chance of socialization. The patient is required to have maximum sincerity towards the specialist and unconditional compliance with all recommendations.

Advanced forms of schizophrenia require immediate treatment in a specialized institution for compulsory round-the-clock stay. The disease is almost never completely cured; doctors only manage to achieve stable remission. During periods of exacerbation, patients are again admitted to the hospital for treatment. There are no special medications provided, but if necessary, antidepressants and certain groups of drugs necessary to eliminate anxiety and associated phobic disorders are prescribed.

A person who realizes that he has schizoid tendencies should strive to develop positive emotions in himself. It is better to start trying to build social contacts with family and friends who will always support and help cope with fears.