Updated July 23, 2022 207 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. In everyday life, the term “exaltation” is often misinterpreted. It is confused with shockingness, pretentiousness, i.e. with behavior that is deliberately provocative.
But in reality, we need to talk about an established character trait of a person, which gives rise to certain behavioral reactions.
What is exaltation?
Exaltation is a special emotional state in which a person experiences unnatural inspiration and enthusiasm, often without having sufficiently compelling reasons for this. It can manifest itself in different forms. For example, a person suddenly begins to dream about something very emotionally, colorfully imagining his dream and experiencing such happiness as if it had already come true.
Exaltation is also called short-term conditions in which a person’s excitability sharply increases, his muscles are in good shape, and the nervous system reacts to the smallest stimuli. Usually this condition passes quickly and is replaced by inhibition of the nervous system and muscle weakness.
The term “exaltation” is derived from the Latin word exaltatio, (inspiration, elation, ascension, greatness). In addition to psychology, it is widely used in religions and various teachings. In some languages, this word is used to refer to the Christian holiday of the Exaltation. And in Mormonism, exaltation is the highest happiness that a person will receive in the Kingdom of Heaven.
People with mental disorders often fall into exaltation. For them, it arises for no reason and is expressed as strong pathological arousal, during which their mood rapidly changes, and with it, thoughts and behavior. Also in this state they experience increased motor activity.
Exaltation in astrology
This word is used by astrologers who study the influence of planets on people’s lives and compile horoscopes. Astrologers call it the presence of a planet in some part of the trajectory (zodiac sign), where its characteristics in a person’s horoscope appear especially clearly .
While the planet is in exaltation in the horoscope, the person is in an excited and elated mood.
The opposite of exaltation is fall. If the planet is in the opposite position from exaltation, its influence on the person gradually fades away.
Exalted personality type
The German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard is known for compiling one of the first character typologies and introducing the concept of personality accentuations into psychology. His classification includes an affectively exalted or simply exalted type of accentuation. Personalities belonging to this type easily fall into a state of exaltation for any reason.
People with an exalted type of personality accentuation perceive pleasant news with delight and react emotionally to the smallest troubles. The word “exaltation” is often used to describe their character. Thus, exaltation is a characteristic feature of people who easily fall into a state of exaltation , react too enthusiastically to good news and become overly upset by unpleasant news.
What is exaltation, or Who needs other people's problems
In the new issue of the “Vocabulary” section, T&P talks about the meaning of the word, which is used to describe everything: mystical ritual, physical punishment, and medieval medical practice. In fact, the word “exaltation” describes a state of mind characteristic of people who have difficulty controlling themselves, but easily tire others.
Exaltation is an extremely excited, primarily ecstatic state.
Many people are inspired, but not every football fan can be called exalted after a goal from their favorite team. The main thing here is that an exalted person may not have any particular reason for joy. Karl Leonhard
T&P have already written more than once about various types of accentuations, but have not yet touched upon the affective-exalted type of temperament. Let us recall that accentuation is a certain combination of clearly manifested character traits, in which a person’s vulnerability to certain psychogenic influences increases. People with accentuations are normal in the generally accepted sense - however, sometimes their relationships with the outside world and with themselves are more complex than those of people without such pronounced manifestations. The first to identify such temperaments as a separate group and classify them was the German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard. One of the ten temperaments he described was precisely the affective-exalted type.
Leonhard called exaltation “the temperament of anxiety and happiness.” Such people are only one step away from passionate jubilation to mortal melancholy (or an ambiguous look, a friend’s inattention, sad news on the radio, a drop of coffee spilled on a shirt - whatever). The only saving grace is that the road back to happiness is just as short for them. In psychology, the tendency to such sudden changes in emotional state is called increased lability.
In people with an exalted personality type, emotions are elevated to a cult. People with this temperament not only do not restrain their expressions of feelings, but also consider emotional experiences to be the most important component of human life. They often strive to realize themselves in areas such as religion and art, and this makes sense: such people are distinguished by good taste and sensitivity. They often achieve success in creativity - largely because the value of a work of art is determined by the final emotional impact on the viewer/reader/listener, and it is quite logical that this is best achieved by someone who is themselves capable of a high intensity of sensory experiences.
There are many exalted personalities among the actors, because generating a flow of emotions is natural for them; you just need to learn to direct it in a constructive direction. According to Leonhard, exaltation becomes constructive when volitional abilities are added to it. In this combination, it turns into passion: delight and despair begin to be expressed in actions, and not in experiences and ideas, which is typical of a simply exalted person.
From passionate jubilation to mortal melancholy such people are one step away. The road back to happiness is just as short for them.
Another strong (or weak) trait of exalted individuals is compassion. A TV show about the difficulties of life in concentration camps or a puppy with a broken paw can lead them to despair; They experience a friend’s ordinary trouble more painfully than the victim himself. In an impulse, they are ready for real feats of altruism and self-sacrifice. And others often take advantage of this: in order to borrow money from an exalted person, it is enough to convince him that, for example, buying a new car is a matter of life and death for you.
Increased emotionality in people of this type manifests itself in various traits: they are sociable, smiling, often fall in love and talk a lot, but at the same time they are touchy and prone to panicking. People with this temperament often argue, but, as a rule, it does not come to open conflicts. Fear in an exalted person tends to increase sharply, and even in non-serious situations its physiological manifestations will be noticeable - trembling, cold sweat.
An exalted personality type can be well illustrated with the help of characters in works of art. With their rash impulses and emotional outbursts, they heat up passions and turn the tide of the narrative, which is why authors love them. A similar exemplary type was created by Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. His heroine Katerina Ivanovna is going to marry Mitya Karamazov not because she loves him, but because she is passionate about the idea of saving him. At some point, inspired by the idea of making her rival Grushenka a partner in this matter, she invites her to her place. Katerina Ivanovna speaks spiritually and enthusiastically to her guest, but when she realizes that Grushenka laughed at her, the heroine experiences a severe mood swing, which ends with the fact that “Katerina Ivanovna had a seizure. She was sobbing, the spasms were choking her.” With approximately the same amplitude of emotional fluctuations - from proud happiness to tragedy - she lives throughout the entire novel, at the end of which she finds herself in severe hysterics during the trial of Mitya. A striking example of a male exalted image can be called Shakespeare's Romeo. The hero is constantly in an extreme state of excitement and either suffocates from the happiness of being close to his beloved, or finds no place for himself due to the tragedy of forced separation. Romeo is simply not capable of experiences of the average order and finds reasons in everything to strengthen his own feelings.
Exalted individuals endear themselves to those around them by their ability to empathize, sincerely rejoice at others’ successes and sympathize with grief. But the repulsive traits in people with this temperament are approximately the same: excessive anxiety, a tendency to panic, drama, and “increasing the volume” for no apparent reason. Often, effective communication with exalted people is only possible when their emotions begin to weaken, and the best recommendation for them is to try to reduce the significance of the events they experience.
How to say
Incorrect: “The Spanish Inquisition organized terrible exaltations for all dissidents.” That's right: executions.
That’s right: “I have no life at all with this exalted lady: she’s either in the clouds or beating in hysterics.”
Correct: “Fedya’s exaltation tired the entire group: screams, indignation and the fight for the truth that he alone understood were his faithful companions.”
Signs of exaltation
To understand that your friend (or you) has an exalted type of personality accentuation, you need to pay attention to the degree of emotionality of the person. Typically, such people do not hold back their feelings, reacting to everything quite sincerely and without trying to hide their emotions. They also have good taste, they pay attention to their appearance, try to dress fashionably and look stylish.
Exalted individuals are often interested in religion and are carried away by various teachings. As a rule, they achieve some success in creative activities, since their emotionality helps them develop good artistic taste. Thanks to their sensuality, they are able to understand in advance what emotions their creation will evoke in the viewer or reader.
Also, such people have well-developed empathy. They subtly sense other people's emotions, literally feel someone else's pain on a physical level, and because of the troubles of a loved one, they worry more than they do themselves. Excited individuals easily make self-sacrifice and willingly help those who describe their problem emotionally enough (and their friends often take advantage of this).
The main manifestations of exaltation:
- Sociability. Such individuals love to communicate. They quickly find a common language with strangers and always know what to talk about with loved ones.
- Smiling. When communicating, they almost always smile, usually making a pleasant impression on their interlocutors.
- Amorousness. They quickly become attached to people and fall in love easily, but these feelings are usually flighty and pass just as quickly.
- Touchiness. They are offended by every little thing (for example, a lack of attention from a loved one).
- Alarmism. Any minor trouble causes them great upset, and doubts can plunge them into panic.
In addition, individuals with an exalted type of accentuation often get into arguments and argue quite heatedly, but try to maintain the most friendly tone towards their opponent. In dangerous situations, they are unable to hide their fear; they immediately develop a noticeable trembling in their voice and other manifestations of panic.
Causes of exaltation
In defining what exaltation is, we found that this condition usually has no cause. It occurs very quickly in children - this is the norm for them. They usually express all their emotions very emotionally, accompanied by intense gestures. Children are characterized by exaltation; they can feel delighted or throw tantrums over little things.
In adults, exaltation can persist or develop for reasons such as:
- Genetic predisposition. Accented personality traits are often passed on to children from their parents.
- Wrong upbringing. This character trait can be formed in childhood due to overprotection or lack of parental attention.
- Incorrect self-esteem. The reason may be either low or high self-esteem.
- Inability to satisfy basic needs. If a person experiences communication problems or cannot build relationships, he also begins to perceive everything overly emotionally.
- Incorrect understanding of morality and ethics. Excited behavior may be the result of a misunderstanding of how to behave in society.
- Conflicts with peers at school. Childhood trauma resulting from conflicts and bullying (what is it?) can also lead to increased emotionality in adulthood.
- Past illnesses. Some illnesses can cause a person to react too sensitively to any changes in well-being.
- Professional deformation. Representatives of different professions are prone to specific manifestations of emotions and in certain situations can fall into exaltation.
The meaning of the word exaltation
Examples of the use of the word exaltation in literature.
But in the playwrights’ work there is also the romantic mood of a fairy tale that removes contradictions, and bright entertainment, deliberately emphasized theatricality, and exaltation of feelings, bringing their plays closer to baroque art.
From this state of exaltation, Bianca's nerves vibrated like violin strings.
In Pilitz there was one melamed who brought himself to such a painful exaltation that during prayer, standing in tallis and tefillin, he imagined that he was copulating with a woman and shed his male seed.
I have no reason to think that the superstitious, semi-religious and semi-sexual exaltation, which caused her to almost idolize Rasputin, had the nature of a connection.
In order not to pick up his tone and not fall into her own exaltation, Nina tried to slightly ironize their night walk.
So, the new phase of administrative mischief into which Fedenka entered not only did not bring him any difficulties, but even produced in him a rather pleasant exaltation.
Or as an Irishman, perhaps as a descendant of Taut de Danaan, with his dreaminess and intuition, with his exaltation alternating with sadness.
Soon he was joined by an elderly, dark-haired gentleman, all in black and all buttoned up to the point of impossibility, with that special kind of insanity that a close acquaintance with heaven and a strained religious exaltation, which becomes natural from long use, gives people.
The movement turned out to be heterogeneous and contradictory: rebellion was combined with political indifference and conservatism, sympathy for the people with extreme individualism, a critical attitude towards religion with pious exaltation.
Severe nervous excitability, exaltation, hysterical contractures, trembling, palpitations, feeling of weightlessness, spasmodic sighs, stabbing pains, tension in the limbs, twitching, trembling, hysterical lump in the throat.
Maybe Ruth was trying to protect herself in this way from the approaching storm, or rather, from the fear of the impending isolation, and therefore in the afternoon, when I was at work, she began to fall into exaltation again, as she had right after the camp - remember, she, like Ophelia, imagined herself as a bird left alone with God.
But still, respecting the king, the patriotic nation blooms, Poets, praising their rulers, are constantly in exaltation.
Elinor, too accustomed to that destructive exaltation of feelings, next to which any ordinary manifestation of them seems as insufficient and weak as fresh air - for those who are accustomed to intoxicate themselves by inhaling spicy aromas, marveled at how detached, cold and alien to all earthly things passions, a creature can endure its motionless and monotonous life.
Sonya slightly touched Gamaley's hand and, with some excessive exaltation, began to praise his wife Maria.
The emotions evoked by these images cover a wide range of feelings: from deep horror to exaltation and ecstasy.
Source: Maxim Moshkov library
Pros of exaltation
When explaining what exaltation is, they first of all talk about positive emotions. And for good reason. Exalted individuals are friendly and positive, thanks to which they easily find a common language with other people. Their lives are brighter because they experience a lot of pleasant emotions from new experiences. They enjoy visiting museums, viewing monuments and architectural sights. Any vacation turns into a real adventure for them.
In addition, such people are kind and always ready to help, thanks to which they quickly form friendships. In their personal and family life, they are usually more successful because they feel their partner well and love to please their loved ones. They often have talents that help them to be popular and also achieve success in certain professions related to performances or social activities.
Disadvantages of exaltation
The inability to control your own emotions can have a negative impact on your relationships with other people. Exalted individuals are often treated lightly or warily. They find it difficult in situations in which other people feel quite natural and at ease.
Often, individuals with an exalted type of accentuation have problems moving up the career ladder, because their managers simply do not take them seriously and are not ready to entrust them with serious responsibilities. Despite their openness and good nature, such people often unwittingly push away those whom they immediately liked and aroused pleasant emotions.
An exalted person himself usually does not understand that he pushes people away with his temperament. This aggravates his situation, because not understanding the problem, he does not try to solve it, but attributes everything to the injustice of fate. As a consequence of this, another serious problem for such people is bad habits that help them suppress unnecessary experiences.
