How to avoid personality degradation?
What does the word "degradation" mean? The word “degradation” comes up quite often. It is used when talking about the gradual deterioration, decline, loss of valuable qualities and properties observed in various areas of life - culture, society, art, environment. This term is also used in relation to physical, chemical and biological processes: degradation of soils, proteins, etc.
Psychologists use it when they talk about the destruction of personality - the narrowing and impoverishment of interests, feelings, talents and judgments, a decrease in mental activity and performance, up to complete indifference and loss of contact with the environment. Personality degradation is also called mental dullness. One of the severe forms of personality degradation is marasmus, or profound dementia. Personality degradation is an integral part of a deeper breakdown of the human psyche: dementia, or dementia.
What is degradation or disintegration of personality
Personality degradation is a collective term that implies the presence of psychological and physiological pathological processes that interfere with a person’s normal life and work.
Personality degradation in the definition refers to a decrease in activity and performance, personal regression as a result of mental imbalance and passivity. Degrading, a person loses socially significant qualities, his judgments and conclusions become primitive. He loses the ability to create something new, to generate ideas.
With a split personality, a person’s sphere of interests narrows, and he experiences difficulties in social adaptation. Mental processes malfunction, as a result of which a person becomes irritable. The characteristic features of the behavior of a degenerate are weakness of character, carelessness, insanity, and dementia. Gradually, a person loses contact with the world around him, the natural need for recognition and communication is replaced by indifference and a craving for loneliness. The pathological process also has a negative impact on a person’s professional activity.
Sloppy or living outside the rules?
As psychologist and existential psychotherapist Tatyana Zakhartsova , such a characteristic as “sloppiness” is very subjective.
“What is order for me may seem disorder to someone else. Sloppiness or “sloppiness” is information that is embedded in the rules and customs of society. Different societies have different ideas about sloppiness. Therefore, this is the part of character that is developed throughout life and copied from parents as a way of living,” says the expert. However, in addition to some basic cultural attitudes inherited from parents, a person may also have his own perception of order. It’s not for nothing that there is an expression “creative disorder” - this is the chaotic arrangement of things that we sometimes need for productive activity.
According to Tatyana Zakhartsova, sometimes the lack of need for order and cleanliness can be associated with some of our internal psychological processes and conflicts. “This characteristic can change over time - depending on our condition, external circumstances and internal priorities and values. For example, in situations of despair and pain, severe anxiety, it is difficult for a person to take care of himself, but this, as a rule, lasts no more than two to three weeks,” the specialist adds.
Stages of development of personality degradation
Personality orientation - what is it in psychology, its types
In psychology, the pathological process of personal degradation includes several stages:
- Disappointment in loved ones as a result of conflict or quarrel. A person feels insulted and decides to become independent, to live for his own pleasure, regardless of the interests and needs of relatives and friends. A person is contemptuous of family and friendly ties, neglects the norms and rules of behavior established in society.
If attempts are not made to resolve the conflict situation, which served as a reason for disappointment, then the personal construct will continue to collapse, aggravated by such harmful feelings as anger, resentment and aggression. A person's character is rapidly changing for the worse. There are manifestations of cruelty and envy, the ability to admit one’s guilt and work on one’s shortcomings is lost.
- Spiritual degradation. As a result of anger towards loved ones and more successful people, a person becomes conflicted. He has clashes with work colleagues, conflicts with management, and is rude and insulting towards his loved ones. In the speech of a degrading personality, profanity appears, moral values and moral foundations collapse.
Spiritual degradation
- Complete degradation. Signs of the onset of the last stage of degradation are alcohol or drug addiction, depraved behavior, and loss of friendships.
Attention! The degradation process can be stopped at any stage. In order to regain the taste of life and receive joy from communicating with loved ones, a person must learn to forgive and sincerely repent.
The essence of the concept
Personality degradation is the gradual loss of human appearance. When irreversible changes occur for the worse in character, habits, inclinations and hobbies. The development of such traits as irritability, passivity, and then aggressiveness is manifested.
What does degradation include?
Signs of degradation
A degraded person does not come to his condition in one moment. Sometimes regression takes several decades to develop. The main distinguishing signs by which one can suspect a decline in personality include the following symptoms:
Gradual loss of the ability to think soberly and reason sensibly. The ability to concentrate on any one task/goal disappears. There is a attenuation of all feelings exhibited by a person in a normal state. One notices a gradual withdrawal into oneself, into one’s inner, artificially created world. Conversational and familiar speech becomes more primitive and incoherent. Busyness in business and work decreases sharply. The circle of human communication is also narrowing. An apathetic state occurs in which the person stops showing any care and attention to others.
A person, being in the developing stages of regression, eventually loses mental stability. All manifestations of activity and performance are stopped. They are replaced by nervousness, global disturbances of attention and memory. All interests disappear, giving way to lack of initiative, lack of will and carelessness.
Degradation can also follow the spiritual path
Human degradation and Abraham Maslow
A medical psychologist who lived in America last century, he devoted his life to the study of human nature. A psychiatrist has compiled a hierarchy of personal needs. The world-famous scientist noted the main qualities that manifested themselves in all people walking along the road of degradation. According to the psychologist, people with regression tend to have the following perceptions:
- The degenerate considers himself to be a “pawn.” That is, I am sure that his actions, as a conscious individual, depend entirely on someone: other people or external forces. This phenomenon is called “learned helplessness.”
- The priority of degraded people becomes survival, only the desire to achieve all the needs necessary for the functioning of the body. Food, sleep, natural needs.
- The regressed personality divides the entire society into two camps: bad/strangers and good/our own.
- He is fully confident that his opinion is not subject to any discussion/criticism and is the only correct one.
- The brain of such a person stops expending active efforts on the implementation of verbal functions. Therefore, those who are degraded will have a poorer vocabulary.
Possible reasons
Single people are more prone to personal disintegration than married or cohabiting people. Prolonged stay in depression leads to personal decline, sometimes to suicidal attempts.
Factors in human personality development - what they include
In addition, regression of personal development is one of the symptoms of various mental illnesses and neurotic disorders. Thus, regression of intellectual and personal development can be observed in schizophrenia, epilepsy and traumatic brain injuries.
Most often, personality deformation is observed in those who suffer from alcohol or drug addiction. In this case, personal degradation will be accompanied by somatic symptoms and problems in the functioning of the nervous system.
Additional Information. Alcoholism can be both a cause of personal degradation and a bitter consequence of the collapse of a person’s psychological structure. The same goes for gambling addiction.
Alcoholism and degradation
Apathy and personality disintegration can occur when a person has experienced severe emotional stress: the death of a spouse, loss of a job. Some regression in personal growth is observed among people after retirement: they lose their usual connections with colleagues, fall out of business communication and “lag behind” the pace of life of working friends and relatives. In addition, carelessness and the absence of daily work responsibilities will relax the brain and help reduce the expression of socially significant personal qualities of a person.
Spiritual degradation is becoming an urgent problem in modern society. It occurs as a result of devaluation of love, lack of compassion, disregard for moral standards, and self-centeredness. Young people today are degrading, since reading fiction has ceased to be an interesting activity for them. Their jokes are flat, their topics of communication are banal, their judgments are superficial and frivolous. They tend to destroy themselves with electronic cigarettes and spice.
For your information. A rare visit to cultural events, theater, cinema, and concerts can provoke spiritual degradation.
What psychological problems may be hidden behind sloppiness?
* Anxiety and confusion. According to Tatyana Zakhartsova, sometimes external sloppiness can be a continuation of internal disorder, when there are too many problems and unresolved conflicts. “Sometimes internal chaos takes over us entirely, and then the external becomes a continuation of the internal state. Internal resources are spent on normal functioning; there is no strength for anything else,” explains the expert.
* Low self-esteem. As the specialist notes, sometimes the reluctance to maintain order around can be a consequence of the fact that a person does not treat himself well enough, and therefore unconsciously refuses to take care of himself.
* The desire to attract the attention of others. In some cases, untidiness can be a person’s way of somehow standing out, or symbolically taking over space - after all, when we scatter our things everywhere, we seem to “mark” the territory, signaling to others: “I’m here.”
* Protest. “Often, sloppiness is a reflection of long-term loneliness and isolation, a protest against society, against social norms,” explains the psychologist.
There are also deeper reasons for our desire for chaos. Based on her own practice, Tatyana Zakhartsova identifies a number of psychological traumas that can provoke sloppiness.
* Trauma of loss. “It can arise if a person did not have anything of his own in childhood and had to share with his brothers and sisters, or his important and favorite toys were given away. In this case, collecting and the inability to throw away old things can also be a problem,” explains the expert.
* Trauma of abandonment. “For example, if a person was often left with his grandmother as a child and he felt bad with her, then he felt thrown out, unnecessary. Then, even in adult life, it may be difficult for him to throw something away, to part with things. It’s as if he puts his wounded part into these things and cannot throw them away,” says the psychologist.
* Trauma of violence. “If in childhood a person was forced to maintain an order alien to him, using physical and psychological violence, then in adulthood he may also have problems with order,” explains Tatyana Zakhartsova.
* Trauma of lack of boundaries. “When a person is raised in a family where there is no time for him (for example, in a family with dependent, asocial parents), where no one talks about order and norms. Then social norms will also be difficult for her, perhaps she will not even know about them,” the specialist comments.
Characteristic symptoms and signs
Volitional personality traits - what is it in psychology, their formation
The process of personal disintegration can be detected by the following symptoms and signs:
- In character, such traits as deceit, anxiety, grumpiness, and stubbornness come to the fore.
- Untidy appearance, neglect of personal hygiene rules.
- Loss of faith in one's strength and importance. A person is convinced that everything is decided by the stronger. He believes that life depends on circumstances, and not on his own activity. It is useless to argue with fate; you should not try to change something.
- Apathy and indifference. Human activity is aimed only at satisfying physiological needs.
- A clear division of people into “us” and “strangers”. The circle of contacts is sharply narrowing.
- Lack of tolerance for other people's opinions. The degenerate considers his point of view to be undeniably correct.
- Limited vocabulary. A degrading person has difficulty in describing an object or phenomenon in detail. There are few adjectives in his speech. He has difficulty describing his emotional state and makes mistakes in understanding the expression of emotions and moods in other people.
- Presence of alcohol, gaming or drug addiction.
Alcohol personality distortion
Important! Attentive attitude towards a person and a timely response to changes in his behavior can stop degradation.
General information
The concept of sloppiness is defined as a character trait that is manifested by a lack of neatness. A person does not feel the need for cleanliness and order. He may have a dirty workplace, lack of personal hygiene, and an unkempt appearance.
If there are slobs among your friends, then you have probably noticed more than once that such people are constantly late, forget about important assignments, do not get enough sleep, are absent from events, chaos reigns not only on their desktop, but also in their apartment, and also in the head.
Sloppy people often become outcasts from society, receive negative assessments from others, and lose their importance in the eyes of other people. It is difficult for such individuals to move up the career ladder and create relationships with members of the opposite sex.
Sloppiness is often a sign of incipient depression, lack of attention, and sometimes a symptom of a psychoneurological illness. If the latter case occurs, then consultation with a specialist is mandatory. If sloppiness is a sign of disorganization, then you can pull yourself together and cope on your own, but this will require considerable effort.
Personality degradation in alcoholism
The first signs of personal destruction in alcoholism become noticeable 6-8 years after the development of addiction. With alcoholism, personality destruction manifests itself in a gradual loss of self-control and a decrease in self-criticism. Increased irritability and aggressiveness are noted in those moments when there is no opportunity to drink. Such people are prone to causeless grievances and provoking scandals. An alcoholic’s thinking is superficial, intellectual processes are dulled, coordination of movements is weak, and criticality of perception sharply decreases.
In the later stages of alcoholism, personality disintegration manifests itself in the fading of social contacts. Severe ataxia is noted. A person becomes self-confident, rude, soulless, cynical, behaves tactlessly and incorrectly.
With personality degradation as a result of alcoholism, a person loses a sense of duty and responsibility, a sense of shame and guilt.
Attention! Alcoholism is a severe form of addiction that leads to complete personality degradation. The result of this process can be compared to the social death of the individual. That is why the timely reaction of loved ones to this problem and the adoption of urgent measures to help a degenerating person are so important.
Is it possible to avoid personality degradation?
Personality destruction can be avoided. However, this will require effort. First of all, you need to take care of yourself and your appearance, observe the norms and rules of behavior in society, and eradicate bad habits. An excellent measure to prevent personal degradation is reading both fiction and scientific works, followed by discussing what you read with friends or loved ones. At the same time, you need to learn to express your opinion in a reasoned manner, defend your point of view, and at the same time be able to change it if the interlocutor’s arguments turn out to be convincing.
Self-development
Turning to philosophy and thinking about the meaning of life can help a person set a goal and outline ways to achieve it. If you have a life guideline and active attempts to do everything possible to achieve your goal, personal degradation cannot happen.
Attention! Any manifestations of creativity are a guarantee against personal disintegration and regression in development.
If the husband is a slob
Many men are convinced that it is the woman who should keep order in the house, put away their dirty socks, wash the dishes, and take care of other household chores. Living with a slob is very difficult. A woman’s task will be complicated if such a man has been taught this way since childhood, and he is sure that this model of behavior is normal. If his mother always looked after him, then he will expect the same from his wife.
Undoubtedly, the right action is to have a timely conversation about how responsibilities for caring for the home will be distributed after the creation of a family union. It is important that the man understands that you do not intend to live in the dirt. If a clear distribution was not established at the time and you already live with a sloppy male representative, then you can proceed to the following actions:
- if a man left a cup on the table and did not take it to the sink, do not hesitate to pour kefir or compote into it next time, whatever the husband asks for;
- in the evening I scattered my clothes all over the room - don’t be too lazy to collect everything in one pile, but leave it in the middle of the room, so that when the man wakes up, he will immediately see it;
- left your tools on the kitchen table - put your cosmetics on the dashboard of the car or on another corner of it.
It is worth considering that these recommendations are suitable only for a man who himself is eager to improve, but simply cannot change himself on his own, since such a manifestation is a consequence of his upbringing.
Methods to combat personality destruction
There are many ways to combat personal destruction. In the early stages of degradation, to prevent it, a person’s personal efforts will be sufficient, subject to the obligatory support of loved ones. If a person is in a state of deep decay, it is necessary to seek the help of specialists.
Self-medication or professional help
“What should I do if I am deteriorating as a person?” - the man, who realized the problem, racks his brains. Before taking measures to combat degradation, you need to understand its causes. Self-medication lies in the desire to constantly learn something new, to master new types of creativity. You can resort to auto-training or sign up for personal growth courses. Making new acquaintances and communicating with different people enriches the spiritual and social experience of the individual.
The main thing in self-medication is that a person should feel needed and significant for loved ones, find something worth living for. By expanding his horizons of possibilities, learning new things, the individual heals.
However, if, in addition to personal degradation, there is one or another type of dependent behavior, then you cannot do without the help of specialists. If the case is severe, hospitalization and inpatient treatment may be necessary.
No matter what happens, no matter how neglected the case may seem, you should not give up. Support, attentive attitude and participation of loved ones, personal positive example are the ladder along which a person who has once stumbled can again get on the right path in life.
Coped with degradation
How to deal with sloppiness
Let's look at what to do if you begin to notice a lack of order in your home, in your things, and a sloppy appearance.
- Train yourself to systematize. It is necessary that all things have their own places, something should be in a box, something in a box, something on a shelf, something in one room, something in another. Moreover, like must be placed with like.
- When starting to clear out household rubble, you should not immediately start cleaning large areas. It’s better to fold your clothes today, put your books on shelves tomorrow, and next time sort out your papers. It is advisable to draw up a plan for upcoming actions and strictly follow it.
- Try to get rid of unnecessary things. You can throw into the trash what has been lying around for a long time. But it will be better if you can give away unnecessary magazines, books, clothes, toys to those who need them.
- Make sure that your home has the correct arrangement of furniture. Often a person clutters his chair or throws things on the bed because it is inconvenient for him to get to the closet or there is no closet at all.
- Take care of your appearance. Remember that you must have a good hairstyle, trimmed and clean hair. Don't forget to comb your hair. A woman needs to limit herself in using curling irons and hair dryers so as not to destroy the hair structure and its color.
- Don't forget about personal hygiene. This is especially true for cleansing the oral cavity. Remember about your interlocutors, because it is so important that you have fresh breath. Do not also forget about timely depilation, shaving stubble, and trimming nails.
- Equally important is the smell of your body. Remember to use antiperspirant, but be sure to take a bath first. A person who wears perfume or deodorant to cover up the smell of sweat emphasizes it even more. In principle, you should not overuse perfume, since a too strong smell can cause a negative reaction in others. In addition, there may be people with allergies in your community.
- Remember that your clothes also make you look. Make sure it is always clean, ironed, and you look neat.
- Remember that your body language can give away your sloppiness. Control your gestures, learn to smile friendly and sincerely, try not to cross your arms during a conversation. You will be surprised how quickly people will show interest in you and want to communicate.
- If you have bad habits, you need to get rid of them. Try to be careful and follow the basic rules of etiquette.
- Learn not to touch your face with dirty hands. If you have problem skin, take care of it.
- Decide on your style. Remember that clothes do not have to be purchased from expensive boutiques. It is important that the details of your image are combined, highlighting your figure favorably.
- If it’s difficult not to overwhelm yourself with dirty dishes, switch to using plastic ones for a while. If finances allow, buy a dishwasher. Realize that it is easier to wash a few dishes than a mountain of dirty dishes.
- Choose one day a week to declutter your home. It is better if it is always at the same time, and the actions are scheduled in order, which must be followed.
Now you know how to fix your sloppiness. It is important to understand that the presence of chaos in everyday life leads to everyday problems and a decrease in the quality of life. Remember that messy people are not as happy as neat people. Do your best to combat your inner slob.
