What is a schizoid personality type? Are such people capable of truly close relationships? How to communicate with schizoid people, how they understand the surrounding reality and why you shouldn’t call them “abnormal”

Symptoms of schizoid personality disorder

Schizoid personality disorder manifests itself quite acutely and has specific symptoms:

Lack of expressions of emotions, “live” facial expressions.
Unnatural motor skills.
Violation of personality harmony.
Desire for solitude.
Immersion in your fantasies, your own world.
Failure to comply with generally accepted rules and norms of behavior.
Monotonous speech in which emotions are not shown, there is no expression.
Polarization - schizoids can either strongly hate something or admire it - there is no middle ground.
Low socialization of individuals, which manifests itself in a reluctance to contact other people. They choose work that does not bring much benefit to society and does not require communication with colleagues. Schizoids are not interested in the lives of those around them, even those closest to them, and do not take part in it.

Patients diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder are characterized by the following character traits: indifference, lack of empathy, lack of interest in sexual relationships and low emotionality. Schizoids, as a rule, are immersed in their own world; they surround themselves with fantasies with which they are comfortable. Such people often violate generally accepted social norms.

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.

Author of the article: Galina Nikolaevna Lapshun, Master of Psychology, I category psychologist

Diagnosis

ICD-10

According to ICD-10, this mental disorder is diagnosed if the general diagnostic criteria for personality disorder are met, plus three or more of the following:

little or nothing is enjoyable; emotional coldness, alienated or flattened affectivity; inability to show warm, tender feelings towards other people, as well as anger; weak response to both praise and criticism; little interest in sexual contact with another person (taking into account age); increased preoccupation with fantasy and introspection; almost constant preference for solitary activities; a noticeable insensitivity to prevailing social norms and conditions; lack of close friends or trusted connections (or the existence of only one) and lack of desire to have such connections.

Included:

an autistic personality with a predominance of sensitive traits (“mimosa-like” with a hypersensitive internal organization and susceptibility to psychogenia with an asthenic-depressive type of reactions);
sthenic schizoid with high performance in narrow areas of activity, combined with formal (dry) pragmatism and certain features of despotism that characterize interpersonal relationships.

Excluded:

schizophrenia (F20.);
schizotypal disorder (F21.);
Asperger's syndrome (F84.5);
schizoid disorder of childhood (F84.5);
delusional disorder (F22.0).

DSM-IV and DSM-5

According to DSM-IV and DSM-5, schizoid personality disorder is classified as Cluster A (unusual or eccentric disorders). A person with this disorder is characterized by a general withdrawal from social relationships and a limited way of expressing emotions in interpersonal situations. To make a diagnosis, four or more of the following characteristics must begin in early adulthood (age eighteen years or older) in a variety of settings, and the disorder must meet the general criteria for a personality disorder.

Does not want to have and does not enjoy close relationships, including family ones.
Almost always prefers solitary activities.
Has little, if any, interest in sexual relations.
Enjoys only a few activities or does not enjoy any activities at all.
Has no close friends or comrades other than immediate family.
Appears indifferent to praise or criticism.
Shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity.

To make a diagnosis, these manifestations must not occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms, another psychotic disorder, or autism spectrum disorder, and must not be a direct consequence of any other illness or general physical condition.

Differential diagnosis

Schizotypal personality disorder differs from schizoid personality disorder by the presence of cognitive or perceptual distortions in addition to social withdrawal. In schizotypal disorder (F21), there are more severe thinking and sensory disturbances, lower social functioning, and subpsychotic-level episodes.

Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by suspiciousness and paranoid thinking. In addition, patients with paranoid personality disorder are able to engage in emotionally rich and stable relationships with others, and are more likely to use projection.

Emotionally unstable personality disorder and anxious (avoidant) personality disorder are characterized by a richer social and emotional life; patients with these personality disorders are more interested in establishing contacts, are sensitive to their loneliness, and are less prone to autistic fantasizing. If patients, in conversation with a doctor, express fantasies about imaginary close relationships, which are accompanied by a fear of dependence on others, then a diagnosis of avoidant personality disorder is more likely.

Symptoms

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:

Take more care of your fantasies, conclusions, “exist in the inner world.” Social contacts are of little interest to a schizoid, as well as social acceptance and appreciation of his merits. The very process of reflection and scientific research is his main need. Therefore, such people easily refuse bonuses or run naked shouting “Eureka!” After all, how they will be perceived by others does not affect them at all. In a word, successful schizoids are often called “eccentrics,” “nerds,” or “learned crackers.” But the rest may simply be labeled as “observer” or even “outsider.” After all, the majority of people do not understand: how can you not want to enjoy the fruits of your labors or not want to achieve something (apartments, cars, salaries)
Such people are withdrawn and uncommunicative. It is difficult for them to understand the problems and experiences of others, so they often offend people with their “inattention” and “coldness”. Yaro strive to preserve their living space. They can express a disdainful attitude towards other people and behave condescendingly.
However, in the absence of a pronounced personality disorder, they do not always completely exclude everyone from their social circle. First, they can maintain the basic need for protection by remaining attached to their parents, especially their mother, into old age. Secondly, they may have completely warm feelings for our smaller brothers - animals. Thirdly, they are sometimes unconsciously attracted to their complete opposites - expressive, socially attractive and bright hysterics.
The second and third statements, which may be perceived as contradictions, in fact clearly demonstrate the leading inconsistency of the schizoid: the desire for intimacy is superimposed on the fear of absorption. That is why such people, even brilliant people, have problems not only with finding employment, but also with long-term work in one, even seemingly comfortable, place. After all, the fear of violating personal boundaries and the slightest need to adapt cause not just confrontation, but real escape.
They have a distorted perception of the world around them, as one that seeks to absorb, distort and “break” a person, and are perplexed by the “failure to see” this by those around them.
A schizoid has a poorly developed intuition: he does not feel people, he does not know how to adapt to a team. He does not know how to “present himself,” even if society recognizes his uniqueness. Despite amazing discoveries and unimaginable works, the lectures of such a genius can be absolute horror: monotonous text, with incomprehensible pauses, slurred diction, poorly structured and thought out. A classic example is Hegel’s most terrible lectures, which only Feuerbach could “digest”, being the only one who came to his classes.
Such people have little interest in sexual relationships. They are not emotionally significant for them; schizoids are often described as extremely “mechanical” partners. An ideal life partner for them: an organizer of their social contacts and a “messenger” to the real world who takes care of everyday life, does not pry into the soul and does not require emotional return. Although in everyday life such people are extremely unpretentious: they eat so as not to die of hunger; not demanding of order; They are not interested in financial reports. Even the appearance of the chosen one does not bother such a person too much, because he himself can walk, as they say, “not washed or combed.” But you will have to receive a share of neglect and “carelessness”.
Most often, a schizoid's physique develops according to the ectomorphic type: shortened upper part, long limbs, narrow hands, feet, shoulders. In this case, weakly expressed muscles and minor fat accumulations are observed.
The best assessment of their importance for them is their own assessment. They take an absolutely creative approach to everything. And it doesn’t matter what it is: exact sciences or creativity. The most important satisfaction for them will be their own feeling of their “otherness” and uniqueness. Even Wasserman, who goes on television, strives to present himself as a completely “different” person.

Treatment and therapy

Psychoanalytic

Therapy for schizoid personalities, in general, is relatively comfortable for psychoanalytically oriented therapists. One of the possible difficulties that can be expected is the transition of the dialogue with the client to an abstract-theoretical level, too divorced from reality. Schizoids themselves are prone to this, and the therapist can also become carried away by this manner of communication. Meanwhile, persistently demanding from a schizoid client that he “explain himself normally” is unacceptable, since a therapist who is unable to accept the client’s extraordinary way of thinking is perceived by the schizoid as not empathic and not interested in him.

Common problems that arise when working with a schizoid client relate, predictably, to issues of distance between the client and the therapist.

Despite the relative emotional comfort, psychoanalytic therapy for schizoid individuals takes a long time and causes many difficulties.

Schizoid childhood

Symptoms of schizoid disorder begin to appear in childhood

A child who prefers loneliness to the company of jokey peers attracts attention. He withdraws from children

Reaches out to adults, sits silently in their company. Deprived of childish spontaneity, shows modesty in emotions.

During adolescence, schizoid traits become more acute. Children withdraw and cannot find a common language with their peers. They are persecuted and ridiculed at school.

Some schizoids are not bothered by loneliness at all. They are absorbed in their own interests, and treat the hobbies of other teenagers with some disdain. For a number of children, their detachment becomes a real problem. They lament that they are deprived of friends, that they cannot build relationships with peers.

Here is an example of a case history that allows you to follow the development of the disorder over several age periods.

Male 35 years old. As a child, I was a reserved child. Had no friends. The boy's mother was an over-demanding, eccentric, overprotective woman.

Among school subjects, he achieved high success in studying the exact sciences: mathematics and physics. But literature was difficult. He could not learn the verse because he did not understand the meaning of what he read. Classmates made fun of the guy in every possible way, especially about his coat, which was old and narrow.

He graduated from the Pedagogical Institute and worked as a physics teacher. Married at 30. He regarded sexual relations solely as a method of conceiving a child. In the apartment I lived in a separate room, littered with various equipment. When my wife was hospitalized, I never visited her. He justified this by saying that he wouldn’t have helped her anyway. According to his wife, he neglected men's housework. After asking for repairs, he went to live with his mother.

Objectively, florid and pretentious thinking and avoidance of interaction with people are determined. Any fact is interpreted in its own way, without relying on standards. In modern reality, he is only interested in exchange rates.

Schizoid personality disorder: symptoms and manifestations

To establish a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder, the therapist must see the general signs of the personality disorder, as well as at least three specific criteria. Common signs of a personality disorder include:

a person is detached from the world around him, has poor control over his emotions, and often becomes irritated or angry;
strange behavior that has existed for at least a year;
difficulties affect all areas of a person’s life (at home, at work, interaction with strangers) and significantly disrupt adaptation to the norms of society;
a person opposes himself to society and deliberately violates the norms of behavior in society;
The disorder begins in childhood or adolescence and reaches its peak in adulthood.

In schizoid personality disorder, at least three criteria from the list below are present. Symptoms specific to schizoid personality disorder are:

Few things bring pleasure - schizoid individuals usually have a limited, narrow range of interests, where, however, they can achieve great success (for example, talented scientists, musicians).
Emotional coldness - women and men with schizoid disorder are stingy with emotions, both positive and negative.
Selfishness, self-centeredness - a person is impervious to the opinions of others, both critical and praise.
Losing yourself in your own fantasies.
Tendency to solitude, lack of close friends (sometimes just friendly affection) and reluctance to get close to others, decreased libido.

Important

With schizoid disorder, it is difficult to distinguish clear periods of recovery and exacerbation; without the help of a psychotherapist, a person suffers all his life.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor conducts a differential diagnosis with schizophrenia, paranoid and other personality disorders, schizotypal, depressive, bipolar affective and anxiety disorders. The diagnosis determines what treatment regimen the specialist will offer—medication or predominantly psychotherapeutic.

Characteristics of the schizoid personality type at different age stages

Schizoid personality disorder is a psychopathic condition in which a person withdraws into himself, he has a desire to isolate himself from others and be alone with himself. Society plays no role for such patients. They interact with other people only when absolutely necessary. Patients with such mental disorders are called “schizoids.”

The term “schizoid” became popular thanks to the German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer, who in the first half of the twentieth century studied the influence of a person’s physique on his character. Having examined about two hundred patients and the proportions of their bodies, the scientist identified the main types of body structure. He correlated them with various mental illnesses and disorders, concluding that people with the same body constitution are prone to the same mental illnesses.

The scientist also suggested that some features of a person’s temperament that influence the development of a certain mental illness can also be observed in a healthy person. That is why it is necessary to distinguish schizophrenia (disease) from schizotypal disorder (or schizoid - according to the modern classification of diseases).

A schizoid is close in its qualities to schizophrenics, with the only difference being that in the latter these properties are acquired, while a schizoid is born with them.

The patient begins to experience schizoid personality disorder in early childhood, at the age of 3-4 years. Such children have pronounced manifestations of autism, and they also:

cold and indifferent even to the closest people;
prefer privacy;
play stationary games;
do not communicate with peers;
prefer to listen to conversations of adults;
prone to philosophizing, which is uncharacteristic of early childhood.

At school age, a child with schizoid disorder often shows remarkable abilities in various areas of knowledge, especially those related to logical thinking. Some teenagers become excellent musicians, chess players, and athletes, but they are still alienated from the group of peers, withdrawn into their own world of illusions, and experience serious communication problems.

This is often due to the fact that a schizoid is very limited in the emotional sphere: intuition is inaccessible to him, he does not know how to express his emotions and is not inclined to empathy. In addition to these problems, such children, despite their abilities, turn out to be completely helpless in everyday life.

As patients age, all of the above-mentioned disorders manifest themselves more clearly. A certain inconsistency in behavior becomes more noticeable: they want communication, but at the same time avoid people, they can be very focused, but at the same time their attention is scattered on trifles.

Psychopaths: seven signs that indicate a psychopath

Psychopaths see the world differently. For most people in social relationships there are things that are taken for granted: compassion, the concept of good and evil, and much more that makes adequate people similar. Psychopaths can destroy another person without the slightest remorse, without feeling any sympathy for the victim. Not all psychopaths are maniacs, criminals or murderers. A tendency to violence in psychopathy is possible, but not required. A psychopath may have a high cultural level and certain family values

Identifying a psychopath is not so difficult, this is especially important when looking for a nanny for a child or when choosing a suitable candidate for marriage

Causes of psychopathy

More often, psychopathy is a mental disorder that is genetically determined. But psychopathy can also be a symptom of a disease. Mental problems can arise when neurons in the brain are damaged by toxic products that are either synthesized in the body or enter it from the outside.

If a child grows up in an abusive upbringing, he may develop psychopathic personality traits. Such children are not confident in themselves, are especially sensitive to traumatic situations, and have low self-esteem. As a rule, such children often subsequently develop psychasthenic psychopathy: they are afraid of everything, extremely unsure of themselves, prone to obsessions and love to philosophize, chewing intellectual gum with pleasure. Excitable psychopaths are more dangerous. They are extremely demanding of the people around them, often suffer from fits of rage, can inflict severe beatings in anger and will not even stop before killing. Epileptoid psychopaths are especially cruel.

Paranoid and hysterical psychopaths are not so dangerous to others; it is impossible to live or work with such types. People with psychopathy are conflictual, they like to demonstrate their superiority by any means, they have increased self-esteem and it is useless to dissuade them. A paranoid husband will plague you with pathological jealousy, paranoid colleagues will torment you with anonymous denunciations.

Schizoid psychopaths do not feel the emotional pain of another person, but they themselves are very vulnerable, and at the same time they can unceremoniously invade someone else’s life, acting on some of their own motives that are obscure to a healthy person.

Mentally healthy people experience instinctive fear of psychopaths and feel threatened. If a person shows signs of psychopathy, it is better to avoid him.

Signs of psychopathy

Psychopaths are inveterate manipulators. Psychopaths constantly manipulate the emotions of others for their own benefit.
Psychopaths understand the pain of others, but feel nothing themselves.
Psychopaths are characterized by promiscuity in sexual relations; they easily commit adultery without experiencing any pangs of conscience.
Pathological lying is also characteristic of psychopaths.
Psychopaths are often impulsive, irresponsible, and lead a parasitic lifestyle.
Psychopaths are incapable of deep feelings. They cannot love in the full sense of the word.
Psychopaths are prone to alcoholism and drug addiction.

What to do if your husband is a psychopath?

The best option is not to marry a psychopathic man. But what if this has already happened? During the courtship stage, psychopaths can be very attractive and charming. A woman married to a psychopath risks experiencing domestic violence more than once. It is useless to remake psychopaths; they need to be treated. We must try not to give birth to psychopaths, in the hope that with the advent of children the person will change. No, a psychopath will remain a psychopath if the underlying disease that caused it is not cured. Treatment for psychopathy is carried out at any age.

But if a person is a psychopath in life, run away from him without looking back, gather your will into a fist, and start a new happy life in which there will be no place for psychopaths.

Clinical variants of psychopathy. Schizoid psychopathy

A group of schizoid psychopaths. The most typical signs of schizoid psychopathy are autism and isolation from reality, inability to form attachments and, hence, a narrow circle of close people, indifference to many aspects of life and impoverishment of emotions, inability to express one’s feelings, underdeveloped empathy and sense of humor. The interests, hobbies and occupations of schizoid psychopaths are very unique: their choice is not related to the influence of others or what society requires and values, but, most likely, to fantasies, which for patients may be more significant than what is happening in reality.

A schizoid can devote all his time to useless and unnecessary things, leaving urgent needs and problems unattended. Schizoids are capable of deeply experiencing universal human values and suffering for the fate of humanity, but specific people with their worries, joys and misfortunes usually worry them little. It is believed that schizoids are insensitive to praise and blame, but this is not entirely true. It all depends on how schizoids perceive and evaluate them. They may be upset by praise and happy by blame if their whimsical interpretations link them to values that are incomprehensible to others.

Is the psychopathy of a loved one preventing you from living life to the fullest? Contact our psychiatric clinic. We will help!

Outwardly, schizoids are usually awkward, clumsy, angular, their clothes and hairstyle are not designed to attract the attention of others, more often they are completely indifferent to how they look and leave the impression of people for whom fashion means nothing. Sometimes with their appearance they want to express devotion to some important ideas, for example, their political sympathies. It is difficult for them to find a common language with other people, who for schizoids exist as if in a different semantic dimension. The thinking of schizoids is also peculiar.

They tend to place logical accents that are not always clear or close to those around them and perceive their surroundings from an unexpected perspective; their reasoning is often abstract, “abstruse” in nature. They write in a complex, cumbersome, vague manner, as if not striving to be understood; their speech can be florid, lacking in simplicity and clarity, sometimes replete with logical inconsistencies, and in style sometimes approaches bookish, not suitable for dialogue. The mental structures of patients, due to the latter’s alienation from society, represent formations made up of a mixture of real impressions and figments of the imagination. The laws of social psychology do not apply to schizoids.

In their professional activities, schizoids prefer activities where they have to operate with diagrams, symbols, abstract concepts, calculations, computer programs, and texts. Working in a team, which requires constant communication, is not attractive to schizoids or seems repulsive to them.

Schizoid psychopaths are a heterogeneous group of individuals. There is a type of creative schizoids who are capable of achieving significant heights in philosophy, science, artistic, and usually formal creativity. At the same time, they are so deeply immersed in the relevant activities that they pay almost no attention to their personal lives, often remaining lonely and childless. There are “eccentrics” - “people with oddities”, unpredictable decisions and actions, strange hobbies and activities, eccentric antics. There are emotionally cold, “unemotional” schizoids with an almost complete absence of prosocial tendencies and the ability to compassion.

Pursuing any of their goals, they can be very cruel or, better said, ruthless. Closely related to schizoids are dreamers - psychopaths who live their real lives in the imagination, in a fantasy world. They are unable to adapt to real life due to their inactivity, lack of living interests, attractive goals, and ability to repel the challenges of reality. Finally, there is a type of schizoid misanthrope who has accepted or constructed their own theories about the incorrigible depravity of man. There are many works of literature, poetry, science and fine art, the creation of which is motivated by the desire to discredit a person, to belittle him in every possible way, to present him in the guise of a fiend of hell.

Schizoids rarely achieve a happy personal life. The sex life of many schizoids is not attractive; they rarely burn with love passion. Other schizoids are unable to maintain normal sexual relationships. The tendency to fantasize contributes to the formation of various kinds of sexual deviations in them. Schizoids have little interest in power, wealth, career, fame, pleasure, and their lifestyle often approaches asceticism. Schizoids are internally contradictory natures.

They may be plagued by incompatible tendencies, ideas, attitudes and feelings. They can be extremely negative and at the same time very suggestible, indifferent and irritable, emotionally cold and hypersensitive, capriciously selective in their sympathies and indifferent. Their sense of proportion very often changes; they are often maximalists, as if their development had stopped in adolescence. In general, schizoids still love only themselves. Being egoists, they, moreover, have an extremely high opinion of themselves, their abilities, and rarely know how to “truly appreciate other people, even if they treat them well” (P.B. Gannushkin).

Illustration (from Carson et al.). Patient D., 33 years old, highly gifted, with a high level of introversion, computer analyst, was referred for a psychological examination by his doctor. The doctor was concerned that D. might be unhappy and suffering from depression. Recently, on the advice of his boss, D. went to the doctor due to rather vague somatic complaints and a general gloomy outlook on life. D. practically did not communicate with people. He lived alone, worked in a small office on his own. At work, as a rule, he also did not see anyone, except for occasional visits from his boss, who came to give him a new task and pick up finished programs. He ate lunch alone. Once a week, on fine days, D. went to the zoo during his lunch break.

All his life D. avoided people. As a child, he had few friends. He always preferred solitary activities to family outings (he was the eldest of five children). In high school, he never dated girls, and during his student years he only once found himself in a female society - in a company of students, after a sports match. True, D. was actively involved in sports and was a member of the football team at school and college. When he was a student, he socialized a lot with one relatively close friend, mostly drinking together. Now, however, this friend lived in another city.

D., as if it were something self-evident, said that it was difficult for him to make friends, he never knew how to carry on a conversation. Several times he intended to make friends with other people, but simply could not find the right words, and “the conversation died down.” D. reported that he subsequently considered changing his life to become “more positive,” but this idea never seemed worth the effort. It was easier for him to leave everything as it was, because as soon as anyone spoke to him, he was lost. He was happy when he was alone.

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How to recognize a psychopath and diagnose it

At the initial stage of a personality disorder, it is extremely difficult to diagnose it. The characteristics of these people are often excellent. Such patients are excellent at camouflage; they are also called social “chameleons.” As a rule, such people use any means to achieve their goals. First they will try to use flattery, if the goal is not achieved, they will use threats, and then it may come to assault or even murder. They lie a lot, do not show any compassionate emotions, and are very fond of extreme sports. Since they can have a surge of emotions only in relation to themselves, they splash out the rest in tense situations, and it’s good when it concerns extreme sports, and not physical violence against people. Also, the definition of a psychopath can be based on the manifestation of cruelty to animals, especially in childhood or puberty.

How to spot a psychopath

Symptoms in men and women

Both men and women are prone to personality disorders.

Note! Female psychopaths are much more difficult to identify than male psychopaths. A psychopath is a woman whose signs of a personality disorder are the same as those of a man, but more veiled

Then women are forgiven much more due to hormonal imbalances during pregnancy, breastfeeding or even menstruation.

If, during a period of increased excitability, male psychopaths can be identified by behavioral aggression, then female psychopaths are prone to its relative manifestation.

Definition and theories

A disorder of the schizoid type is a pathological deviation in which the individual avoids the possibility of communication by any means. Characterized by isolation, the development of excessive fantasies, and alienation.

Depending on the predominance of a certain character trait, two types of schizoids are distinguished.

Expansiveness. Characteristic of strong-willed people. They act under the influence of their judgments. It’s easy to hurt such people, and a serious flow of negativity will arise. However, outwardly this will not manifest itself so much. When communicating, they speak in short phrases and are not talkative. Often such individuals have no friends at all, and this does not particularly bother them.
Sensitivity. If this quality predominates, then the individual behaves quietly and withdrawn. Such a personality is characterized by the identification of disturbances and emotions. Such people try not to argue with anyone, to be conservative, and do not want to be in the spotlight. It is not typical for such people to be aggressive; their character is quite vulnerable. If you communicate with such a special person, you will not feel embittered towards the world around you, however, there is dissatisfaction with yourself. Often such individuals develop addiction, in particular drug or alcohol addiction.

There are certain theories that consider the cause of the development of this disorder.

Mutational. There is an assumption that carcinogenic substances contained in the environment affect the body. This contributes to irreversible changes, replacement, and breakdowns in the human genome. Sometimes this is not reflected in his health, however, it can be inherited by descendants. Some scientists are convinced that these injuries contribute to the development of the disorder.
Personal. Proponents of this theory believe that the patient himself is to blame. This disorder develops due to lack of self-confidence. Such an individual is not able to create a comfortable environment when communicating with other people, avoids them, and considers himself unworthy. Low self-esteem does not allow you to take the first step towards your interlocutor. Such a person prefers solitude and spends time on his own.
Family. Some experts believe that the reason for the development of schizoid disorder is the lack of satisfaction from communicating with parents. As you know, children most of all need supervision from close relatives. If there is no communication during a certain period, then the child will avoid it in the future, alienation and isolation will appear, and an unwillingness to exist in society.
Cognitive. Every action is under the control of mental activity. Some researchers have noticed that people with this disorder have impaired thinking. Such a person is unable to form his thoughts and come to certain conclusions.

Relationships with others

It is extremely important for women of a schizoid type to have the opportunity to retire in their own corner, since a large company irritates them and quickly tires them. If their personal boundaries, including physical ones, are violated, they can give an unpredictable, severe reaction

This is explained by their innate ability to stay away from others, to distance themselves from them in order to maintain their own peace and integrity.

Very often, a schizoid woman limits herself exclusively to work contacts, since it is not typical for her to acquire friendly connections and acquaintances. She is very difficult to establish friendly intimacy, easily breaks off contacts and, in fact, does not need them. Having little social experience, such a lady tends to distrust people, which is also reflected in new acquaintances.

In a work collective, a schizoid young lady can be easily recognized by her detachment, low activity in discussing work issues and restraint, amounting to coldness and formality. Such traits are often regarded by others as arrogance. All this often prevents schizoid women from achieving professional heights, since they tend to ignore the communication aspect in the work process.

If someone manages to “break through” the “defense” held by a schizoid and become a close person for her, such a friend can count on devotion and warmth. She never forgives betrayals, as well as betrayals.

Why are schizoids attractive to other people?

Your security in relationships. They are very sensitive to other people's boundaries and constantly keep a very long distance.

Due to low energy, it seems to other people that in the event of an open conflict they can easily cope and defeat a strange person, and therefore they relax and behave more naturally, which is pleasant.

Often very schizoid people turn out to be interesting people with their own unusual vision of the world.

They have little communication needs. A schizoid will never call you at night and be hysterical for three hours because of an unsuccessful date, one of three in the past day. Or persistently introduce you to your second cousin with the goal of getting you married immediately, without taking into account the opinions of both you and the unfortunate brother.

If you manage to create a miracle, and the schizoid allows you to get closer to his boundaries, begins to trust and open up, then you have a chance to find out what tenderness is in a relationship.

Only with a person of a schizoid personality type can you experience notes of care, trepidation and distant tenderness while maintaining respect for your freedom.

Not every person can hear and feel them, but it’s worth it.

The tenderness of a schizoid is like the light of stars, and can only be noticed in complete darkness, and he is lost against the backdrop of the brightly shining lights of large cities.

In a schizoid, the processes of analyzing information about the world many times prevail over the processes of synthesis, and therefore they often create very strange, interesting worlds.

Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking Glass and Salvador Dali's paintings are a good test for “do you like the schizoid world”?

The attractiveness of schizoids is facilitated by a partially substantiated myth about their genius.

There are many of them among IT specialists (programmers), which corresponds to the image of “smart, makes good money, self-sufficient, not aggressive.”

The new and unusual, the strange, fascinates people even at the level of primary reactions. Curiosity and interest give positive experiences and attract.

Against the background of a schizoid, most people feel healthy, stable, rooted in reality, which is very attractive.

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Sunday, June 08, 2014 22:49 + in quote book What type of personality is schizoid?
We call them introverts. People who don’t like it when it’s noisy, bright, loud, many... True, in psychoanalysis another name is more common - schizoid personality type. “...My beloved,” with these words the American psychoanalyst Nancy McWilliams begins her Moscow lecture. About the expert Nancy McWilliams, psychoanalyst. Author of the book “Psychoanalytic Diagnostics” (Klass, 2006), which describes different personality types (narcissistic, hysterical, depressive, schizoid and others), shows their characteristics, similarities and differences, prevailing emotions and affects, drives and defenses; tells how a person perceives himself and how others see him. “There are not many such people, 1–2%. They do not like to be approached too closely and often scare people away with their particular behavior. Many people consider them “not like that.” But they are used to it. After my book was published, readers often come up to me to thank me for information that has helped them or their work. But people with schizoid personality types send me emails saying “thank you.” They thank me for the fact that my description contains no hint of their exaggerated oddities. People with schizoid personality types use detachment as a defense mechanism. They leave - from people, into loneliness, into the world of their own fantasies. They always choose a distance, and they do not need other distorting defenses: denial, dissociation (separation of themselves from their unpleasant experiences), repression. Perhaps this is why they are often aware of processes that for others occur unconsciously. Americans have a proverb: “The elephant is in the room, but no one notices it.” People with a schizoid personality type always see this elephant and are surprised that it is invisible to others. But when they try to talk about this elephant, they are looked at as crazy. To avoid difficulties in communication, they prefer activities that they can indulge in alone. To not be in a group, a team. Many of them are engaged in creativity, interested in philosophy, spiritual practices, meditation... However, we are unlikely to meet a person with a schizoid personality type who does not, at least to some extent, have a desire for attachment. But there is a problem: while striving for intimacy, they experience an overload from excessive intimacy, it suppresses and oppresses them. As a rule, they feel better in the company of children and animals. I was recently asked whether people with schizoid personality types and autistic people are similar. I think they have something in common. For example, both of them do not like excessive attention. But there is one significant difference - autistic people do not understand the feelings of other people. They don’t know that a child needs to be hugged... But they can be taught this. And a person with a schizoid personality type knows from the very beginning that the child must be picked up. But he cannot do this; he avoids contact in every possible way, since it is unbearable for him. Their childhood The child grows up extremely sensitive. He reacts to stimuli as if they were causing him pain. Moreover, to a variety of stimuli: sound, light, any changes, tactile sensations (like labels scratching the skin). When we take such a child in our arms, he does not cuddle, but moves away, his body becomes rigid. Children with a schizoid personality type often refuse to breastfeed. They feel completely unprotected, and any contact is perceived by them as an invasion, a violation of their integrity. Even if this invasion is the mother's nipple in the mouth. It can be assumed that their skin is too thin. (I once shared this observation with my patient: I said that it was as if I was sitting next to a person with a burn. Who needs to be touched, but this cannot be done, because any touch is intolerable. This metaphor seemed true and appropriate to her) . I repeat: as a defense, a person with a schizoid personality type prefers care. But he also feels separation (parting) from someone very acutely. Why? The fact is that he is already willing to let only a few people close to him, and the loss of one of these people would mean the disappearance of a very significant part of the support system. Such people become attached to others, but in their company it is difficult not to feel lonely. He and others They cannot stand superficial communication. My husband was a person with a schizoid personality type. On those rare occasions when I managed to persuade him to go on a visit with me, he immediately found a child or a dog and spent the entire evening with them. Talking about nothing was killing him. He needed sincerity and honesty. That is why, from the point of view of a schizoid person, a hysterical person is simply... a liar. The fact is that for a hysteric, the main defense is exaggeration. Imagine with what intonation a woman can pronounce the phrase: “I’m sooooo angry with my husband!” For her, this method of communication is a defense, she wants what she says to be taken seriously, and it seems to her that if she says it more quietly, they will not believe her. The combination of people with schizoid and hysterical personality types is difficult. At the same time, there is a long love story between them. Hysterical women find schizoid men extremely attractive. They value honesty, integrity, self-sufficiency in them... And schizoid men love hysterical women for their sensitivity, warmth, and emotionality. But together they can drive each other crazy. Because when she feels bad, she tries to move closer to him, and he moves away. When he sees that she is not well, he thinks that the best thing he can do for her is to leave her alone. And she feels abandoned. Their Features There are many contradictions in people with a schizoid personality type. They appear distant and uninterested, but they themselves live with a deep desire for intimacy. They are self-sufficient, but need another person. Extremely absent-minded and extremely attentive. (I remember the image of an absent-minded professor who walks along the road, thinks about something difficult, constantly stumbles and falls...) They seem inactive and unemotional, but inside they are active, emotions are seething. They look asexual and ascetic, but they have a lot of impulsiveness and powerful sexual fantasies. I once asked a psychoanalyst with a schizoid personality type why in psychology they don’t pay so much attention to schizoid dynamics? He replied: “Do you think WE can start some kind of social movement?” Sometimes I feel like I'm in some way an ambassador for a silent singles community... that doesn't do very well with PR! But I do it sincerely. The inner life of a person with a schizoid personality type is very attractive. If he is sure that you will not consider him crazy, gradually, trusting you more and more, he will tell you a lot of interesting things about the world of his fantasies. A schizoid friend of mine once admitted that she doesn’t eat raisins. I assumed she didn't like the taste. “No,” she replied, “you don’t understand, he could be a fly!” I told my other friend about this, whose husband is schizoid. She immediately said that her husband doesn’t eat raisins either. True, he argues differently: he does not trust the raisins that are hidden in the buns. Charming! The whole world seems animated to them. In this sense, they are like children. What to do with them? I can give some recommendations on how to work with people with a schizoid personality type. However, they can also be useful for normal everyday communication. 1) Such people avoid contact and are easily frightened. They need as much space as possible to feel safe. The therapist should avoid invading the patient's territory; I would not recommend moving forward too quickly or asking awkward questions. So that they don’t feel like an “interesting clinical case.” They cannot stand insincerity and lies; it is important to be absolutely truthful, real, and honest. 2) From difficulties: often therapeutic relationships become more comfortable for them than relationships with real, ordinary people in everyday life. You may find that although the person came to you with the desire to become more sociable, during the course of treatment he did not achieve this. Towards the end of therapy, he needs to be pushed a little by asking whether he managed to solve the issue with which he came. 3) It is important that a person with a schizoid personality type knows that you consider him normal. 4) It is difficult for such people to talk about feelings. Even if they want it. The very act of speaking is painful for them. Try to find an indirect way to talk about what is important: discuss films, plays, music... My colleague spent many weeks talking to a patient about... pizza. In details: where in the city they make the best one, why it is so good, and so on. At the same time, they both understood that they were not talking about pizza, but about internal hunger, about how to satisfy it. And what does a person feel when he feels the need for one thing, but is offered something completely different? Tags:
schizoids introverts psychology communication

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Schizoid personality type in women

Household affairs are of little interest to a schizoid woman. She does not take the initiative in establishing order and cleanliness, she is indifferent to the choice of interior, but she will definitely make sure that the house has a separate corner in which it is convenient to work, relax, and dream.

He prefers self-development and creativity to the comfort of home. It does not allow intrusion into personal territory, so it is difficult to establish friendly and loving relationships.

Motherhood is a heavy burden for her, requiring enormous emotional work. She builds her child’s upbringing not on emotional development, but on intellectual development.

Prevention

In the early stages of the disease, doctors advise providing the patient with special attention and understanding. A dangerous disease can be prevented when the doctor knows the genetic predisposition of the expectant mother

Therapy consists of pursuing the goal of avoiding various mental syndromes and conditions. A psychiatrist or psychologist gives an attitude that directs the patient only to the positive.

The psychiatrist directs the patient to a new wave of personality, forms “new attitudes”, value systems, attitudes towards himself and others. The doctor eliminates anxiety and excitability, adapting the patient to new conditions. If the patient remains anxious, the doctor prescribes tranquilizers or antidepressants

It is important to prescribe vitamins and microelements to the patient.

Methods of group and individual psychotherapy are used. Situations are formed for the patient from which he tries to get out. This therapy can last for months or years. Some psychiatrists use the method of psychodrama, creating artificial models when the patient needs to immediately respond to a particular situation. Such experiments do not always end with the expected results.

What signs does it show in teenagers?

The main symptoms in adolescents are:

pathological isolation, immersion in the inner world;
limiting the need for communication;
a penchant for daydreaming, an interest in abstract sciences, for example, philosophy;
a combination of emotional coldness and excessive sensitivity.

The activities that adolescents with schizoid disorder prefer to devote their free time to are solitary. These include:

reading;
collecting;
fishing;
walking alone, etc.

Also, such adolescents, like all persons with schizoid psychopathy, are characterized by a paradoxical personality organization. For example, often in their speech complex speech patterns and scientific terms can be combined with tongue-tiedness.

Diagnosis

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

it is difficult to single out and name anything that gives a person joy, pleasure, hatred, disgust or other emotional experiences;
inability to show warmth and care in any way, as well as to hate or be angry;
a violation of the emotional response to even the most extraordinary events: the death or illness of loved ones, natural disasters, catastrophes and other similar events that cause not just emotions, but affects in the average person;
indifferent attitude even towards the closest people, inability to demonstrate even the basic manifestations of emotional involvement: love for the mother, care and respect for the father; coldness and indifference to their needs;
lack of worries and aspirations even in relation to oneself, one’s life, career, wealth, socialization (and this is not associated with religious or philosophical practices, or asceticism caused by these tendencies, because spiritual development is also not a need);
weak or unexpressed response to praise and criticism: a person does not worry or rejoice at it, sometimes does not even experience satisfaction or unpleasant experiences;
sexual life is not of interest, even if it is quite natural for the patient’s age; extremely reduced aspiration without physical pathologies or injuries that could influence this situation;
is not interested in having and does not receive positive emotions from close relationships, does not strive to start his own family;
a tendency to observe the construction of one’s own conclusions and mental activity as if “from the outside”, absorption in fantasies;
increased need for activities alone;
failure to perceive a number of social norms;
lack of friends or close connections, limiting these connections to one single one.

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 due to several suicides 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.

Classification and stages of development of schizoid personality disorder

There is no classification of schizoid disorder that would be of great practical importance. The theoretical work of the American psychologist Theodore Millon is widely known, who proposed distinguishing the following subtypes of schizoid disorder:

A sluggish schizoid, similar in characteristics to depressive personality disorder: inert, inactive, phlegmatic, apathetic, slow, exhausted.
Distant schizoid, resembling those with anxious or schizotypal personality disorder. Such people are closed, strive for loneliness and self-isolation.
A depersonalized schizoid is more like a person with schizotypal disorder. In the personality structure of such people, the features of splitting and dissociation of the inner self are clearly expressed (“this is not happening to me, but to someone else”).
An emotionless schizoid has common traits with a person suffering from anancastic disorder. Such a person is very restrained in expressing emotions, and in close relationships he is very cold, unresponsive and lifeless.

Like any other personality disorder, schizoid in its course has two main phases (stages):

the phase of decompensation, during which personal disharmony increases and the degree of social adaptation decreases;
the compensation phase, in which personal disharmony is smoothed out, and in the absence of distress, the person functions quite well.

Signs of schizoid personality disorder in women

The main signs of SPD in women are the same as in men. However, women are slightly less likely to suffer from this condition. This is due to the fact that women are by nature more sociable and emotional, and less inclined to indulge in fruitless fantasies. On the other hand, asexuality is more natural for a woman. Her loneliness is more often perceived by society as a natural state. Therefore, schizoid women experience less discomfort.

On the other hand, the period of motherhood is a difficult test for a woman with a schizoid type of disorder. After all, as a mother, a woman should show tender feelings towards her child and spend a lot of time with him. And for schizoid women, with their emotional coldness and aloofness, it can be difficult to surround a child with sufficient affection and care. As a result, the child may grow up to be similar to the mother and become the same schizoid personality.

What is schizoid?

Schizoids strive to limit connections with others. They usually have few or no friends. For a person with a schizoid type of disorder, communication with an “intelligent person” - with himself - is quite enough. At the same time, a schizoid, unlike a person with narcissistic disorder, is not inclined to show arrogance towards others and exaggerate the merits of his own person. People with a schizoid personality type do not have delusions of grandeur. They simply feel like people, different from others. And they cherish this otherness very carefully. Excessive involvement in the lives of other people and a large number of contacts with other people, as schizoids believe, can blur their own “I” and destroy their uniqueness.

Another characteristic feature of schizoids is their external coldness and weak emotionality. The schizoid calmly endures the adversities that befall him. He is equally cold towards the hardships of those close to him. Outwardly, this may seem like callousness, but in fact, the coldness of a schizoid is nothing more than a mask that he consciously wears. A schizoid does not always show positive emotions. Outwardly, he perceives his own success or pleasant events in the lives of people close to him dispassionately.

In part, this emotional detachment is due to the fact that the schizoid has no experience of showing emotions. He believes that emotional reactions are an entire art, of which he knows nothing. And therefore he doesn’t even try to somehow express his feelings.

Another characteristic sign of a schizoid is asexuality. A person with schizoid disorder may not be interested in the opposite sex at all or may be interested in them occasionally, only in order to satisfy their sexual needs. Sometimes a schizoid, however, can get married, but in this case he usually remains faithful to his spouse. Sometimes the level of social maladjustment of a schizoid is so great that he does not even know how to ask a girl (boy) out on a date.

The inner world of a schizoid personality is rich and complex. Usually such people are very fond of reading and philosophy. They can devote all their free time to fantasy. These fantasies are often very unusual, but, unlike schizophrenics, schizoids are well aware of the difference between fantasy and reality. On the other hand, awareness of the impossibility of fulfilling one’s dreams and the unreality of fantasies can cause schizoids great suffering. Schizoids are not inclined to tell anyone about their experiences and their inner world.

Self-absorption leads to another symptom typical of schizoid disorder. This is sloppiness, untidiness. A schizoid personality often does not shave, does not wash for a long time, does not take care of his hair, and dresses in random clothes. This symptom appears partly due to the fact that the person, roughly speaking, does not give a damn about what others say and think about him. And in many cases, a person does not pay attention to his appearance simply because it is difficult for him to get out of his inner world.

Often schizoids are not really interested in anything in the world. However, schizoids can often have hobbies. But these hobbies may look strange and sometimes childish from the point of view of a normal person. Like other aspects of their lives, schizoids also try to hide their hobbies from others.

Other non-organic personality disorders

In addition to schizoid psychopathy, there are other personality disorders. Let's look at what features each of them has.

Narcissistic

Women and men with narcissistic personality traits include:

narcissism;
arrogance;
selfishness;
tendency to exaggerate one's own achievements;
indifference to the feelings of others.

Such people have a constant need for attention and admiration. If someone considers a narcissist to be an ordinary person, then he will take this as a real insult.

A narcissist is a person who loves only himself

Dissociative

With dissociative identity disorder, in addition to the main one, a person develops one or more independent personalities. Each “I” within the patient functions autonomously, they replace each other with different frequencies and sequences. The goal of treating this syndrome is to try to bring all the alter egos together.

Bipolar

Bipolar disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of:

depression, during which a person is depressed and deprived of the opportunity to have pleasure;
manic behavior - high spirits, thirst for activity, faster speech, racing thinking.

This type of psychopathy, like others, has a chronic course, and no symptoms are observed during remission.

Border

Behavioral characteristics of people with this disorder include:

impulsiveness;
emotional instability;
increased anxiety;
alternating idealization and devaluation.

People with borderline disorder may find it difficult to build meaningful long-term relationships: find a true friend, start a family. This circumstance can trigger the development of depression.

Symptoms and signs of borderline disorder