The German−born British psychologist Hans Eysenck and Donald Prell, an American World War II veteran, venture capitalist, and futurist, together published an article titled "The Inheritance of Neuroticism − An Experimental Study," which was published in the Journal of Mental Health, Volume XCVII, July, 1951, pp. 441−465. Here, they reported that in neuroticism, about 80 percent of individual differences are due to heredity and only about 20 percent are because of environmental factors. Furthermore, neuroticism is not a statistical artifact, but constitutes an inherent biological unit. Likewise, neurotic predisposition is largely hereditarily determined. Moreover, in psychology, neuroticism is a dimension of personality where the individual feels unsafe and threatened by the world.
An individual with a personality characterized by neuroticism faces a higher degree of stress and anxiety. These individuals cannot face or control bad situations, and they feel more about the negative things than the positive ones. This type of personality leads to jealousy as they feel jealous by seeing others in a better position or living a better livelihood than himself/herself. These individuals become angry, dissatisfied, and frustrated when their places of interest are not met or their expectations are not fulfilled, as they are perfectionists in nature. A person with a lower level of neuroticism can handle bad and stressful situations better than one with a higher level of neuroticism. Moreover, people with lower levels of neuroticism are emotionally stable.
Hans Eysenck defined neuroticism as a dimension that ranges from emotional stability to instability. He suggested that individual differences in neuroticism result from arousal differences mediated by the limbic system'. Neuroticism is connected with extreme anxiety and disappointment. Individuals with a high level of neuroticism feel very disappointed with their own lives and with themselves. Neurotic individuals face more negative thoughts and emotions. Individuals with a lower degree of neuroticism are more confident and stable. The word neuroticism can be tracked in ancient Greece and the Hippocratic model of mindset (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic). In the current psychometric studies of psychology and psychopathology, neuroticism seems to be a general factor. Research shows that distinct neuroticism in individuals is in some way or other heritable. A higher degree of neuroticism leads individuals towards a lower capability of solving problems.
The harmful effects of neuroticism are especially found in the studies where surveillance and attentive tasks are used− tasks where a high degree of attention is needed. Individuals with a low degree of neuroticism are affected in the following ways −
More stable emotionally
Quiet
Have a high degree of self−esteem and confidence
Adjustable
Overcome bad situations quickly
Handles a difficult situation easily
Whereas individuals with a high degree of neuroticism are affected in the following ways −
Anxious
Worried
Tensed
Easily get depressed
Emotionally unstable
Feeling of insecurity
Through research, it can also be found that neuroticism leads to performance on other, more difficult kinds of work. Neuroticism affects the gender of the individual because it can be found that girls have higher neuroticism than boys. In the later childhood period, girls are more concerned about negative gender expectations and have more negative self−perception and body image. Because of this, girls suffer higher levels of neuroticism than boys. Neuroticism also affects age as the degree of neuroticism changes from adolescence to adulthood. When the rate of neuroticism decreases, it means an individual is moving towards maturation. An individual neuroticism personality is mostly found among adolescents but in some cases in adults as well. Neuroticism affects culture as well. This is because neurotic personality differs from country to country, and each and every country has its own culture. Negative consequences of neuroticism include several health−related problems and a decrease in quality of life. One of the positive consequences of neuroticism is that they are conscientiousness.
From the above discussions, it can be concluded that an individual with neuroticism has to face various problems, more or less. Especially people with a high level of neuroticism face much more difficult than the one with lower degrees of neuroticism. From a critical point of view, it can be said that individual with neurotic personality reacts differently with distinct workload degrees. Neuroticism leads to attention and memory for several emotional events, and neuroticism and anxiety are both associated with particular selective attention. Research suggests that personality type is not fixed and can be changed anytime. An individual can change his/her neurotic personality after a particular age or event. Further research is needed to develop and cope with situations and issues the neurotic individual faces.
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