2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-31 14:10
Hysteria is a caricature of a work of art
Sigmund Freud
There is a huge difference between "I am in love with this beauty" and "I love this hysterical woman."
Stas Starovoitov
Tantrums are effective only when someone is watching them.
Chuck Palahniuk
In my psychotherapeutic practice, I often use the method of bibliotherapy, which is one of the forms of word treatment. With the help of directed reading of specially selected literature, one's own personal problems, unresolved internal and external conflicts are clarified.
For those who seek a deep understanding of themselves and are ready to work on their inner world, bibliotherapy can become an excellent psychological tool, performing the function of diagnosis (identification with one of the heroes of the work), a way of solving problems (through resolving the conflict, which is modeled in the book) and catharsis (through experiencing strong feelings while reading climaxes).
One of the findings as a "bibliotherapeutic recipe" I write for a certain category of clients is capacious and funny Nadezhda Teffi's story "Demon Woman", written in 1906, in the era of fashion for "bohemian women".
This short essay, with its characteristic subtle, slightly absurd humor, sometimes turning into overt irony and sarcasm, describes the psychotype of a woman with a demonstrative (hysterical) accentuation of character. It should be noted that modern scientific psychology uses the term "histrionic" (from Latin histrio - actor). This woman longs for recognition and sympathy, in dire need of always being in the spotlight. Her emotions are very bright and unstable, she is distinguished by pretentious mannerism, extravagance of clothes:
This short essay, with its characteristic subtle, slightly absurd humor, sometimes turning into overt irony and sarcasm, describes the psychotype of a woman with a demonstrative (hysterical) accentuation of character. It should be noted that modern scientific psychology uses the term "histrionic" (from Latin histrio - actor). This woman longs for recognition and sympathy, in dire need of always being in the spotlight. Her emotions are very bright and unstable, she is distinguished by pretentious mannerism, extravagance of clothes:
She also wears ordinary items of ladies' toilet, but not in the place where they are supposed to be. For example, a demonic woman will allow herself to wear a belt only on her head, an earring on her forehead or on her neck, a ring on her thumb, a watch on her leg."
The extravagance of such a woman is manifested not only in appearance, but also in behavior: a feigned "mystery", an imaginary secret that provokes her to unravel in order to attract attention to herself:
"But she always has some kind of secret, some kind of anguish, not that gap that cannot be talked about, which no one knows and should not know."
- Marya Nikolaevna, please, a piece of herring. I love onions.
The demonic will open her eyes wide and, looking into space, will scream:
- Herring? Yes, yes, give me the herring, I want to eat the herring, I want, I want. Is it a bow? Yes, yes, give me onions, give me a lot, everything, herring, onions, I want to eat, I want vulgarity, rather … more … more, see everyone … I eat herring!"
By all means, she seeks to demonstrate her "peculiarity" and "exclusivity." Such a woman does not know how to cooperate with other women, constantly entering into intense competition with them "for power over attention." They are distinguished by an excessive tendency to demonstratively dramatize their experiences:
“Her eyebrows are raised with tragic commas and her eyes are half-down. To the cavalier, who was seeing her off from the ball and conducting a languid conversation about aesthetic eroticism from the point of view of an erotic esthete, she suddenly said, flinching with all the feathers on her hat: “We're going to church, my dear, we're going to church, rather, rather, rather. I want to pray and cry before dawn breaks. The church is locked at night. The amiable gentleman offers to sob right on the porch, but "she" has already died out. She knows that she is cursed, that there is no escape, and obediently bows her head, burying her nose in a fur scarf.”
A lot has been written about the features of the formation and manifestation of the character of hysterical character accentuation (P. Gannushkin (1909, 1933), K. Leonhard (1968), E. Lichko (1983)). Accentuations of character are considered as extreme variants of the norm (as opposed to psychopathies) and are characterized by selective vulnerability in relation to certain psychogenic influences with good, and sometimes increased resistance to others.
Case study (name and age changed, permission to publish received)
Diana, 38 years old. Three divorces. Without children. Nice appearance, well-groomed, dressed fashionably, without extravagance, with higher education and good erudition. Complaint - “men are leaving me”. After several sessions, as homework, I recommended that she read N. Teffi's story "The Demon Woman" and write a diary. During our next meeting, Diana looked depressed, she no longer felt" title="Image" />
By all means, she seeks to demonstrate her "peculiarity" and "exclusivity." Such a woman does not know how to cooperate with other women, constantly entering into intense competition with them "for power over attention." They are distinguished by an excessive tendency to demonstratively dramatize their experiences:
“Her eyebrows are raised with tragic commas and her eyes are half-down. To the cavalier, who was seeing her off from the ball and conducting a languid conversation about aesthetic eroticism from the point of view of an erotic esthete, she suddenly said, flinching with all the feathers on her hat: “We're going to church, my dear, we're going to church, rather, rather, rather. I want to pray and cry before dawn breaks. The church is locked at night. The amiable gentleman offers to sob right on the porch, but "she" has already died out. She knows that she is cursed, that there is no escape, and obediently bows her head, burying her nose in a fur scarf.”
A lot has been written about the features of the formation and manifestation of the character of hysterical character accentuation (P. Gannushkin (1909, 1933), K. Leonhard (1968), E. Lichko (1983)). Accentuations of character are considered as extreme variants of the norm (as opposed to psychopathies) and are characterized by selective vulnerability in relation to certain psychogenic influences with good, and sometimes increased resistance to others.
Case study (name and age changed, permission to publish received)
Diana, 38 years old. Three divorces. Without children. Nice appearance, well-groomed, dressed fashionably, without extravagance, with higher education and good erudition. Complaint - “men are leaving me”. After several sessions, as homework, I recommended that she read N. Teffi's story "The Demon Woman" and write a diary. During our next meeting, Diana looked depressed, she no longer felt
As you know, hysterical personalities are distinguished by a very strong displacement psychological defense, which practically excludes the depth-complexity of thought and experience, and, as a consequence, a serious ability to critically relate to oneself. In this sense, it is very important to discover what so protects the personality of this type, what is so fragile and vulnerable hidden behind a mask of extravagance and pretentiousness? Nancy McWilliams argues that demonstrativeness often hides a defect in self-esteem, a deep shame that requires compensatory attention and approval. And it is very important for the therapist, when the stage costume is taken off and all the makeup is washed off, to be in the process of research as careful and accurate as possible in relation to what has been exposed and revealed. Of course, not all of my clients looked as bright and eccentric, not all of them expressed it as totally and violently as in N. Teffi's story, but many of them have the features of a “demonic woman” and their manifestation in behavior.
Reading the story of the brilliant Nadezhda Teffi gives a chance to discover the possibility of bypassing the psychological defense and touching the picture of the inner world of women of this type, it is such a sharp caricature that allows you to discover your own "demonic woman" and her manifestations.
Another manifestation of histrionic personality is the well-known image of a "demonstrative victim", which can give the impression of natures of crystal fragile and thin, "unfairly offended", "undeservedly unappreciated", "innocent of anything", whose benefactors cynically and ungratefully use Others … The purpose of the performances they enact is to achieve recognition of their own significance and exclusivity. Many such characters are described in the literature (Grandmother in "Bury Me Behind the Skirting Board" by P. Sanaev, old woman Merchutkin in the one-act play by A. P. Chekhov "Anniversary, etc.). Thus, the heroes of literary works will help give access to the true feelings of our clients. …
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