Highly sensitive person
Encyclopedia
A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a person having the innate trait of high psychological sensitivity
(or innate sensitiveness as Carl Jung
originally coined it). According to Elaine N. Aron and colleagues as well as other researchers, highly sensitive people, who comprise about a fifth of the population, may process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous system
s.
This is a specific trait with key consequences that in the past has often been confused with innate shyness
, social anxiety
problems, inhibitedness
, or even social phobia
and innate fear
fulness, introversion, and so on. The existence of the trait of innate sensitivity was demonstrated using a test that was shown to have both internal
and external validity
. Although the term is primarily used to describe human
s, the trait is present in nearly all higher animal
s.
", and "innate shyness".
A number of books have been written on the topic, for example "Help Is On Its Way" by Jenna Forrest, "The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide" with foreword by Elaine Aron, and "The Highly Sensitive Person's Companion" by Ted Zeff, PhD.
Dr. Aron describes the opposite end of the spectrum, "the opposite of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a person who takes many risks, that is, acts without reflecting very much. An HSP who is an HSS (High Sensation Seeker) also will find ways to have lots of new experiences, but won't take a lot of unreflected-upon risks." She also cites studies involving other animals ranging from mammals to houseflies and goldfish.
As opposed to shyness, which is constructed both as a negative trait and a genetic
weakness that can be worsened by circumstances, the trait of high sensitivity is considered a basic, evolution
arily conserved trait
with survival advantages in itself. Zoologist
s observed the existence of a shy-bold continuum in animal species:
Zoologists are aware that notions of shyness and boldness are anthropomorphic (as exemplified by the use of quotation marks, above; "personality
" is another term used with quotation marks). Some animals and even insect
s were shown to get survival advantages (avoidance of dangers) and even, as a consequence, reproductive advantages (availability for "exuberant" courtship behaviours) from being "shy".
Faced with this apparent misnaming of a basic survival strategy, Aron and colleagues developed the notion of high sensitivity, expanding on Jung's suggestion of the trait of innate sensitiveness, which he distinguished from his own notion of introversion. In support of this distinction, Aron showed that the Highly Sensitive Person Scale identified a sizable proportion of extroverted sensitive persons (30%). In addition, Aron provides evidence supporting that highly sensitive persons can also be highly sensitive to favourable social cues and respond with traits of extroversion.
views on introversion and arousal and Gray's work on the inhibition system. This research in turn builds on Pavlov's
work on sensory response to both physical and mental over-stimulation, and work by Jung and his contemporaries differentiating extroverted and introverted cognitive sensitivity types. This research shows that about 15-20% of humans and higher animals have a nervous system that is more sensitive to subtleties. This means that regular sensory information is processed and analyzed to a greater extent, which contributes to creativity
, intuition
, sensing implications and attention to detail, but which may also cause quick over-stimulation and over-arousal.
This temperament may also have some correlation with continuously high cortisol
levels, which may cause hypervigilance
and susceptibility to trauma
, or the same traumas may encourage hypervigilance, which in turn may contribute to high cortisol. Being highly sensitive may amplify or create psychological
issues when over-arousal occurs. The ability to unconscious
ly or semi-consciously process environment
al subtleties often contributes to an HSP seeming "gifted" or possessing a "sixth sense". Sensitivity is often confused with shyness
, but 30% of HSPs have extroverted personalities. Another common misconception is that only female
s can be HSPs; there are roughly the same number of male
HSPs as female. The percentage appears to hold true for all animals possessing this trait.
Recent research in developmental psychology provides further evidence that individuals differ in their sensitivity. According to the differential susceptibility hypothesis
by Belsky (1997b; 1997a; 2005) individuals vary in the degree they are affected by experiences or qualities of the environment they are exposed to. Some individuals are more susceptible (or sensitive) to such influences than others, however, not only to negative but also to positive ones. For example, research by Pluess & Belsky has shown that children with difficult temperament
s in infancy are more susceptible to the effects of parenting and child care quality in the first 5 years of life. Intriguingly, these children not only had more behavioral problems in response to low quality care, they also had the least problems of all children when having a history of high quality care suggesting that children with difficult temperament are highly susceptible rather than difficult and therefore able to benefit significantly more from positive experiences compared to other less susceptible children.
concept of over-excitability
in his theory of Positive Disintegration
.
, although never having been critical of HSP writers or writings, links high sensitivity, or as he calls it, the "highly empathic temperament" with the Self Sacrifice Schema (Young, 2003, pp. 246–251), which in turn is almost always related to the Emotional Deprivation Schema. In his opinion, these persons (patients) need to learn to focus on themselves instead of others and to learn to get their own needs met, needs they typically are not aware of. In individuals who have the genetic trait of HSP and come from a troubled family, this trait of sensitivity can have an adverse effect on self concept, and thus is mistakenly considered by some to be a psychopathological condition that can be treated with experiential, cognitive, behavioral, and limited-reparenting strategies.
Books
Sensitivity (human)
The sensitivity or insensitivity of a human, often considered with regard to a particular kind of stimulus, is the strength of the feeling it results in, in comparison with the strength of the stimulus...
(or innate sensitiveness as Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
originally coined it). According to Elaine N. Aron and colleagues as well as other researchers, highly sensitive people, who comprise about a fifth of the population, may process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
s.
This is a specific trait with key consequences that in the past has often been confused with innate shyness
Shyness
In humans, shyness is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people...
, social anxiety
Social anxiety
Social anxiety is anxiety about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people...
problems, inhibitedness
Social inhibition
Social inhibition is a conscious or subconscious constraint by a person of behaviour of a social nature. The constraint may be in relation to behavior, appearance, or a subject matter for discussion, besides other matters. There are a number of reasons for social inhibitions, including that the...
, or even social phobia
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder , also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life...
and innate fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
fulness, introversion, and so on. The existence of the trait of innate sensitivity was demonstrated using a test that was shown to have both internal
Internal validity
Internal validity is the validity of inferences in scientific studies, usually based on experiments as experimental validity.- Details :...
and external validity
External validity
External validity is the validity of generalized inferences in scientific studies, usually based on experiments as experimental validity....
. Although the term is primarily used to describe human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s, the trait is present in nearly all higher animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s.
Usage
The term "highly sensitive person" was coined by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in 1996, and the name is gaining popularity because it presents the trait in a positive light. It posits that shyness, inhibition, and fearfulness may or may not be acquired by highly sensitive people and animals, depending on environmental challenges. Other names used to describe the trait in literature include "introverted emotional temperament", "chronic cortical/cortisol arousal", "hypervigilanceHypervigilance
Hypervigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats. Hypervigilance is also accompanied by a state of increased anxiety which can cause exhaustion. Other symptoms include: abnormally increased arousal, a...
", and "innate shyness".
A number of books have been written on the topic, for example "Help Is On Its Way" by Jenna Forrest, "The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide" with foreword by Elaine Aron, and "The Highly Sensitive Person's Companion" by Ted Zeff, PhD.
Dr. Aron describes the opposite end of the spectrum, "the opposite of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a person who takes many risks, that is, acts without reflecting very much. An HSP who is an HSS (High Sensation Seeker) also will find ways to have lots of new experiences, but won't take a lot of unreflected-upon risks." She also cites studies involving other animals ranging from mammals to houseflies and goldfish.
Epistemological considerations
The approach adopted by Aron and colleagues questions the role of notions such as "shyness" in explaining basic differences in behaviour that are encountered in many species, including humans.As opposed to shyness, which is constructed both as a negative trait and a genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
weakness that can be worsened by circumstances, the trait of high sensitivity is considered a basic, evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
arily conserved trait
Trait theory
In psychology, Trait theory is a major approach to the study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement of traits, which can be defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion. According to this perspective, traits are relatively stable over...
with survival advantages in itself. Zoologist
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
s observed the existence of a shy-bold continuum in animal species:
Zoologists are aware that notions of shyness and boldness are anthropomorphic (as exemplified by the use of quotation marks, above; "personality
Personality psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Its areas of focus include:* Constructing a coherent picture of the individual and his or her major psychological processes...
" is another term used with quotation marks). Some animals and even insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s were shown to get survival advantages (avoidance of dangers) and even, as a consequence, reproductive advantages (availability for "exuberant" courtship behaviours) from being "shy".
Faced with this apparent misnaming of a basic survival strategy, Aron and colleagues developed the notion of high sensitivity, expanding on Jung's suggestion of the trait of innate sensitiveness, which he distinguished from his own notion of introversion. In support of this distinction, Aron showed that the Highly Sensitive Person Scale identified a sizable proportion of extroverted sensitive persons (30%). In addition, Aron provides evidence supporting that highly sensitive persons can also be highly sensitive to favourable social cues and respond with traits of extroversion.
Research
The research on sensory-processing sensitivity, however, builds on Eysenck'sHans Eysenck
Hans Jürgen Eysenck was a German-British psychologist who spent most of his career in Britain, best remembered for his work on intelligence and personality, though he worked in a wide range of areas...
views on introversion and arousal and Gray's work on the inhibition system. This research in turn builds on Pavlov's
Ivan Pavlov
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a famous Russian physiologist. Although he made significant contributions to psychology, he was not in fact a psychologist himself but was a mathematician and actually had strong distaste for the field....
work on sensory response to both physical and mental over-stimulation, and work by Jung and his contemporaries differentiating extroverted and introverted cognitive sensitivity types. This research shows that about 15-20% of humans and higher animals have a nervous system that is more sensitive to subtleties. This means that regular sensory information is processed and analyzed to a greater extent, which contributes to creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
, intuition
Intuition (knowledge)
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'’ or 'to contemplate'." Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify...
, sensing implications and attention to detail, but which may also cause quick over-stimulation and over-arousal.
This temperament may also have some correlation with continuously high cortisol
Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, more specifically a glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and a low level of blood glucocorticoids. Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis; suppress the immune system; and aid in fat,...
levels, which may cause hypervigilance
Hypervigilance
Hypervigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect threats. Hypervigilance is also accompanied by a state of increased anxiety which can cause exhaustion. Other symptoms include: abnormally increased arousal, a...
and susceptibility to trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
, or the same traumas may encourage hypervigilance, which in turn may contribute to high cortisol. Being highly sensitive may amplify or create psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
issues when over-arousal occurs. The ability to unconscious
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
ly or semi-consciously process environment
Environmental psychology
Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments...
al subtleties often contributes to an HSP seeming "gifted" or possessing a "sixth sense". Sensitivity is often confused with shyness
Shyness
In humans, shyness is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people...
, but 30% of HSPs have extroverted personalities. Another common misconception is that only female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
s can be HSPs; there are roughly the same number of male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
HSPs as female. The percentage appears to hold true for all animals possessing this trait.
Recent research in developmental psychology provides further evidence that individuals differ in their sensitivity. According to the differential susceptibility hypothesis
Differential susceptibility hypothesis
According to the differential susceptibility hypothesis by Belsky individuals vary in the degree they are affected by experiences or qualities of the environment they are exposed to...
by Belsky (1997b; 1997a; 2005) individuals vary in the degree they are affected by experiences or qualities of the environment they are exposed to. Some individuals are more susceptible (or sensitive) to such influences than others, however, not only to negative but also to positive ones. For example, research by Pluess & Belsky has shown that children with difficult temperament
Temperament
In psychology, temperament refers to those aspects of an individual's personality, such as introversion or extroversion, that are often regarded as innate rather than learned...
s in infancy are more susceptible to the effects of parenting and child care quality in the first 5 years of life. Intriguingly, these children not only had more behavioral problems in response to low quality care, they also had the least problems of all children when having a history of high quality care suggesting that children with difficult temperament are highly susceptible rather than difficult and therefore able to benefit significantly more from positive experiences compared to other less susceptible children.
Attributes and characteristics
HSP students work differently from others. They pick up on the subtle things, learning better this way than when overaroused. If an HSP student is not contributing much to a discussion, it does not necessarily mean they do not understand or are too shy. HSPs often process things better in their heads, or they may be over-aroused. This can be the reason for their not contributing. HSPs are usually very conscientious but underperform when being watched. This also applies to work situations; HSPs can be great employees—good with details, thoughtful and loyal, but they do tend to work best when conditions are quiet and calm. Because HSPs perform less well when being watched, they may be overlooked for a promotion. HSPs tend to socialize less with others, often preferring to process experiences quietly by themselves.Contrast with Dabrowski's over-excitability
Readers interested in HSP may want to compare and contrast Aron's approach with Dabrowski'sKazimierz Dabrowski
Kazimierz Dąbrowski was a Polish psychologist, psychiatrist, and physician.Dąbrowski developed the Theory of Positive Disintegration, which describes how a person's development grows as a result of accumulated experiences...
concept of over-excitability
Overexcitability
The Theory of Positive Disintegration by Kazimierz Dabrowski describes a theory of personality and personality development. Unlike mainstream psychology, Dabrowski's theoretical framework views psychological tension, anxiety, and depression as necessary for growth...
in his theory of Positive Disintegration
Positive Disintegration
The Theory of Positive Disintegration by Kazimierz Dąbrowski describes a theory of personality development.Unlike mainstream psychology, Dąbrowski's theoretical framework views psychological tension and anxiety as necessary for growth...
.
Criticism
As explained above, many writers on HSP propose a positive, accepting attitude towards [being an] HSP. However, this is not the general consensus in the professional psychological community. For instance, Jeffrey E. Young, founder of the increasingly applied Schema TherapySchema Therapy
Schema Therapy was developed by Dr. Jeffrey E. Young for use in treatment of personality disorders and chronic Axis I disorders, such as when patients fail to respond or relapse after having been through other therapies...
, although never having been critical of HSP writers or writings, links high sensitivity, or as he calls it, the "highly empathic temperament" with the Self Sacrifice Schema (Young, 2003, pp. 246–251), which in turn is almost always related to the Emotional Deprivation Schema. In his opinion, these persons (patients) need to learn to focus on themselves instead of others and to learn to get their own needs met, needs they typically are not aware of. In individuals who have the genetic trait of HSP and come from a troubled family, this trait of sensitivity can have an adverse effect on self concept, and thus is mistakenly considered by some to be a psychopathological condition that can be treated with experiential, cognitive, behavioral, and limited-reparenting strategies.
Further reading
Articles- Gough, H., & Thorne, A., "Positive, Negative, and Balanced Shyness: Self-Definitions and the Reations of Others" in Shyness: Perspectives on Research and Treatment ISBN 0-306-42033-3.
- Higley, J., & Suomi, S. "Temperamental Reactivity in Non-Human Primates" in Temperament in Childhood ed. Kohnstramm, G., Bates, J., and Rothbart, M. (New York: Wiley, 1989), 153-67.
Books
- Aron, Elaine. 1996. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You. ISBN 0-553-06218-2.
- Aron, Elaine. 1999. The Highly Sensitive Person's Workbook. ISBN 0-7679-0337-4.
- Aron, Elaine. 2000. The Highly Sensitive Person in Love. ISBN 0-7679-0336-6.
- Aron, Elaine. 2002. The Highly Sensitive Child. ISBN 0-7679-0872-4.
- ed. Bates, J. and Wachs, T. Temperament: Individual Differences in the Biological Aspects of Temperament. ISBN 1-55798-222-8.
- Mesich, Kyra. 2000. The Sensitive Person's Survival Guide. ISBN 0-595-09800-2.
- Mandel, Debra. 2003. Healing the Sensitive Heart. ISBN 1-58062-708-0.
- Jaeger, Barrie. 2004. Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person. ISBN 0-07-140810-X.
- ed. Wachs, T., and King, B. Behavioral Research in the Brave New World of Neuroscience and Temperament. ISBN 1-55798-222-8.
- Zeff, Ted. 2004. The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide. ISBN 1-57224-396-1.
- Young, Jeffrey E. et al. 2003. Schema Therapy: a practitioner's guide ISBN 1-57230-838-9
External links
- PDF Research paper Jawer, Mr. Michael (2005) Environmental Sensitivity: A Neurobiological Phenomenon?.
- Podcast interview with Dr. Ted Zeff