Neuroticism

Jump to navigation Jump to search

WikiDoc Resources for Neuroticism

Articles

Most recent articles on Neuroticism

Most cited articles on Neuroticism

Review articles on Neuroticism

Articles on Neuroticism in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Neuroticism

Images of Neuroticism

Photos of Neuroticism

Podcasts & MP3s on Neuroticism

Videos on Neuroticism

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Neuroticism

Bandolier on Neuroticism

TRIP on Neuroticism

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Neuroticism at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Neuroticism

Clinical Trials on Neuroticism at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Neuroticism

NICE Guidance on Neuroticism

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Neuroticism

CDC on Neuroticism

Books

Books on Neuroticism

News

Neuroticism in the news

Be alerted to news on Neuroticism

News trends on Neuroticism

Commentary

Blogs on Neuroticism

Definitions

Definitions of Neuroticism

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Neuroticism

Discussion groups on Neuroticism

Patient Handouts on Neuroticism

Directions to Hospitals Treating Neuroticism

Risk calculators and risk factors for Neuroticism

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Neuroticism

Causes & Risk Factors for Neuroticism

Diagnostic studies for Neuroticism

Treatment of Neuroticism

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Neuroticism

International

Neuroticism en Espanol

Neuroticism en Francais

Business

Neuroticism in the Marketplace

Patents on Neuroticism

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Neuroticism


Neuroticism is a fundamental personality trait in the study of psychology. It can be defined as an enduring tendency to experience negative emotional states. Individuals who score high on neuroticism are more likely than the average to experience such feelings as anxiety, anger, guilt, and clinical depression.[1] They respond more poorly to environmental stress, and are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. They are often self-conscious and shy, and they may have trouble controlling urges and delaying gratification. Neuroticism is related to emotional intelligence, which involves emotional regulation, motivation, and interpersonal skills.[2] It is also considered to be a predisposition for traditional neuroses, such as phobias and other anxiety disorders.

Emotional stability

On the opposite end of the spectrum, individuals who score low in neuroticism are more emotionally stable and less reactive to stress. They tend to be calm, even tempered, and less likely to feel tense or rattled. Although they are low in negative emotion, they are not necessarily high on positive emotion. That is an element of the independent trait of extraversion. Neurotic extraverts, for example, would experience high levels of both positive and negative emotional states, a kind of "emotional roller coaster." Individuals who score low on neuroticism (particularly those who are also high on extraversion) generally report more happiness and satisfaction with their lives.

Measurement

Neuroticism is typically viewed as a continuous trait, rather than a distinct type of person. People vary in their level of neuroticism, with a small minority of individuals scoring extremely high or extremely low on the dimension. Because most people cluster around the average, neuroticism test scores approximate a normal distribution, given a large enough sample of people. Neuroticism is one of the most studied personality traits in psychology, and this has resulted in a wealth of data and statistical analysis. It is measured on the EPQ, the NEO PI-R, and other personality inventories.

Physiology

Neuroticism appears to be related to physiological differences in the brain. Hans Eysenck theorized that neuroticism is a function of activity in the limbic system, and research suggests that people who score highly on measures of neuroticism have a more reactive sympathetic nervous system, and are more sensitive to environmental stimulation.[3] Behavioral genetics researchers have found that a substantial portion of the variability on measures of neuroticism can be attributed to genetic factors.[4]

A study with positron emission tomography has found that healthy subjects that score high on the NEO PI-R neuroticism dimension tend to have high altanserin binding in the frontolimbic region of the brain — an indication that these subjects tend to have more of the 5-HT2A receptor in that location.[5] Another study has found that healthy subjects with a high neuroticism score tend to have higher DASB binding in the thalamus, — with DASB being a ligand that binds to the serotonin transporter protein.[6]

Another neuroimaging study using magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain volume found that the brain volume was negatively correlated to NEO PI-R neuroticism when correcting for possible effects of intracranial volume, sex, and age.[7]

Other studies have associated neuroticism with genetic variations, e.g., with 5-HTTLPR — a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene.[8] However, not all studies find such an association.[9] A genome-wide association study (GWA study) has pointed single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the MDGA2 gene as associated with neuroticism.[10] Another GWA study gave some evidence that the rs362584 polymorphism in the SNAP25 gene was associated with neuroticism.[11]

Geography

Neuroticism, along with other personality traits, has been mapped across states in the USA.[12] People in eastern states such as New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Mississippi tend to score high on neuroticism, whereas people in many western states, such as Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Oregon, and Arizona score lower on average. People in states that are higher in neuroticism also tend to have higher rates of heart disease and lower life expectancy.

See also

References

  1. G. Matthews and Ian J. Deary (1998). Personality traits. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  2. Daniel Goleman (1997). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam.
  3. Hans Jürgen Eysenck and Michael W. Eysenck (1985). Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach. Perspectives on individual differences. Plenum Press (Springer). ISBN 0306418444.
  4. Viken RJ, Rose RJ, Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M. (1994). "A developmental genetic analysis of adult personality: extraversion and neuroticism from 18 to 59 years of age". Journal of personality and social psychology. 66: 722. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.4.722. PMID 8189349. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. Vibe G. Frøkjær, Erik L. Mortensen, Finn Årup Nielsen, Steven Haugbøl, Lars H. Pinborg, Karen H. Adams, Claus Svarer, Steen G. Hasselbalch, Søren Holm, Olaf B. Paulson and Gitte Moos Knudsen (2007). "Frontolimbic Serotonin 2A Receptor Binding in Healthy Subjects Is Associated with Personality Risk Factors for Affective Disorder". Biological Psychiatry. 66: 722. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.07.009.
  6. Akihiro Takano, Ryosuke Arakawaa, Mika Hayashia, Hidehiko Takahashia, Hiroshi Itoa & Tetsuya Suhara (2007). "Relationship between neuroticism personality trait and serotonin transporter binding". Biological Psychiatry. 62 (6): 588&ndash, 592. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.11.007. PMID 17336939. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help); Check date values in: |year= (help)
  7. Brian Knutsona, Reza Momenan, Robert R. Rawlings, Grace W. Fong and Daniel Hommer (2001). "Negative association of neuroticism with brain volume ratio in healthy humans". Biological Psychiatry. 50 (9): 685&ndash, 690. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(01)01220-3. Text " journal Biological Psychiatry " ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help); Check date values in: |year= (help)
  8. Klaus-Peter Lesch, D. Bengel, A. Heils, S. Z. Sabol, B. D. Greenberg, S. Petri, J. Benjamin, C. R. Muller, D. H. Hamer, & Dennis L. Murphy (1996). "Association of anxiety-related traits with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region". Science. 274 (5292): 1527–1521. PMID 8929413. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. A. F. Jorm, A. S. Henderson, P. A. Jacomb, H. Christensen, A. E. Korten, B. Rodgers, X. Tan & S. Easteal (1998). "An association study of a functional polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene with personality and psychiatric symptoms". Molecular Psychiatry. 3 (5): 449–441. PMID 9774781. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. E. J. van den Oord, P. H. Kuo, A. M. Hartmann, B. T. Webb, H. J. Möller, J. M. Hettema, I. Giegling, J. Bukszár, D. Rujescu (2008). "Genomewide Association Analysis Followed by a Replication Study Implicates a Novel Candidate Gene for Neuroticism". Archives of General Psychiatry. 65 (9): 1062&ndash, 1071. PMID 18762592. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. A. Terracciano, S Sanna, M. Uda, B. Deiana, G. Usala, F. Busonero, A. Maschio, M. Scally, N. Patriciu, W.-M. Chen, M. A. Distel, E. P. Slagboom, D. I. Boomsma, S. Villafuerte, E. S. liwerska, M. Burmeister, N. Amin, A. C. J. W. Janssens, C. M. van Duijn, D. Schlessinger, G. R. Abecasis and P. T. Costa Jr (2008). "Genome-wide association scan for five major dimensions of personality". Molecular Psychiatry. doi:10.1038/mp.2008.113. PMID 18957941. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. Stephanie Simon (2008-09-23). "The United States of Mind. Researchers Identify Regional Personality Traits Across America". WSJ.com. Original research article: Peter J. Rentfrow, Samuel D. Gosling and Jeff Potter (2008). "A Theory of the Emergence, Persistence, and Expression of Geographic Variation in Psychological Characteristics". Perspectives on Psychological Science. 3 (5): 339&ndash, 369.

de:Neurotizismus nl:Neuroticisme sv:Neuroticism uk:Невротизм

Template:WH Template:WS