HSP's--Highly Sensitive Persons

[Salomé]

It would be useful if the constellation of stuff that HSP describes were known to, for example, HR professionals, so you could say you have HSP and for that reason request a desk that is not on the sunniest side of the building in a high traffic area where the people are boisterous when there is a space available on the shady side with a quieter group.

Nice in theory. In practice, you'd probably end up stigmatized as being "precious" or something equally demeaning.

 

[mochajava]

Nice in theory. In practice, you'd probably end up stigmatized as being "precious" or something equally demeaning.

Depends on the field. I bet in certain non-profits or around counselor-types, you'd just get this if it worked out okay, and people would probably just realize you had a preference and move on.

A psychologist told me that both of my parents were HSPs and recommended Elaine Aron's book to me. She advises spending 10-12 hours in bed / day for HSPs at one point! But it's a pretty good book.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

The role of the HSP person's socialization is an important question that I found the article and quiz to be somewhat vague and contradictory regarding. Questions included on the quiz referred to an ability to make other people feel comfortable in a situation or a tendency to absorb the emotions of others. In contrast the opening anecdote about the woman looking to her friend for a reference for a job and misunderstood the response as a rejection was not aware of the intent or feeling of the other person. On the last page of the article it also mentioned something about creating a tougher exterior as a defense mechanism.

Some of the conditions I mentioned in an earlier post that would likely produce a high score (BPD, narcissism, etc) also cause the individual to disregard others. The degree of their heightened personal sensitivity to sensory stimuli and emotions is offset with an equally brazen disregard for others. I think it is that asymmetry, that malfunctioning of the relationship of "self" to "other" that makes the heightened sensitivity part of those disorders. The other conditions I mentioned like anxiety or chemical imbalances could score high in sensitivity testing because those areas become debilitating, which also makes it part of a condition or disorder.

If HSP is looking at a kind of heightened awareness due to the natural structuring of the brain, which in my reading of the article it is implied, it would stand to reason that this heightened awareness would also extend to other people since a psychologically healthy state maintains a productive balance between self and other in which the needs of both are met to a reasonable degree. I would suspect an individual with these issues could also be identified by their increased sensitivity to the sensory and emotional needs of other people because it would naturally enter their awareness.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

I didn't score that high, about seven I think. I don't know how much it is to do with Fi, but then I didn't measure that high in Fi in that cognitive test today.

i'm leaning more and more towards ESFP on ya. haha. but perhaps it's part of being integrated into the male world. rely less on feelings.

I view HSP as a highly unnecessary over categorisation of a non-issue.

not necessarily a non issue... but more like... varying degree's may already have existing labels. anxiety disorders and what not.

Just because it's a non-issue for you, doesn't make it a non-issue per se. And if it is such a non-issue, I wonder why you'd bother to post about it? Other than to be controversial, which seems to be your main reason for posting anything.

i'm sure jim has too much Te to ever be bothered by hypersensitivity.

It's very important that if such labels are applied that individuals are fully aware of the limitations of that and how they shouldn't decide to start using it as a ransom note to limit their own self development.

agreed.

It would be interesting to find out more about the brain imaging research in relationship to this to see if it sets it apart as a specific, unique issue. My first impression of HSP is that it is an umbrella term that encompasses known and unknown causes of hypersensitivity much like defining "chronic pain" as a new condition. Based on the quiz alone, people with existing classifications of high functioning autism, aspbergers, narcissism, borderline personality disorder, hormonal imbalances, and anxiety disorders could all score high enough to fit into the HSP classification. I wonder if the brain imaging is demonstrating a new condition that would fit under HSP, but not any of the other ones I listed or that already exist, but are not included in this post.

i agree that it seems like a blanket term, which is much of my reason for posting this. it throws people with serious disorders in the same boat as those who are merely emotionally reactive.

It would be useful if the constellation of stuff that HSP describes were known to, for example, HR professionals, so you could say you have HSP and for that reason request a desk that is not on the sunniest side of the building in a high traffic area where the people are boisterous when there is a space available on the shady side with a quieter group.

Nice in theory. In practice, you'd probably end up stigmatized as being "precious" or something equally demeaning.

agreed with salome. i'd hate to have to put on a job application that i require special treatment. i think this would make me feel worse.

She advises spending 10-12 hours in bed / day for HSPs at one point!

oh man... is this why i spend so much time in my bed? i do agree it helps...

The role of the HSP person's socialization is an important question that I found the article and quiz to be somewhat vague and contradictory regarding. Questions included on the quiz referred to an ability to make other people feel comfortable in a situation or a tendency to absorb the emotions of others. In contrast the opening anecdote about the woman looking to her friend for a reference for a job and misunderstood the response as a rejection was not aware of the intent or feeling of the other person.

i feel as though i was able to relate to many of the points brought up in this article. including the contradictory points. although, i experienced each at different points from one another.

i can be too well aware of the emotions of others... hyper aware to the point that if the other person is incredibly uncomfortable, i become incredibly uncomfortable. but in "healthier" points of my life, rather than just sharing the feeling, i'll be able to try and adjust the situation... alleviating the discomfort.

i also related to the part where the girl quit all communication with the friend. i've done this numerous times in my life, and often times it starts with embarrassment. and often times, i'm sure many of the things i was overly sensitive and embarrassed about would have been scoffed off as non important or non issues for others.

On the last page of the article it also mentioned something about creating a tougher exterior as a defense mechanism.
Some of the conditions I mentioned in an earlier post that would likely produce a high score (BPD, narcissism, etc) also cause the individual to disregard others. The degree of their heightened personal sensitivity to sensory stimuli and emotions is offset with an equally brazen disregard for others. I think it is that asymmetry, that malfunctioning of the relationship of "self" to "other" that makes the heightened sensitivity part of those disorders. The other conditions I mentioned like anxiety or chemical imbalances could score high in sensitivity testing because those areas become debilitating, which also makes it part of a condition or disorder.

If HSP is looking at a kind of heightened awareness due to the natural structuring of the brain, which in my reading of the article it is implied, it would stand to reason that this heightened awareness would also extend to other people since a psychologically healthy state maintains a productive balance between self and other in which the needs of both are met to a reasonable degree. I would suspect an individual with these issues could also be identified by their increased sensitivity to the sensory and emotional needs of other people because it would naturally enter their awareness.

i'd say i've gone through phases of creating a tougher exterior as well... but as i mentioned earlier, many of the points it's brought up in this article... i simple related to being an ISFP and an enneagram 4. it fits in with the notion of elitism of 4's.

it might also be valid to say, i've gone through phases where i tested high for borderline personality disorder as well...

i never went to a counselor until years later, once i managed to piece myself back together a bit... so they merely scoffed it off as mild depression. what i experienced was far worse than that though.

but anyways... how would you believe these things connect together? how much do you think disorders may affect personality testing?

 

[Salomé]

The role of the HSP person's socialization is an important question that I found the article and quiz to be somewhat vague and contradictory regarding. Questions included on the quiz referred to an ability to make other people feel comfortable in a situation or a tendency to absorb the emotions of others. In contrast the opening anecdote about the woman looking to her friend for a reference for a job and misunderstood the response as a rejection was not aware of the intent or feeling of the other person. On the last page of the article it also mentioned something about creating a tougher exterior as a defense mechanism.

Some of the conditions I mentioned in an earlier post that would likely produce a high score (BPD, narcissism, etc) also cause the individual to disregard others. The degree of their heightened personal sensitivity to sensory stimuli and emotions is offset with an equally brazen disregard for others. I think it is that asymmetry, that malfunctioning of the relationship of "self" to "other" that makes the heightened sensitivity part of those disorders. The other conditions I mentioned like anxiety or chemical imbalances could score high in sensitivity testing because those areas become debilitating, which also makes it part of a condition or disorder.

If HSP is looking at a kind of heightened awareness due to the natural structuring of the brain, which in my reading of the article it is implied, it would stand to reason that this heightened awareness would also extend to other people since a psychologically healthy state maintains a productive balance between self and other in which the needs of both are met to a reasonable degree. I would suspect an individual with these issues could also be identified by their increased sensitivity to the sensory and emotional needs of other people because it would naturally enter their awareness.

I don't see any contradiction. One can have heightened sensitivity in one area and not another. Just like one can have acute hearing and poor eyesight. It's not a uniform, one-size-fits-all type deal. To suggest all HSPs should fit one template is the same as saying all introverts should be identical. It just doesn't work that way.

Sensitivity isn't binary. It exists on a spectrum, like most aspects of personality. You can say someone is "overly" sensitive and that this represents some kind of disorder, just because it deviates from the norm, or you can relabel the behaviour as "highly" sensitive. I think the latter is more affirming and helpful. Something is only a disorder if it significantly impairs an individual's quality of life. Anything else is simply prejudice against exception. We don't call highly intelligent people "overly" intelligent and we don't call highly creative people "overly" creative. Despite that fact that any trait exhibited to an extreme can lead to adaptive problems.

 

[The Outsider]

19.

 

[nolla]

Hmm... I am sensitive to my surroundings, to group dynamics and all that... I would even say that it is an obstacle for me in some ways (I have a hard time considering anything more important than the emotional environment I spend my time in), but I don't know how it would help me to take that label. To me all this seems to be going to a direction in which you've got a bunch of labels printed on your ID, all done with good intentions. Even if it was done sincerely I don't think I would take it. I come to the room and people turn down the volume. "He's fragile"... I wouldn't take it.

It's a weird time. On the other hand there's this cult of be-who-you-are that I see almost every day if I happen to turn on the tv. But there is the other cult as well. Now they got this series about people who hoard stuff and live in their own filth. I have a hard time figuring out what is going on here. On the other had we want to see that we can be who we want to be, and on the other hand there's this monster that keeps telling us that there might be something seriously wrong with us. Of course this is just me watching tv, so it doesn't have to have a meaning.

Maybe it's the need to be something, just anything to be something, so we want to find that perfect label for ourselves. Now I know who I am. Depending on my natural tendency I either go with the positive and label myself as someone who wants to be something, or I go with the negative and tell myself I have a problem I have to fight. In both cases I got myself a nice definition I can use to focus my life on.

 

[lunalum]

Also 19/23.

I need to read up on this further... it doesn't seem like a disorder in itself but it seems to be kind of a mashup of traits associated with some disorders, also could have some strong mbti correlations...