Not everyone knows what a passive-aggressive character means. Meanwhile, it has a number of distinguishing features. Consider further how passive aggression manifests itself.
General information
The passive-aggressive personality type is distinguished by a pronounced resistance to external requirements. As a rule, this is evidenced by obstructive and oppositional actions. Passive-aggressive type of behavior is expressed in procrastination, poor quality of work, "forgetting" obligations. Often the actions of people do not meet generally accepted standards. Moreover, the passive-aggressive personality resists the need to follow norms. Of course, these characteristics can be observed in other people. But with passive aggression, they become a model of behavior, a pattern. Although this form of interaction is considered not the best, it is not too dysfunctional, but until then, until it becomes a pattern of life that impedes the achievement of goals.
Passive-aggressive person: features
People in this category try not to be pushy. They believe that direct confrontation is dangerous. Conducting a personality type test, you can identify the characteristic features of behavior. In particular, people in this category consider confrontation as one of the ways outsiders interfere in their affairs and control them. When such a person is approached with a request that he does not want to fulfill, the combination of resentment of existing external requirements and lack of self-confidence causes a reaction in a provocative manner. Passive-aggressive communication does not create the possibility of rejection. Obligations at school or at work, people in this category are also outraged. In general, those who are endowed with power, they see as prone to injustice and arbitrariness. Accordingly, as a rule, they blame others for their problems. Such people cannot understand that they create difficulties by their own behavior. The researchers note that among other things, a passive-aggressive person is easily amenable to mood swings and tend to perceive what is happening pessimistically. Such people focus on everything negative.
Personality test
The total pattern of resistance to standards in the professional and social spheres emerges in early adulthood. It is expressed in different contexts. There are a number of signs of passive aggression. Person:
- Delays work, doesn't do what needs to be done on time.
- Becomingirritable, gloomy, or begins to argue with a person asking him to do something that he does not want.
- Deliberately slow or bad.
- Asserts that others place high demands on him.
- Does not fulfill obligations, citing forgetfulness.
- Thinks he does a much better job than others rate.
- Takes offense at advice given by others.
- Creates obstacles to other people's actions by not doing their part.
- Despise or criticize those in power.
Historical background
Passive-aggressive behavior has been described for a long time. However, before World War II, this concept was not used. In 1945, the War Department described the "immature reaction" as a response to "a normal military stress situation." It manifested itself in inadequacy or helplessness, passivity, outbursts of aggression, obstructionism. In a 1949 US military technical bulletin, this term was used to describe soldiers who showed this pattern.
Classification
The DSM-I divided reactions into three categories: passive-aggressive, passive-dependent, and aggressive. The second was characterized by helplessness, a tendency to hold on to others, indecision. The first and third categories differed in people's reaction to frustration (the inability to satisfy any need). The aggressive type, in a number of aspects having signs of antisocial, showsirritation. His behavior is destructive. A passive-aggressive person makes a disgruntled face, becomes stubborn, begins to slow down work, reduce its effectiveness. In DSM-II, such behavior is classified as a separate category. At the same time, aggressive and passive-dependent types are included in the group of "other disorders".
Clinical and experimental data
Despite the fact that the passive-aggressive style of behavior remains little studied today, at least two works outline its key characteristics. Thus, Kening, Trossman and Whitman examined 400 patients. They found that the most common diagnosis was passive-aggressive. At the same time, 23% showed signs of a dependent category. 19% of patients fully corresponded to the passive-aggressive type. In addition, the researchers found that PARL occurs in women twice as often as in men. The traditional symptomatic picture included anxiety and depression (41% and 25%, respectively). In the passive-aggressive and dependent types, open indignation was suppressed by fear of punishment or a sense of guilt. Research has also been done by Moore, Alig and Smoly. They studied 100 patients diagnosed with passive-aggressive disorder 7 and 15 years later during inpatient treatment. The researchers found that problems in social behavior and interpersonal relationships, along with somatic and emotional complaints, were the main symptoms. The researchers also found that a significant proportion of patients suffer from depression and alcohol abuse.
Automatic thoughts
The conclusions that a person with PDPD makes reflects his negativism, isolation and the desire to choose the path of least resistance. For example, any requests are considered as a manifestation of exactingness and importunity. The reaction of a person is that he automatically resists instead of analyzing his desire. The patient is characterized by the belief that others are trying to use him, and if he allows it, he will become a nonentity. This form of negativism extends to all thinking. The patient is looking for a negative interpretation of most of the events. This applies even to positive and neutral phenomena. This manifestation distinguishes a passive-aggressive person from a depressed patient. In the latter case, people focus on self-judgment or negative thoughts about the future, the environment. The passive-aggressive individual believes that others are trying to control them without appreciating them. If a person receives a negative reaction in response, then he assumes that he was again misunderstood. Automatic thoughts testify to the irritation that appears in patients. They insist quite often that everything must go according to a certain pattern. Such unreasonable demands tend to reduce resistance to frustration.
Typical settings
The behavior of PD patients expresses their cognitive patterns. Procrastination, poor quality of work due to indignationthe need to perform duties. A person is set up to do what he does not want to do. The procrastination attitude is to follow the path of least resistance. For example, a person begins to believe that the matter can be postponed until later. Faced with the adverse consequences of not fulfilling his duties, he expresses dissatisfaction with those around him who have power. It may manifest itself in an outburst of anger, but most likely passive methods of revenge will be used. For example, sabotage. In psychotherapy, behavior may be accompanied by non-cooperation in treatment.
Emotions
For PD patients, irritation and anger will be common. This is understandable because people feel they are being asked to meet arbitrary standards, underestimated, or misunderstood. Patients often fail to achieve their goals in the professional sphere, as well as in their personal lives. They are unable to understand how their behavior and existing attitudes affect the difficulties they have. This leads to further annoyance and dissatisfaction, as they again believe that circumstances are to blame. Patients' emotions are largely determined by their vulnerability to external control and the interpretation of requests as a desire to limit their freedom. When interacting with others, they are constantly expecting demands and therefore resist.
Prerequisites for therapy
Basicthe reason for patients seeking help is the complaints of others that these people do not live up to expectations. As a rule, co-workers or spouses turn to psychotherapists. Complaints of the latter are connected with the unwillingness of patients to provide assistance in household chores. Psychotherapists are often approached by bosses who are dissatisfied with the quality of the work performed by their subordinates. Another reason for visiting a doctor is depression. The development of this condition is caused by a chronic lack of encouragement both in the professional sphere and in personal life. For example, following the path of least resistance, constantly being dissatisfied with demands, can cause a person to believe that he is not succeeding.
Consideration of the environment as a source of control also leads to the formation of a negative attitude towards the world as a whole. If circumstances arise in which patients of the passive-aggressive type, striving for independence and valuing the freedom of their own actions, begin to believe that others are interfering in their affairs, they may develop a severe form of depression.
