The genius is on the left, the lunatic is on the right

Chapter 23 The Lonely Watcher

George is a retired police officer, 50 years old this year.Half a month ago, when his dog was out playing, he was hit and killed by a speeding car, and George's life fell into boundless darkness.Half a month later, he finally came to see a doctor, because he couldn't fall asleep every day, and even if he fell asleep, he would wake up easily.He can no longer concentrate on doing things, he feels sad and tired, and loses the will to live.

A psychiatrist surveyed his past life records and consulted his former colleagues.Everyone reported that George is a very lonely person. We have worked together for many years, and some people even only said greetings such as "Hi" and "Hello" to George.George is unsmiling. When everyone chats in the office, they often forget that there is such a person, because George doesn't say a word, and he doesn't have any interest in everyone's topics.

But everyone can see that George's attitude towards dogs is completely different. He loves his dogs very much and regards dogs as relatives.Someone once saw George talking and laughing when he was out for a walk with the dog. Although the dog didn't give him any verbal response, it was obvious that George was very happy and relieved to talk in front of the dog.

Indeed, George has been living alone and has no friends. When he tries to establish a more harmonious and intimate relationship with his colleagues, he will feel embarrassed, as if he violated his true thoughts in his heart.Because he doesn't have any sense of trust in people, it seems impossible to be a "good friend" reluctantly.

He tried to subscribe to newspapers, learn about current events and changes in today's society, read celebrity gossip, etc., but these things could not mobilize his true emotions at all. To put it bluntly, he felt that "it has nothing to do with him" and he was not interested .

It wasn't until the dog came to him that he felt that life seemed to have some meaning.He poured all his affection into the dog.Every morning, he will carefully prepare breakfast for the dog, and then take the dog out for a walk.Every day, he carefully grooms the dog's hair and chats with it.On Christmas, he dresses the dog in Santa Claus clothes and buys the best dog food for it, and he also gives himself a gift in the name of the dog.These seemingly ridiculous and weird actions in the eyes of others are sacred to George.

Sadly, his dog died, and George was very, very sad, compared to none of his parents' deaths.

George felt that he was different from others. When the doctor expressed sympathy and encouragement to him, his expression was very confused, as if he could not receive the true meaning of this emotion at all.

Finally, the doctor diagnosed that George was suffering from split personality disorder.The most typical feature of patients with this disease is that they cannot establish intimate relationships with others. Their attitudes and ways of thinking towards people are very strange, but they themselves seem to be completely unaware of this.

Similar to George's situation is Bob.The 85-year-old successful businessman was supposed to be enjoying his old age, traveling the world with his wife and spending the rest of his hard-earned money.But Bob seems completely unwilling to live that life. Although he has been retired for 20 years, he is still doing "useful work" every day.

He doesn't trust his accountant, his lawyer, his personal doctor, or even his son, the only person in the world who can make him feel a little bit safer and "tell the truth", I'm afraid Only his wife of 60 years is left.

Bob can't get rid of this anxiety about distrust of others. If he finds a little problem with the statement, he will suspect that the broker wants to cheat his money, so he will spend a lot of energy monitoring the company's investment Behavior.He never discloses his contact information to anyone, because he is afraid that others will harm him.Of course, he will not tell anyone the truth about his life, because he feels that he will be calculated by others.

Excessive sensitivity makes it easy for Bob to never have a day. His wife has been persuading him to see a doctor, but the result will only be endless quarrels, "Even you want to hurt me, do you want to betray me?" Bob Bob always questioned his wife like this.

The wife, who could no longer bear the pressure, found a psychiatrist. "I simply doubt how Bob's heart can bear the anxiety of living for decades." "I am really afraid that if one day I die before him, What will happen to him? I'm almost 80 years old after all..."

The brain-burning logic of a genius or a madman
Whether it is George or Bob, they all have some common characteristics, that is, they cannot establish an intimate relationship with others, and this helplessness stems from their deep distrust.Even if someone is willing to treat each other with sincerity, they will still be sensitive to doubt the sincerity of the other party.

Such symptoms are called personality disorders in psychology.

The so-called personality disorder refers to that when interacting with others, patients tend to adopt excessively rigid behaviors and methods, which hinder their adjustment to external needs, and eventually lead to self-defeat and self-enclosure.

Psychology divides personality disorders into three broad categories.

The first type is typically characterized by people who are often perceived by others as stodgy and eccentric, unapproachable and aloof.This category includes paranoid personality disorder and schizotypal personality disorder.

The second category is typically characterized by how bizarre, dramatic, and emotional the patient's behavior is.People often judge them as "quirks".This category includes antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.

The third category is typically characterized by frequent manifestations of fear or anxiety and a complete inability to see things and people in perspective.They look like their ass is on fire, fidgeting.This category includes avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

The traditional Freudian theory puts forward the Oedipus complex, and psychodynamic theory uses this complex as the basis for the study of personality disorders.

There are different opinions about the factors that lead to personality disorder, but in fact, personality disorder is a very complicated psychological disease, and it cannot be caused by only one factor. When you feel impatient, you might as well spend more time caring about them. This may be the best help for people with personality disorders.

(End of this chapter)