Spiritual wounds predisposed to introverts

The extreme flaws that characterize introverts include nervous and mental diseases that include depression, schizophrenia, worry and anxiety disorders, excessive perfectionism, feelings of inadequacy, hopelessness, mental illnesses and so on. At their worst level introverts end up under psychological care, in metal hospitals or attempt suicide. Some introverts may have extreme tendencies that are predominant among and characteristic of extroverts but this is an exception rather than the norm. This could be due to having a high combination of extroversion traits.

Why are introverts more prone than introverts to have spiritual wounds of such nature? Lucinda Bassett, from Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety says it is because introverts are very analytical. They are natural born thinkers who have a tendency to analyze and ponder on matters –spiritual, social, economical, scientific, etc.

This is a natural gift they have because they have the mental energy and commitment to go an extra mile in using their minds. However, when this energy of thinking and analyzing is turned inward it easily turns into negative energy. The introvert begins to overanalyze matters that everyone goes through or are not new under the sun, and which others do not easily allow them to bring their spirits down.

The analytical and introspective traits of introverts can develop into unhealthy tendencies of perfectionism and sensitiveness. Common imperfections and ups and downs of life can easily break the inner strength of some introverts and cause them to break down.

Severe experiences are even more so unbearable to such who want everything in life to work perfectly smooth. By learning to see the world in its fallen state and overcoming the compulsion for perfection introverts nursing a wounded spirit can be able to deal with life's obstacles in a positive way. Healing becomes automatic.

Instead of destructive or negative thinking and analysis a constructive or positive thinking approach to matters in life can lift up one's spirit into a whole new experience of life. It can open new levels of faith, hope, experiences and opportunities that would never have been realized during the time of being preoccupied with the past or any imperfections.

In psychology the tendency toward negative thinking is called call neuroticism. A person with this tendency is referred to as neurotic. Many that are stuck in a cycle of destructive or negative thinking and analysis are actually very intelligent and talented people (though many don't know that). Universities and history itself has a long list of the smartest at some point suffering from mental disorders.

When self-inflicting introverts overcome their destructive approach, cease playing the low self esteem and negativity inner songs many can find themselves in the most fulfilling careers, positions, outreach work, marriages, you name it... Developing their attitudes and perceptions on life can help them express the many talents they already have (though many don't even know what they have). A cloud of witnesses in heaven are cheering for them to utilize their gifts and make a difference in this world.

It's often said that our attitude more than our aptitude determines our altitude in life. Our attitude in the spiritual sense is faith in action. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned,” Hebrews 11:29. What would otherwise drown somebody can be a path to success for a person of faith (positive attitude).

It's also said that, “All the water in the world won't sink a ship - unless it gets inside it.” How we react to matters in life, not the matters themselves, influences how we'll navigate our way forward. The unpleasant water is all around us. Our challenge is to insure it does not get inside our boats of life.

Other spiritual wounds predisposed to introverts

Our uniqueness using secular principles: Cognitive Personality Theories

Cognitive Personality theories emphasis mental, cognitive, thought or mental aspects of a person as main determinants of personality. They focus on mental or cognitive processes such as thinking, perception, attention, learning, remembering, concept formation, problem solving, and verbal behavior. Cognition is basically the act of using the mind in the various ways that include thinking, perception, and so on.

Thus it sees the mind as a processing system, like a computer's. For a person to understand himself and his personality, Cognitive Personality theories argue that a person needs to understand his/her mental cognitive processes such as thinking, perception, attention, remembering, and so on.

Cognitive Personality theories are the focus in a psychology field known cognitive psychology. Here is a definition of cognitive psychology by:

“Cognitive psychology is concerned with information processing, and includes a variety of processes such as attention, perception, learning, and memory. It is also concerned with the structures and representations involved in cognition. The greatest difference between the approach adopted by cognitive psychologists and by the Behaviorists is that cognitive psychologists are interested in identifying in detail what happens between stimulus and response.

“…The mind has structural and resource limitations, and so should be thought of as a limited capacity processor,” (Michael R.W. Dawson, PhD, “Cognitive Psychology,” University of Alberta, Department of Psychology)

Cognitive Personality theories are used in combination with Behavioral Personality theories in counseling by secular psychiatrists. When combined they become Cognitive Behavioral Personality theories.

Psychiatry counseling using the combination of cognitive and behavioral personality theories is known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT and its offshoots will be covered in the chapter on healing through secular approaches: “Healing the Wounded Spirit: the Secular Approach.”

Our uniqueness using secular principles: Behavioral Theories

Behavioral Personality theories or just Behaviorism focus on behavior in understanding personality. Instead of looking at unseen mental aspects like cognitive psychology Behavioral Personality theories focus on the seen behavior to determine the personality of a person. Specifically they focus on the influence of external stimuli or external cause factors on one's behavior.

Thus using behavioral personality theories to understand yourself you ought to focus on your behavior in relation to how you react to various external factors. For example, we react differently in a situation of an accident. Some run for protection, others remain on the scene to help people seek protection, others freeze on the scene until someone helps them, some just watch, others go on minding their own self-centered business while ignoring what took place, and so on. The same incident yet people behave differently and all in varying degrees.

A strategy I may suggest for using behavioral personality theories to understand yourself is to combine it with the four personality temperament theory covered earlier. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses outlined by the four personality theory helps you to monitor behaviors you consider worth changing to move forward. You may then use its conditioning principles for changing behavior. The most noteworthy conditioning mechanism is called Operant Conditioning. It will be covered shortly.

It is this focus on behavior that has made behavioral personality theories popular in secular counseling circles. Counseling using behavioral theories is known as Behavior Therapy. Behavior therapy uses various behavioral principles like reinforcement, rewards, punishments, and so on, in treating behavioral and emotional difficulties. This process is known as conditioning in the field.

The two main types of conditioning of behavior are Operant Conditioning and Classical Conditioning. Classical Conditioning is sometimes called Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning. Operant Conditioning in particular can be helpful even for self-treatment of bad habits and unpleasant emotional responses.

“Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behavior. Operant conditioning is distinguished from Pavlovian conditioning in that operant conditioning deals with the modification of "voluntary behavior" through the use of consequences, while Pavlovian conditioning deals with the conditioning of behavior so that it occurs under new antecedent conditions.

“ Reinforcement and punishment , the core tools of operant conditioning, are either positive (delivered following a response), or negative (withdrawn following a response). This creates a total of four basic consequences, with the addition of a fifth procedure known as extinction (i.e. no change in consequences following a response).

“It's important to note that organisms are not spoken of as being reinforced, punished, or extinguished; it is the response that is reinforced, punished, or extinguished. Additionally, reinforcement, punishment, and extinction are not terms whose use are restricted to the laboratory. Naturally occurring consequences can also be said to reinforce, punish, or extinguish behavior and are not always delivered by people.

* Reinforcement is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with greater frequency.

* Punishment is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with less frequency.

* Extinction is the lack of any consequence following a response. When a response is inconsequential, producing neither favorable nor unfavorable consequences, it will occur with less frequency.

“Four contexts of operant conditioning: Here the terms "positive" and "negative" are not used in their popular sense, but rather: "positive" refers to addition, and "negative" refers to subtraction. What is added or subtracted may be either reinforcement or punishment. Hence positive punishment is sometimes a confusing term, as it denotes the addition of punishment (such as spanking or an electric shock), a context that may seem very negative in the lay sense. The four procedures are:

“1. Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by a favorable stimulus (commonly seen as pleasant) that increases the frequency of that behavior. In the Skinner box experiment, a stimulus such as food or sugar solution can be delivered when the rat engages in a target behavior, such as pressing a lever.

“2. Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus (commonly seen as unpleasant) thereby increasing that behavior's frequency. In the Skinner box experiment, negative reinforcement can be a loud noise continuously sounding inside the rat's cage until it engages in the target behavior, such as pressing a lever, upon which the loud noise is removed.

“3. Positive punishment (also called "Punishment by contingent stimulation") occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by an aversive stimulus, such as introducing a shock or loud noise, resulting in a decrease in that behavior.

“4. Negative punishment (also called "Punishment by contingent withdrawal") occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of a favorable stimulus, such as taking away a child's toy following an undesired behavior, resulting in a decrease in that behavior,” (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia, “Operant Conditioning”).

Combined with cognitive theories Behavioral Personality theories make a good team. One focuses on changing the way of thinking or cognition while the other focusing on changing the way of behaving.

Psychiatry counseling using the combination of cognitive and behavioral personality theories is known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT and its offshoots will be covered in the chapter on healing through secular approaches: “Healing the Wounded Spirit: the Secular Approach.”

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