Emotional detachment
In psychology, emotional detachment, also known as emotional blunting, is a condition or state in which a person lacks emotional connectivity to others, whether due to an unwanted circumstance or as a positive means to cope with anxiety. Such a coping strategy, also known as emotion-focused coping, is used when avoiding certain situations that might trigger anxiety.[3] It refers to the evasion of emotional connections. Emotional detachment may be a temporary reaction to a stressful situation, or a chronic condition such as depersonalization-derealization disorder. It may also be caused by certain antidepressants. Emotional blunting, also known as reduced affect display, is one of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Signs and symptoms
Emotional detachment may not be as outwardly obvious as other
In a study of children ages 4–12, traits of aggression and antisocial behaviors were found to be correlated with emotional detachment. Researchers determined that these could be early signs of emotional detachment, suggesting parents and clinicians to evaluate children with these traits for a higher behavioral problem in order to avoid bigger problems (such as emotional detachment) in the future.[7]
A correlation was found of higher emotional blunting among patients treated with depression who scored higher on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and were male (though the frequency difference was slight).[6]
Emotional detachment in small amounts is normal. For example, being able to emotionally and psychologically detach from work when one is not in the workplace is a normal behavior. Emotional detachment becomes an issue when it impairs a person's ability to function on a day-to-day level.[8]
Scales
While some depression severity scales provide insight to emotional blunting levels, many symptoms are not adequately covered.[9] An attempt to resolve this issue is the Oxford Depression Questionnaire (ODQ), a scale specifically designed for full assessment of emotional blunting symptoms. The ODQ is designed specifically for patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in order to assess individual levels of emotional blunting.
Another scale, known as the Oxford Questionnaire on the Emotional Side-Effects of Antidepressants (OQESA), was developed using qualitative methods.[6]
Causes
Emotional detachment and/or emotional blunting have multiple causes, as the cause can vary from person to person. Emotional detachment or emotional blunting often arises due to
Emotional blunting is often caused by
Schizophrenia often occurs with negative symptoms, extrapyramidal signs (EPS), and depression. The latter overlaps with emotional blunting and is shown to be a core part of the present effects.[15] Schizophrenia in general causes abnormalities in emotional understanding of individuals, all of which are clinically considered as an emotional blunting symptom. Individuals with schizophrenia show less emotional experiences, display less emotional expressions, and fail to recognize the emotional experiences and/or expressions of other individuals.[16]
The changes in fronto-limbic activity in conjunction with depression succeeding a left hemisphere basal ganglia stroke (LBG stroke) may contribute to emotional blunting. LBG strokes are associated with depression and often caused by disorders of the basal ganglia (BG). Such disorders alter the emotional perception and experiences of the patient.[14]
In many cases people with eating disorders (ED) show signs of emotional detachment. This is due to the fact that many of the circumstances that often lead to an ED are the same as the circumstances that lead to emotional detachment. For example, people with ED often have experienced childhood abuse. Eating disorders on their own are a maladaptive coping mechanism and to cope with the effects of an eating disorder, people may turn to emotional detachment.[17]
Bereavement or losing a loved one can also be causes of emotional detachment.[17]
Unfortunately, the prevalence of emotional blunting is not fully known.[6]
Behavioral mechanism
Emotional detachment is a maladaptive coping mechanism, which allows a person to react calmly to highly emotional circumstances. Emotional detachment in this sense is a decision to avoid engaging emotional connections, rather than an inability or difficulty in doing so, typically for personal, social, or other reasons. In this sense it can allow people to maintain boundaries, and avoid undesired impact by or upon others, related to emotional demands. As such it is a deliberate mental attitude which avoids engaging the emotions of others.
This detachment does not necessarily mean avoiding empathy; rather, it allows the person to rationally choose whether or not to be overwhelmed or manipulated by such feelings. Examples where this is used in a positive sense might include emotional boundary management, where a person avoids emotional levels of engagement related to people who are in some way emotionally overly demanding, such as difficult co-workers or relatives, or is adopted to aid the person in helping others.
Emotional detachment can also be "
Emotional detachment may allow acts of extreme
See also
- Alexithymia
- Anhedonia § Social anhedonia
- Asociality
- Assertiveness
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Dissociation
- in DSM-IV)
- Emotional contagion
- Emotional dysregulation
- Emotional isolation
- Psychic distance
- Reactive attachment disorder
- Social rejection
- Splitting (psychology)
- Stoicism
- Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV
References
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- ^ "Emotion-focused coping". APA Dictionary of Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. n.d.
- ^ Dresden, Danielle (27 May 2020). "Emotional detachment: Symptoms, causes, and treatment". www.medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ISBN 0-393-70037-2
- ^ S2CID 3755520. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
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- ^ PMID 34378539.
- ISBN 978-0-203-89392-0
- ISBN 978-1-4899-0310-5, retrieved 2021-03-22
- PMID 20034615.
- ^ "Emotional blunting: unresolved MDD symptom or effect of treatment?". Progress In Mind. 10 September 2019.
- ^ PMID 23176970.
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- S2CID 219728825– via EBSCO.
- ^ Williams, Kipling D.; Nida, Steve A. (2011), Ostracism, Consequences and Coping, West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University