Lately do you feel like you've become really stupid? We invite you to familiarize yourself with the main signs of degradation and determine whether your fears are justified.

This is how a person is designed - he must constantly develop and strive for new heights: personal, spiritual, intellectual and social. As soon as we stop developing, our brain turns on a program... no, not self-destruction, but degradation. Of course, it’s nice to lie on the couch all day long, looking at the ceiling, but degradation is too high a price to pay for idleness!
Note that from time to time we still need some kind of unloading. Lounging on the beach for a month, sleeping for a week and not reading any smart literature is useful if you have experienced a lot of stress or are tired to the point of exhaustion. But such rest should be alternated with vigorous activity.

Signs of personality degradation

American psychologist Maslow identified several qualities inherent in people with personality degradation:
- Treating yourself like a cog. When a person believes that nothing depends on him, that he is just a pawn who cannot change anything: neither in his life, nor in the life of society.
- Minimum wishes. All actions come down to satisfying purely physiological needs - to eat, sleep, relieve sexual hunger. Such people go to work only for money, and meet people of the opposite sex only for sex.
- Black and white world. The environment for such people is divided into “us” and “strangers”. These people try in every possible way to protect themselves from “strangers”; they have a very narrow circle of friends.
- Categorical. A degrading personality considers his opinion to be the only correct one and considers disputes and discussions an unnecessary waste of time.

Poverty of vocabulary. A person uses only elementary speech patterns, it is difficult for him to find words to describe something, it is especially difficult to find adjectives - it is this part of speech that expresses our emotions and feelings. In general, such people try not to speak; they do not want to spend extra effort on verbal functions.
- Dependencies. Alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction are very clear signs of degradation. It is difficult to say whether they are the cause or consequence of degradation, but the fact remains: if a person has an addiction, there is a great risk that he will degrade.

How not to degrade?

The advice, on the one hand, is very simple, but on the other, difficult to implement. Especially if you're not used to putting in effort. However, it's worth pushing yourself!
- Read! This is universal advice to everyone who does not want to sink intellectually. Read not only fiction, but also books from an area in which you have never been interested. This prevents our brain from becoming “hardened”.
- Take care of yourself! Yes, taking care of your appearance is not a whim, but one of the elements of self-respect. Make sure you look aesthetically pleasing.
- Reason. Try not to take statements for granted. Argue, debate, defend your point of view - and be able to change it if your opponent’s arguments are convincing.
- Be moral. The norms of society were invented for a reason; they contain a deep meaning. Therefore, the postulates that you cannot lie, steal, fornicate, and so on help you integrate into society. And do not become corrupted spiritually.
- Think high. What is the meaning of your life? What is your purpose? What are you striving for and what is valuable to you? Think about such things from time to time; it is even more useful to look for answers to your questions in spiritual practices.
- Be creative. Creativity is the most effective way for self-development and self-realization. It doesn’t matter in what area you manifest it, it will not let you degrade. Look for new ways to solve standard problems, be creative at home and at work.
- Meet me. Expand your social circle, try to meet and make friends with people who are doing something unfamiliar to you.

One of the most severe types of degradation is considered to be insanity, which is dementia. With it, contacts with the outside world are lost. The person expresses complete indifference to other people and maintains a very carefree life.

Signs of personality degradation can be observed in many people. Moreover, such problems are characteristic not only of chronic losers, but also of fully conscious individuals. This is the danger of the withering process. This state of affairs once again confirms the vulnerability of the individual.

Causes of human degradation

Often a person degrades because he is overcome by apathy. In situations where a person needs to complete some important task or make a responsible decision, many prefer to do nothing. A person without a will, who acts only in accordance with his desires and unwillingnesses, has every chance of degenerating morally and intellectually.

Personality degradation is a process that can often be observed in adults. When a person retires, in a sense, he dies, as younger colleagues see him off to a “well-deserved rest.” In fact, in such a situation the person relaxes, because now there is no need to be responsible for anything or make efforts to achieve some goal. As a result, destructive passivity completely takes over the person. Such an amorphous state can be compared to preparation for physical death. Surprisingly, among older people there are quite a lot of those who have not been spared by degradation.

The problem of personality degradation is more common among lonely people or those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. In the latter case, the person becomes depressed, which contributes to rapid personal decline. It is interesting that a huge proportion of people, wanting to take revenge on life for their misfortune, for the most part kill themselves. Thus, a person practices a kind of slow suicide.

Another reason for degradation may be a feeling of guilt. People who feel unnecessary often experience personal disintegration. If a person has lost faith in himself due to several consecutive failures, then there is a high probability of degradation.

It is impossible to list all the reasons for the decline of personality, among which, undoubtedly, there are such as lack of will, drug addiction in all its manifestations, cruelty, procrastination and banal laziness. However, the main reason is still the lack of spirituality, intelligence, compassion and love. It is these components that make a person human.

Undoubtedly, there are many examples where a person without a soul can demonstrate an extraordinary mind and achieve considerable success without degenerating. However, to become such a person you must initially be a person and be formed in certain conditions.

The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow believed that human degradation has the following stages of progression:

• Formation of the “pawn” psychology. A person has the feeling that he is completely dependent on some other forces. This phenomenon is called the phenomenon of “learned helplessness.”
• The emergence of a shortage of basic goods. The primary needs of food and survival become a priority.
• Formation of a “clean” environment. The entire society is divided into good and bad people, “us” and “strangers”. Often a person develops a feeling of shame and guilt for himself.
• The emergence of the cult of “self-criticism.” A person is able to admit the commission of even those actions to which he has nothing to do.
• Protection of "sacred foundations". The individual categorically does not want to think about the main premises of ideology. Such people do not doubt their “sacred foundations” and are not able to look at them with a skeptical eye.

How to avoid degradation

Spiritual degradation of personality may well overtake anyone who does not engage in self-development. Thus, any person has every chance of coming to complete, comprehensive collapse. It is necessary to invest time and effort to maintain yourself at a consistently high level. Build, improve and do - this is what those who do not want to degrade need to concentrate on. Otherwise, spiritual death will overtake a person much earlier than physical death.

To avoid degradation, you should be able to fight your passivity. This skill allows you to increase a person’s internal energy and strengthen willpower.

There is physical and social death. The second concept implies that a person, being healthy, is of no value to society. Moreover, such a person can also cause harm to society, since he is a burden and is far from the best example. In order to avoid social death, it is necessary to make efforts to maintain an active physical state and be interested in everything that is happening in the world. A person should strive to be useful to the people among whom he lives. To maintain high life potential, you need to live not only for yourself, without surrendering to the hands of internal passivity. It should be understood that the main food for the mind is both the information that we consume when reading or through auditory perception, and what we talk about and are interested in.

Those who have a fairly active life position and live in mission mode will never face the problem of degradation. Usually such people do what they love and have many interests.

You need to understand that the environment has an incredible influence on the development or degradation of the individual. If a person mainly comes into contact with people who are going downhill, then this will not have a beneficial effect on him.

There is a parable about a cucumber that tried with all its might to preserve its freshness. Having got into a jar of pickles, he was very unpleasant at first, since the brine did not help maintain freshness. In addition, the appearance of a fresh cucumber was a reproach to its salty counterparts. However, after a while, the pickle was no longer disgusting to the cucumber, and its neighbors no longer seemed so salty. The cucumber thought that it was very convenient to be like everyone else. However, to avoid becoming a salty snack, you need to follow the right direction in life.

Now you know what human degradation is. Having a general understanding of this problem, you can easily avoid the fate that is prescribed for a huge number of people.

Statements of great and successful people about degradation

« Pride is the first stage of degradation. Pride leads to unconscious arrogance, or disdain for others, then to insult at the level of the mind, in thoughts. Then, if we do not stop our negativity towards others at the mental level, we will verbally insult others. And by insulting with words, we will degrade. We will acquire bad qualities. The Universal Forces will force us to acquire precisely those qualities for which we criticize others. We will get hit on the head, this can lead us to degradation!"Timchenko S.

“Some are engaged in self-improvement, others – in self-degradation.”

“Degradation often considers itself a kind of culture.” Darius

“If we draw conclusions from our own mistakes and failures, they become steps in the ladder of our development. It would seem that a successful person who avoids activity, does not get involved in anything, acts very carefully, and everything seems to be fine with him, in fact, simply does not develop. Therefore, we should not be afraid of activity. We must be afraid of this reluctance to draw conclusions. "Ruzov V.

“Peace is a form of degradation, and degradation is the destruction of personality.”

“...and so slowly I began to sink to the level of my fellow citizens. It was more difficult with the head. But alcohol helped. Drink alcohol three times a day - and you clear your head of unnecessary knowledge and thoughts. During the year, I had a hard time forgetting what I learned after the academy. I forgot college in a month, gymnasium in a week. I forgot philosophy either in a day, or in three... I don’t remember anymore. A story per day. This, what’s her name... well, in general, I forgot her, without straining, in about three hours.” from the movie "The House That Swift Built"

“Who is modern man? This is an egoistic being in which lust, anger, malice, envy, etc. live. And the justification for all this sounds like this in the modern world - no, no, the person is good, but the environment is bad. Those. modern psychological and mental theories and sciences are based precisely on this judgment. They say that man is a product of the environment. This is not to say that there is no common sense in this, but to call this the absolute truth, the genuine truth is also very doubtful. Srila Prabhupada once said: Modern man has passed from a human being into simply a more developed animal, into a sophisticated animal that fulfills the lowest animal needs with very perverted, sophisticated methods.”

“You can only use for your own pleasure that which occupies an inferior position. The desire for selfish pleasure inevitably leads the soul to the lower realms of reality. But service to the Highest spiritualizes, cultivates sublime feelings and reveals to the soul its true purpose.” Maharaj G.

« As soon as you stop thinking intensely with your head, you enter the path of reverse mental development.»

“A person either moves forward or slides back, even if it seems that everything is as before.”

“If a person has not read something in a day that increases his intelligence even a bit, he has taken a step forward in turning himself into a Neanderthal.” Duvarova A.

“Practice shows, life experience shows that when a man does not know for whom he lives, when there is no woman for whose sake he would have to perform a feat, save her from her own fate and help her cleanse herself, advance in self-awareness, then he simply degrades. A man not only does not progress himself, but, in addition, he degrades! The only exceptions are people who have dedicated themselves to serving society and spreading spiritual knowledge.” Narushevich R.

“Primitiveness without improvement is a sign of degradation.” Gaiduk L.

“The degradation of a nation occurs where the people stop singing their songs, and songs are the soul of the people.” Grutsenko V.

« The main opportunity to remove degradation in the family is that a man must believe in something, he must have a purpose in life. Because the main responsibility of a man is to lead his family in terms of spiritual progress. This is the main responsibility, and not that he will bring money. He may be responsible for something, but what is faith? Means the search for a higher taste for happiness, a more reasonable existence, a more correct approach to life. This should be done by a man, not a woman. A woman can believe in something. For her, faith is simply protection. For a man, faith is a search. Therefore, a man must seek happiness, this is his duty. If he doesn’t do this, let him provide for the family, let him do everything necessary for it, however, this will not increase happiness in the family.” Torsunov O.

“And he lay down on the sofa again. A shame. Degradation. And laziness." from the movie "Secret Window"

“A person is universal, can be everything, but is forced to limit himself to something available to him from the socially acceptable, almost deliberately achieving atrophy of all functions beyond the necessary minimum. » Ermolova E.

Personality degradation - How to prevent it?

— The concept of personality degradation?
— Causes of human degradation
— 7 signs of individual regression
— 12 ways to prevent personal degradation
— 10 tricks to prevent mental regression
- Conclusion

Not many people have an idea of ​​what personality degradation is. In a condensed sense, this term implies the complete destruction of human capabilities. If we talk about such a concept as personality degradation in more detail, then it represents a loss of mental balance and performance, as well as a comprehensive weakening of activity.

Degradation is a disease and is by no means rare. Many of us are already on the path to this personal “grace” without realizing it. Personal degradation is nothing more than a loss of efficiency, will, interests, feelings, principles.
The best examples of complete personality degradation are alcoholics (we won’t touch drug addicts, there are still fewer of them than those who like to gargle). Their thoughts are superficial, their ideals are unshakable, their phrases and words are all similar in their simplicity and unpretentiousness. The brain works only in the name of obtaining the main need of life - alcohol.

One of the most severe types of degradation is considered to be insanity, which is dementia. With it, contacts with the outside world are lost. The person expresses complete indifference to other people and maintains a very carefree life.

Personality degradation is more often observed with the advent of age, but there are many very old people who have not been affected by personality degradation.

At the same time, people with an active life position, living in mission mode, being needed by others and doing what they love and do creatively almost never experience personality degradation.

— Causes of human degradation

1) Apathy.
Often a person degrades because he is overcome by apathy. A person without a will, who acts only in accordance with his desires and unwillingnesses, has every chance of degenerating morally and intellectually.

2) Retirement.
Personality degradation is a process that can often be observed in adults. When a person retires, in a sense, he dies, as younger colleagues see him off to a “well-deserved rest.” In fact, in such a situation the person relaxes, because now there is no need to be responsible for anything or make efforts to achieve some goal.

As a result, destructive passivity completely takes over the person. Such an amorphous state can be compared to preparation for physical death. Surprisingly, among older people there are quite a lot of those who have not been spared by degradation.

3) Loneliness.
The problem of personality degradation is more common among lonely people or those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. In the latter case, the person becomes depressed, which contributes to rapid personal decline. It is interesting that a huge proportion of people, wanting to take revenge on life for their misfortune, for the most part kill themselves. Thus, a person practices a kind of slow suicide.

4) Feelings of guilt.
Another reason for degradation may be a feeling of guilt. People who feel unnecessary often experience personal disintegration. If a person has lost faith in himself due to several consecutive failures, then there is a high probability of degradation.

It is impossible to list all the reasons for the decline of personality, among which, undoubtedly, there are such as lack of will, drug addiction in all its manifestations, cruelty, procrastination and banal laziness. However, the main reason is still the lack of spirituality, intelligence, compassion and love. It is these components that make a person human.

— 7 signs of individual regression

American psychologist Maslow identified several qualities inherent in people with personality degradation:

1) Treat yourself like a cog.
Formation of the “pawn” psychology. A person has the feeling that he is completely dependent on some other forces. This phenomenon is called the phenomenon of “learned helplessness.”

2) Minimum desires.
The emergence of a shortage of basic goods. The primary needs of food and survival become a priority. Such people go to work only for money, and meet people of the opposite sex only for sex.

3) Black and white world.
Formation of a “clean” environment. The entire society is divided into good and bad people, “us” and “strangers”. These people try in every possible way to protect themselves from “strangers”; they have a very narrow circle of friends. Often a person develops a feeling of shame and guilt for himself.

4) The emergence of the cult of “self-criticism”.
A person is able to admit the commission of even those actions to which he has nothing to do.

5) Categorical.
A degrading personality considers his opinion to be the only correct one and considers disputes and discussions an unnecessary waste of time. The individual categorically does not want to think about the main premises of ideology. Such people do not doubt their “sacred foundations” and are not able to look at them with a skeptical eye.

6) Poverty of vocabulary.
A person uses only elementary speech patterns, it is difficult for him to find words to describe something, it is especially difficult to find adjectives - it is this part of speech that expresses our emotions and feelings. In general, such people try not to speak; they do not want to spend extra effort on verbal functions.

7) Dependencies.
Alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction are very clear signs of degradation. It is difficult to say whether they are the cause or consequence of degradation, but the fact remains: if a person has an addiction, there is a great risk that he will degrade.

— 12 ways to prevent personal degradation

2) Take care of your appearance.
Even if all kinds of troubles surround you, make them afraid of your beauty, slender, fit body, fashionable clothes.

3) Don't indulge in bad habits.
Alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, even overeating are activities unworthy of a normal person.

4) Believe in the best.
In any situation, you need to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel and strive to bring it closer with all your might.

5) Love.
Parents, friends, your soulmate, animals, life, in the end.
A person in love will not suffer from personality degradation.

6) Don’t absorb all the suffering in the world.
If you can help with something, help, but if not, don’t reflect on someone else’s tragedy.

7) Self-development.
Books, videos, courses, classical educational institutions will not allow you to go to the bottom.

8) Believe that for all the atrocities committed, retribution will definitely follow.
Most villains commit crimes because they feel impunity, both before the law and before the highest court.

9) Do not ignore moral standards.
You cannot lie, steal, envy, gossip, or do nasty things.

10) Don't swear.
Bad words destroy our souls, drive money out of our wallets, and let me not say that swearing turns us into primates!

11) Do not forget about the rules of decency.
Picking your nose, publicly scratching your genitals, loudly yawning with your mouth open, slurping, licking a plate - these are already clear signs of personality degradation.

12) Never give up.
Even if everything in your life is bad now, you are able to turn the situation upside down and improve your situation.

— 10 tricks to prevent mental regression

1) Look after yourself.
If you suddenly feel discomfort because something is wrong (for example, your favorite website has changed its design or your favorite yogurt has disappeared from the store), grab this feeling by the tail and begin to “unwind” it. Why not try all the yogurts or start making your own?

2) Don’t re-read books you’ve already read.
Don't rewatch movies you've already watched. Yes, it’s a very pleasant psychological feeling to plunge into that cozy little world, in the lives of already familiar characters, no surprises, you already know the ending and you can enjoy the little things that you didn’t notice the first time, having devoured the book in an hour (or watched the season over the weekend). But at the same time, you take away the chance from new books and films to reveal something fundamentally new to you, and deprive your brain of the formation of alternative neural connections.

3) Look for new routes.
Try to look for new routes for your usual journey home and back, find alternative shops, cinemas and other infrastructure points on the map of your life.

4) Look for new music.
Most often, we listen to 50–100 familiar tracks that are pleasant to us for the same reasons - we have adapted to them, and our brain does not need to spend additional resources to process and comprehend them.

5) Look for new friends and acquaintances.
Yes, it’s, of course, great when you have friends with whom it’s nice to get together every Friday and discuss football or a new dress
But most of us live in megacities, why limit our circle to 4-5 people, and most often not chosen by us, but “imposed” by circumstances - school, institute, work?

The social tools embedded in us greatly influence our way of thinking, and sometimes it happens that, under the influence of certain friends, we change our point of view, set of interests, and sometimes even our type of activity.

6) Have children.
Children are a constant source of chaos and uncertainty in your life. They are living “concrete mixers” in your head, destroying all templates and reshaping your established routes in a new way.

They bring something new every day with their questions, behavior, inquisitive minds and continuous experiments with everything around them. You yourself will not notice how your thinking will liberate and you will begin to think differently.
If you are unable to have children yet, then you can start with a dog. Firstly, it requires a walk (and fresh air is good for the brain). Secondly, it involves you in involuntary communication with other dog lovers. And thirdly, it can also become a source of chaos.

7) Stop criticizing.
They are indicators of resistance to changes that unexpectedly occur in life. Changes that, most often, you cannot change. Or you can, but with a lot of effort that is not worth it.
It will be much more beneficial for your own development to accept these changes and motivate your brain to continue living in the new reality.

8) Stop labeling people.
This is very convenient - instead of understanding a person, thinking about why he did this, succumb to weakness and simply “brand” him, attaching him to one or another psychotype.

9) Experiment with flavors.
Even though evolution has overshadowed our sense of smell, smells still have a huge impact on us. And if you have a favorite eau de toilette that you haven’t changed for years, then it’s time to change it. And do this with some frequency.

10) Learn foreign languages.
Foreign words and their associated semantic fields are often different from your native language, and learning them is perhaps the most effective tool for training brain plasticity.

- Conclusion

Personality degradation is the worst thing that can happen to a person. It mainly affects pensioners who have left work. Each day becomes a continuation of the previous one. They no longer see the meaning in their existence. This is why old people are so often susceptible to insanity.

Unfortunately, recently most young people have stopped developing, that is, they are gradually deteriorating without noticing it. A person subconsciously resists everything new. But it is learning new skills that helps us not to degenerate completely.

Beware of monotony. This is what leads to degradation. Remember how many new things you learned after you graduated from school. If nothing, then this is a warning sign. Develop your brain if you don’t want to turn into a vegetable in old age. Better yet, find something you love. A person who does what he likes and constantly expands his horizons will never become senile.

The material was prepared by Dilyara specifically for the site

Recently, the concept of “degradation” is a favorite word among people. “You are deteriorating”, “our society is degrading” - what philosophical conversation with neighbors and friends is complete without including this concept. And by what signs is a person classified as degrading?

This definition should be studied in order to really operate it competently. After all, this word often sounds offensive. What is human degradation and why do people use this concept to offend or humiliate someone?

Chronic alcoholism leads to personality degradation

Personality degradation is the gradual loss of human appearance. When irreversible changes occur for the worse in character, habits, inclinations and hobbies. The development of such traits as irritability, passivity, and then aggressiveness is manifested.

What does degradation include?

The most severe consequence of personality degradation is the appearance of progressive dementia.

Signs of degradation

A degraded person does not come to his condition in one moment. Sometimes regression takes several decades to develop. The main distinguishing signs by which one can suspect a decline in personality include the following symptoms:

1. Gradual loss of the ability to think soberly and reason sensibly.
2. The ability to concentrate on any one task/goal disappears.
3. There is a attenuation of all feelings exhibited by a person in a normal state.
4. One notices a gradual withdrawal into oneself, into one’s inner, artificially created world.
5. Conversational and familiar speech becomes more primitive and incoherent.
6. Busyness in business and work decreases sharply.
7. The circle of human communication is also narrowing.
8. An apathetic state occurs in which the person stops showing any care and attention to others.

A person, being in the developing stages of regression, eventually loses mental stability. All manifestations of activity and performance are stopped. They are replaced by nervousness, global disturbances of attention and memory. All interests disappear, giving way to lack of initiative, lack of will and carelessness.

Degradation can also follow the spiritual path

Human degradation and Abraham Maslow

A medical psychologist who lived in America in the last century, he devoted his life to the study of human nature. A psychiatrist has compiled a hierarchy of personal needs. The world-famous scientist noted the main qualities that manifested themselves in all people walking along the road of degradation. According to the psychologist, people with regression tend to have the following perceptions:

1. The degenerate considers himself to be a “pawn.” That is, I am sure that his actions, as a conscious individual, depend entirely on someone: other people or external forces. This phenomenon is called “learned helplessness.”
2. The priority of degraded people becomes survival, only the desire to achieve all the needs necessary for the functioning of the body. Food, sleep, natural needs.
3. The regressed personality divides the entire society into two camps: bad/strangers and good/our own.
4. He is fully confident that his opinion is not subject to any discussion/criticism and is the only correct one.
5. The brain of such a person stops expending active efforts on the implementation of verbal functions. Therefore, those who are degraded will have a poorer vocabulary.

Senility

This type of irreversible disease refers to the extreme degree of personality degradation. A hopeless disease evolves gradually. At the beginning of the pathology, a person exhibits some behavioral disorders, becoming:

• stingy;
• greedy;
• grumpy;
• absent-minded;
• selfish;
• unassembled;
• inattentive.

Gradually, as the pathology develops, the symptoms of regression become more pronounced. Now the patient’s character contains such traits as a reluctance to take care of himself and his own hygiene. Memory and speech functions deteriorate. Many memories are replaced by imaginary fantasies. A patient with senile dementia requires comprehensive assistance and daily care and attention..

One of the types of personality degradation is senile insanity

Doctors refer to marasmus as an irreversible and progressive pathology that occurs against the background of atrophy of the functioning of the brain, vascular system and irreversible neuropsychic disorders.

Personality degradation in alcoholism

Regular excessive consumption of alcohol-containing drinks gradually provokes the development of chronic alcoholism in a person. This pathology, formed at the mental and physical level, is accompanied by regressive disorders in the functioning of the brain and disorders of the organic type.

Alcoholism always leads to degradation

Mental deviations that occur against the background of alcohol dependence are the main factors leading to personality degradation in alcoholism.

At its core, alcoholic personality regression is human development going in the opposite direction. That is, in this case, the alcoholic gradually experiences a weakening of intellectual abilities and memory. Character traits such as:

• selfishness;
• callousness;
• callousness;
• tactlessness;
• self-confidence.

The whole idea of ​​the existence of such a person comes down to one goal - to get the next dose of alcohol. An alcoholic begins to have problems sleeping, constantly waking up and not being able to go back to sleep peacefully. Such individuals cease to be interested in everything: the world around them, the needs of strangers, the needs of their own family.

Signs of personality degradation in an alcoholic

According to medical observations over many years, the first symptoms of regression of a person suffering from alcoholism begin 6-7 years after the start of an alcoholic career. At the first stage, a person stops feeling the need for self-realization, learning, and abandons all his usual hobbies and interests. The following factors indicate the formation of regression:

1. Loss of a sense of responsibility and duty to family, relatives, and colleagues.
2. Familiarity, shamelessness, annoyingness and sloppiness are more clearly manifested in behavior.
3. The feeling of guilt and awareness of the wrongdoings gone away.
4. Skills acquired through study and work disappear. An alcoholic becomes unable to concentrate and perform usual activities.
5. Primitivism is visible in thoughts and actions; now the speech is dominated by the same type and simple words.
6. Often the symptoms of personal regression go away against the background of complete immersion in oneself. The alcoholic becomes detached from the needs of those around him, existing in his own world, where the only need is to obtain the next dose of alcohol.

At the same time, the person suffering from alcohol addiction is completely unaware that his own personality is being destroyed and degraded. He often makes vows, initially assuming that he is unable to fulfill them. He does this only to create the appearance of a significant, obligatory person.

How personality changes with alcoholism

Degrading alcohol addicts are particularly intrusive. They are ready to talk for days about their past achievements, swearing friendship to their comrade. And after a few minutes, discuss the same person with others and slander him.

It also happens that alcoholics admit that they have a problem. But they try with all their might to justify themselves, blaming anyone for the development of addiction: strangers, circumstances, but not themselves .

In each individual case, alcoholic personality degradation manifests itself individually. Some people are more complacent, passive and obedient. Others fall into a state of extreme depression and melancholy. It happens that symptoms switch from one manifestation to the opposite.

Types of regression in alcoholism

Alcoholic personality degradation has its own classification. Experts divide it into four types:

1. Alcoholic.
2. Psychotic-like.
3. Astheno-neurosopod.
4. Alcohol-organic.

Alcohol type of regression

Such people are characterized by the appearance of numerous psycho-emotional disorders. These problems are based on low adequacy of emotional certainty. The main distinguishing feature of this level of regression is duplicity.

The degradation of an alcoholic also concerns appearance

That is, they can fully support the opinion of a certain person, but behind their backs they can do the opposite. This type of degradation is characterized by the following symptoms:

• cynicism;
• complete lack of will;
• constant euphoria;
• manifestations of hypocrisy;
• lack of self-criticism;
• superficiality of reasoning;
• high level of suggestibility;
• lack of disgust and shame;
• problems with memory and attention;
• frivolity towards one's own safety;
• swagger towards strangers;
• disregard for the needs of the family and work team.

A recognizable feature of these patients is their complete lack of will to change their own lives. Most of them are aware of the presence of destructive problems, but cannot show strong-willed qualities to change their lives for the better.

Psychiat-like type of degradation

Alcoholics with this type of regression are characterized by mood swings and suffer from pronounced manifestations of irritability. For people with psychotic-like degradation, alcohol becomes the only way to calm down and feel like a full-fledged person.

This type of regression is most typical of young people. Addiction to alcohol in young people develops due to the influence of bad companies and lack of proper attention and care from parents.

Such people are constantly gloomy, stern and taciturn. They prefer solitary drinking and often hide alcohol in different corners of their apartment. When drunk, such alcoholics become especially aggressive. They can throw and break dishes, get into fights, create scandals and hysterics.

What does alcoholism lead to?

Astheno-neurosis-like type of regression

This type is caused by asthenic manifestations of alcoholism. Such patients are characterized by attacks of irritability and severe manifestations of insomnia. Often such alcoholics get drunk before going to bed, in the evenings and sleep 4-5 hours throughout the day, often waking up from nightmares. They also experience other symptoms:

• absent-mindedness;
• suspiciousness;
• physical weakness;
• asthenic conditions;
• frequent headaches, heart pain;
• decline in performance;
• suppression of sexual desire;
• unexplained soreness;
• the appearance of obsessive thoughts and ideas;
• instability of behavioral reactions;
• deterioration of memory and concentration.

The main feature of this type of alcoholic is the awareness and desire to get rid of addiction. In fact, this is the most “correct” path of degradation (so to speak). After all, a person tries with all his might to change, strictly listening and adhering to all the doctor’s recommendations. With timely measures taken, alcoholics with this type of regression have many chances to return to their previous healthy state.

Alcohol-organic type of degradation

This type manifests itself in addicts who also have a number of physical ailments. These are vascular atherosclerotic brain lesions, alcoholic encephalopathy, and traumatic brain injury. These alcoholics are characterized by the following features:

• complete lack of will;
• increased talkativeness;
• sluggishness of thought processes;
• passivity in actions and decisions;
• decreased memory and intelligence;
• loss of self-esteem;
• the appearance of normal sentimentality;
• withdrawal into one’s own world, consisting of invented illusions.

But, regardless of what kind of alcoholic personality degradation is observed, the person suffers morally and physically. Any type of regression in alcohol addiction requires immediate, comprehensive treatment.

Stages of alcoholism

Causes of alcoholic personality degradation

Even a slight intake of alcohol into the body has a negative effect on the human brain. The breakdown products of ethyl alcohol destroy brain receptors, having a detrimental effect on its cortex. According to doctors, the true reasons for the development of regression in alcoholism lie in the negative effect of alcohol on blood cells.

When exposed to acetaldehyde (a toxic breakdown product of ethanol), red blood cells begin to clump together. Which leads to the formation of blood clots and the closure of vascular lumens. The result is massive death of brain cells.

Brain structures, experiencing severe oxygen starvation and not receiving the necessary nutrition, begin to experience severe hypoxia. A person may feel this state as intoxication or intense euphoria. The alcoholic does not even notice the beginning signs of degradation, attributing them to the usual manifestation of intoxication.

How to treat regression in alcoholism

The development of alcohol degradation can only be stopped with the help of a complete and irrevocable refusal to drink alcohol in any form. Alcohol addiction is a severe, deadly pathology. This disease not only takes away a person’s physical and mental health, but also mercilessly destroys socialization.

Treatment of degradation due to alcohol dependence falls under the competence of experienced psychotherapists. The addiction to drinking alcohol itself can be cured by a narcologist. The main condition for such therapy is the presence of a conscious desire of the addict to give up alcohol and return to a normal, healthy life. This attitude will greatly facilitate the task of doctors and help the sick person to rehabilitate more quickly.

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Many of us have often heard the phrase about someone we know: “He has completely degenerated, he has sunk.” Sometimes we see beaten, dirty individuals on the street, from whom we try to avert our gaze. What is personality degradation and how to avoid it, we will understand.

What is personality degradation

The concept of “degradation” is found not only in psychology. It means regression, reverse development. A thing, object or phenomenon loses its positive, progressive properties and slides to a lower level of development.

Personality degradation- this is a person’s loss of mental stability, a complete decline or significant weakening of performance and activity, minimization of acquired skills and ethical attitudes.

Not only a person’s intellect suffers, but also his sensory-emotional sphere. Not only does all interest in studying objects of the material world, acquiring new skills and abilities disappear, but the existing ones also lose their significance.

A person ceases to feel joy and does not accept responsibility for his life and the lives of loved ones. Your own and others’ emotions cease to matter.

Personality collapse often occurs with age, but can also begin in working adulthood. There are many examples of when in old age a person remains active and clear-minded, while young people descend to the state of primates.

A degraded person ceases to develop as a person, his threshold of what is permitted is significantly reduced, and moral standards cease to influence actions and actions. Physically such a person is alive, but spiritually his personality is already dead.

A degraded person can be identified by external signs: stooped posture, untidiness, dirty clothes and shoes, excessive fatness or thinness.

The range of interests of the individual is narrowed to the level of satisfying primary biological needs; we are talking about the survival of man as a species.

We will talk about the reasons for degradation below, but throughout your life it is necessary to engage in your own development - physical, intellectual and spiritual. An active person who has tasks and a mission on this earth will maintain a state of progressive changes until the end of his life.

Dislike for one's personality and lack of development lead to degradation up to the complete collapse of the human essence.

The main causes of personality degradation

The reasons for the collapse of personality can be different, all of them are destructive for a person. Let us list the main components leading to degradation.

Loneliness and loss of loved ones

The situation of degradation is characteristic mostly of lonely people. A possible cause of loneliness can be the death or departure of loved ones. It happens that not only blood relatives, but also friends are not nearby: a quarrel could occur, and due to age, witnesses of youth could die.

Social isolation

Regression can occur in a situation where an individual is excluded from society. A job is lost or retirement occurs, and a person feels as if he has completely dropped out of active life.

Every day he was used to getting up, putting himself in order, preparing breakfast and leaving for his duty station. Work matters, communication with colleagues, and team life gave life meaning and fulfillment.

After dismissal, a person is in prostration and does not see the purpose of further existence. The usual routine of life and the flow of thoughts are completely disrupted. It’s good if you have a family in which you can feel needed and valued: surprise with new dishes, take care of your grandchildren. If family members are absent or unsupportive, degradation may begin.

Laziness and apathy

Often, personal regression occurs as a result of a person’s elementary laziness, his reluctance to strain and move anywhere at all. He begins to shy away from completing tasks that require effort or responsibility.

An individual can work at the same time, but in such a way that he wants to go home as soon as possible. At home, he also doesn’t strive to do anything: cleaning, cooking, affordable home repairs - remain outside the zone of attention.

Such a person is also too lazy to go out in public, play sports, go out into nature. The destiny of such an individual is to consume beer with ready-made semi-finished products in front of the TV while watching programs and programs that do not provide any food for the mind and spirit. Such pastime is also sometimes beneficial for mental health, but in very small doses as a way to relieve physical or mental fatigue.

Low self-esteem and guilt

It happens that a person suffers defeat several times in a row in various areas of life - personal and (or) professional. In such situations, some of us experience a sharp decline and a lack of confidence in ourselves and our strengths.

Failures force some people to grit their teeth and get up again, try again to achieve their goal, while others are driven into depression. A person begins to blame himself for all the troubles, again and again, analyzing mistakes and mistakes.

The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow identified four stages in the process of human degradation:

• Taking responsibility for your own life. The individual develops the psychology of a “pawn” that life or other people can move as they wish. The strength of one's own personality and the presence of will are leveled.
• Satisfying the needs of higher levels (for respect, development) becomes unnecessary. Only physiological needs and requirements are included in the priority.
• The concept of multipolarity of the world, things and phenomena disappears in the individual. He clearly divides people into good and bad, friends and strangers.
• Increased feelings of guilt. A person literally destroys his personality by self-criticism, prescribing guilt to himself even in those things to which he cannot be involved.
• A person has a set of rules, life principles, beyond which he is not able to go.

Separately, as causes of degradation, there are issues of alcoholism of the individual and, which will be discussed in a separate chapter.

Characteristic symptoms

A degraded personality is easy to recognize, even just by external signs.

There are also deeper symptoms that can be recognized in person:

• Loss of appearance. Unwashed hair, dirty clothes, heavy body odor - these signs appear already at the final stage. A man walks down the street drunk, not embarrassed by it, and does not cover the bruises on his face with dark glasses. Complete loss of shame. And it all can start from refusing to do a manicure and cut your hair regularly, not paying attention to the cleanliness and integrity of your clothes - these are the first signs of degradation.
• Loss of interest in life, the scope of needs is narrowed to food and drink. Politics, painting, sports cease to matter as such. There is nothing in this world that could evoke emotions in a degraded personality. The world narrows so much that it becomes almost invisible.
• Loss of feelings such as shame and disgust. Base instincts are not controlled, food from a garbage can does not cause disgust. A person no longer hides from judgmental glances, he simply does not notice them or does not take them into account.
• Decreased intelligence, memory, primitiveness of judgment. A person’s speech changes, the set of words and expressions becomes minimal. Remember Sharikov from “Heart of a Dog” - this is roughly how a degraded person thinks.
• The person becomes psychologically unstable. Here the manifestations can be different - irritability, grumpiness, frivolity, aggressiveness, tearfulness. In any case, it is not appropriate to talk about healthy mental reactions.

Of course, it takes a certain amount of time from not wanting to develop yourself to lying drunk on a bench. Degradation does not happen overnight. Therefore, if we notice its first signs in ourselves or our loved ones, then we need to take measures to nip them in the bud.

Alcoholism is one of the causes of human degradation

This is a disease, the cause of which is initially the promiscuity of the person himself, and then chemical processes in the body come into play, which, unfortunately, are irreversible. The only way to stop the disintegration of personality for an alcoholic is to completely stop drinking alcohol.

Alcohol has a destructive effect on many human organs - the liver, kidneys, and to a large extent - the brain. Memory deterioration and weakening of intelligence occur unnoticed and irreversible.

One of the first signs of an alcoholic’s degradation is the inability to remember new phenomena and skills; there is no pattern in work.

At first, a person copes with work responsibilities quite well and can take care of himself at home. As the disease develops, at its last stage, degradation reaches its climax and simple actions become impossible.

We are talking about the fact that with degradation, the range of interests of an individual narrows sharply. For a dependent individual, it boils down to the need to get another dose of alcohol. And this is understandable from a physiological point of view. The body is so accustomed to alcohol being involved in metabolism that it does not function well without it. Hormones of joy and happiness can only be produced when a new portion of alcohol is received. But such “happiness” does not last long. It is replaced by anxiety and self-deprecation. It turns out to be such a vicious circle.

The distinctive features of alcohol degradation are:

• Complete lack of self-criticism. The person believes that he drinks “like everyone else” and completely denies that he has any serious problems.
• People around who try to stop an alcoholic from drinking become his enemies and persecutors. After all, these people want to deprive him of the only available way to get pleasure.
• Moral standards cease to matter to the individual. The feeling of shame first dulls and then disappears completely.
• When drunk or waiting for a dose, a person forgets about his responsibility to his family, does not care about absenteeism and the threat of dismissal.
• The person becomes extremely deceitful and resourceful. Wanting to drink, he comes up with different ways to get alcohol, hides it, carries it in a rubber hot water bottle, if he has drinking buddies, he finds any excuse to run away from home.

The emotional sphere suffers the most: from aggression to lisp, from self-flagellation to self-praise, from depression to euphoria. When alcohol becomes the goal of life and the only source of positive emotions, then there can be no talk of any spiritual development. A person is not interested in walking, reading, discussing any issues; the whole world for him fits at the bottom of a glass.

How to prevent personality degradation

If you know the enemy by sight, then you can and should fight him.

First, a few general philosophical considerations:

• Life is not fair. More precisely, she is fair in her own way. You can’t give up, complaining about the imperfections of this world. There will always be someone smarter, more successful or more beautiful. You should remain a worthy person in any life situation.
• Life is finite. Sooner or later we will all leave it. How best to live the years we have? Is it really in suffering, torment, guilt? No, you should live in joy and contentment, spiritual and physical purity. You should not voluntarily hasten your death.
• Life is changeable. At any point you can change everything dramatically: find a new job, get married at 60, and at 70 make a career as a fashion model. The possibilities of the individual are limitless, you just need to want, remember that we are a special creation of nature.

To avoid such a difficult process as degradation, we will give some tips:

If given the opportunity to learn a new experience or phenomenon, always choose knowledge, do not be lazy. People start painting in oils at retirement age. Why is this not available to you? Are you invited to visit an exhibition or go to the theater? There is no need to give up; perhaps the emotions you receive will lead you to a new hobby that will become a lifeline during times of distress for many years to come.

Take responsibility for all your actions. In times of despondency, pray, give your best in sports, sing, dance! The choice is yours. Don't let sadness eat you alive.

Always look after yourself. Cleanliness of body and home will give you self-confidence and calm your soul.

Do not wear old, torn, worn things, even if they were once very expensive and status-worthy. Nowadays, there are many places where you can buy a fresh blouse for little money.

Self-pity is a very difficult feeling that can lead to personality destruction.. We are not poor hungry kittens. If you are lonely and it seems that no one needs you, then get yourself such a kitten or dog. You will receive a huge amount of love from them, and the need to take care of a pet will not let you relax.

Think about what you wanted to become as a child, what you dreamed about. Start doing it! Think about your parents, or remember them if they have passed away. Holding you in their arms, would they like to see their child dissolute and unhappy? Why didn't you get enough sleep at night? The answer is simple, so that you grow up to be a happy and cheerful person, worthy and respected! Start becoming one, it's never too late.

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