Weird attitudes, extra aggressive or super demonstrative behaviors frighten most of us, as if something in our deepest selves made us move away from that ” aberrant ” thing . Nothing more true and scientific! But what are we talking about? Exaggerated behaviors are not always connected to the culture of society or to the past of an individual, but they can also derive from variations in individual life. We are talking about neurosis! This disorder, well studied by the psychoanalytic school and by the famous Sigmund Freud, is defined as a psychological pathology that derives from an alteration of the environment in which an individual lives, thus preventing the action of a certain instinct.
A very hostile environment
The damage perceived by an individual from reality. Consequence? The neurosis.
It is not difficult to observe how much our modern society destroys and deteriorates many of our instincts, even the simple “more comfortable” life, the rules of beauty and the taboos of society cause damage to our mind, or rather to instinct , that some Sometimes they are repaired only after taking a certain action.
Who has never escaped an “aggressive” action, such as raising their voice, banging a fist on the table or shaking their arms and legs with great enthusiasm? These small gestures act as an escape valve to release the core feeling of anger. Many times, due to the rules and the hectic world in which we live, it is not possible to use this valve ; with devastating effects . Super aggressive behaviors, or super emotional in general , can cause serious damage: homicides, violence, suicides .. So is it an exclusively human problem? No, even if in nature the phenomenon is less frequent.
The neurosis in animals
Chicken in a cage. In this environment, instincts are repressed.
In nature the instincts are largely satisfied, which is why neurosis is less frequent. A study carried out in the 1900s, and carried out by Wallace Craig, tells it . Using animals that have been deprived of the possibility of expressing a certain instinctive action. This scientist was able to define the term consummatory action; that is, that determined action which, after having been carried out, allows the discharge of the impulse, and therefore a state of tranquility in the individual. The phenomenon of this final action frantic search was called appetitive behavior, or appetitive behavior .
The non-satisfaction of an instinctive action leads to an “empty lap”, that is a completely abnormal behavior to the usual one. The whole organism is therefore in a state of agitation and the search for the stimulus situation is actively stimulated.
At this point, there is a critical note. With such results, found in not so recent experiments, how is it possible that it is not yet a burden to the psychological condition of animals, especially those in captivity? The first to suffer from this disease, in addition to farm animals, are those animals that live in our homes.
Our rules, but particularly our cultural taboos , curb our instincts with dramatic effects; one can only imagine what happens in animals.
