Destabilization

Early Family Life

A well-functioning family provides the context for a child to grow and discover their own natural methods for mental stabilization. The roles of genes and early environment in those choices are not known.

Being brought up in a dysfunctional family is liable to interfere with the effective use of inner circle methods. The growing child is simply exposed to too much disruption and destabilization. Much research has confirmed that absence of a loving protective adult in early life disrupts capacities for attachment and empathy.

Any child in an uncaring environment may be expected to move to the dissociation zone. Here, Transpersonal existence is too demanding for most, so the result is Vital existence: which correlates in adulthood with a pattern of indiscriminate sexuality, smoking, alcohol use, substance abuse and brawling. In adolescence, social support comes from membership of local gangs where a power-centred approach is needed for survival.

Troubles Never Come Alone

The PH'4-Types were labeled as existences because pervasive use of the methods generates a recognizable form of psychosocial existence.You absolutely must organise your life to accord with your preferred method for mental stabilization.

Unlike Methods in other Typologies that need not be taken seriously unless they centre on your occupation or particular situational choices, stabilization methods are absolutely essential for everyone at all times to support endeavours, large and small.

Many sorts of disturbances—losses, frustrations, humiliations, isolation—can at least temporarily destabilize anyone regardless of their methods. But recovery with sensible gentle self-care is usually rapid.

If your preferred methods are blocked or disrupted for lengthy periods, then an experience of stress builds up rapidly. The healthy spontaneous restorative method being unavailable, your reaction to such fundamental stress is necessarily liable to be dysfunctional, even if it escapes social notice. So troubles start to multiply.

Reasons for Disruption

By definition, all methods fail when a person is overwhelmed and traumatized. For example:  •Serious physical illness can isolate a person and disrupt achievements. •Culture shock can make social adjustment difficult. •Naive engagement in fraudulent activity to boost self-esteem may lead to a catastrophic loss of peer support and respect. •Wartime devastation can be traumatic.

Possible Reactions

Illness or accident may strike anyone. Some react by submerging themselves in work. Others develop a neurotic symptom: an inhibition, phobia or obsession. Over-eating or substance abuse is common. Sleep disruption may occur. Close relationships may become distant or acrimonious, and participation in social events may cease.

Method Specificity

If destabilization becomes chronic, endeavours cannot be effectively pursued. On the surface, this may seem either due to illness (physical or mental) or to personality deterioration. A diagnosis of depression is often assigned: but the situation has little in common with a depressive illness, and it is unlikely that medication should be viewed as other than a temporary solution.

While death is not a primary and immediate danger during destabilization, life depends on endeavour and so death is a consequential threat. Serious mental or physical deterioration often leads to job loss, self-neglect, secondary infections, or a serious accident. Dysfunctional temporary solutions like alcohol or drugs are themselves intrinsically hazardous for health and safety.

The exact conditions under which such things happen require much more research. Other vulnerability factors are likely at play.

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Originally posted:  15-Oct-2014. Last updated 22-Jan-2015.