Possible Cause Of Schizoid Personality Disorder

My theory is that having parents/caretakers who are BOTH overbearing AND neglectful will lead to a greater chance of someone developing this condition over time. Many times we think it's either one or the other (overbearing or neglectful). In my own personal case, it was a situation that would swing wildly from overbearing parental dynamics to neglectful parental dynamics. There simply seemed to be no real "happy medium".

Having said that, I can't blame my parents for my condition. They are simply how they are and whatever happens...happens. I don't know anything different other than being who I am. Certainly, parents will play a role in shaping their children's personality to a certain extent, no doubt.

Anyway, feel free to chime in with your thoughts/opinions.

That was the case with me. My mother was overbearing, narcissistic and emotionally abusive and my father was neglectful and emotionally absent. I'm quite sure he was schizoid.

But I still think SPD is caused by athletes kneeling during the national anthem.

That overbearing and neglectful leads to ambivalent binding is well known in psychology. May also lead to borderline disorder, showing this ambivalence.
But the main cause in all disorders is a trauma in early childhood (age 1,5 to 3) which results in a complex PTSD. In a normal neurological development you would learn in that age from your primary caregiver(!) to autoregulate your emotions. Although it's learned in a brain area that does not know speech or rational thinking, but only emotions, it's a kind of internal mother that is always present to calm you down when something frightening happens: "Calm down. Mother is here. You are safe".
In order to internalize this, you need emotional experience at that age (later you don't remember) and a mother/primary caregiver who calms you right at the moment you experience it.
If you don't, you will never learn, because the time window of brain developement is closed and brain developement goes on. No matter if your parents are overbearing or neglectful, in both cases you don't learn to autoregulate your emotions. And you will suffer the rest of your life - pychologically and physically, including many social problems. And all "discorders" are just compensations of that. You develop them to get along with life. They are a cure, not a problem. But of course neurotypic people do see this differently, as you don't fit into society like they do.

orinoco wrote:That overbearing and neglectful leads to ambivalent binding is well known in psychology. May also lead to borderline disorder, showing this ambivalence.
But the main cause in all disorders is a trauma in early childhood (age 1,5 to 3) which results in a complex PTSD. In a normal neurological development you would learn in that age from your primary caregiver(!) to autoregulate your emotions. Although it's learned in a brain area that does not know speech or rational thinking, but only emotions, it's a kind of internal mother that is always present to calm you down when something frightening happens: "Calm down. Mother is here. You are safe".
In order to internalize this, you need emotional experience at that age (later you don't remember) and a mother/primary caregiver who calms you right at the moment you experience it.
If you don't, you will never learn, because the time window of brain developement is closed and brain developement goes on. No matter if your parents are overbearing or neglectful, in both cases you don't learn to autoregulate your emotions. And you will suffer the rest of your life - pychologically and physically, including many social problems. And all "discorders" are just compensations of that. You develop them to get along with life. They are a cure, not a problem. But of course neurotypic people do see this differently, as you don't fit into society like they do.

Interesting stuff, I must say. I have to agree that "disorder" or "disorders" may be a cure or cures for something else.

I Dream 5 wrote:Interesting stuff, I must say. I have to agree that "disorder" or "disorders" may be a cure or cures for something else.

Of course there is much more - ontogenetically and phylogenetically. That was just an abstract describing the core of the problem.
I have a website about that subject, unfortunately it's mostly written in German language with many sources in German, but there are also many English sources like Bruce D. Perry, Bryan Post, Shelley Uram (her youtube videos were the smoking gun that lead me to this rationale), ACE pyramid. But they focus mostly on the problem and hardly anyone thinks about the question: what happens differently with brain developement of "normal" people? or how would a "healthy" brain development look like?
And above all there is the rationale of Theodosius Dobschansky "Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution". We as humans are highly social mammals. And that has dramatic consequences, which lead to our success as a species, but may also lead to the downfall of mankind. Ernst Mayr, a contemporary of Dobschansky, said in one of his last interviews on the question what he thinks about the future of mankind: "Sinister!"

orinoco wrote:We as humans are highly social mammals. And that has dramatic consequences, which lead to our success as a species, but may also lead to the downfall of mankind. Ernst Mayr, a contemporary of Dobschansky, said in one of his last interviews on the question what he thinks about the future of mankind: "Sinister!"

Instill in an extremely intelligent species a high degree of emotionality and you get an irreparable clusterf*ck.

Oblivion wrote:Instill in an extremely intelligent species a high degree of emotionality and you get an irreparable clusterf*ck.

Phylogentically it was vice versa, but the result is the same. I used to say:
"Man as the crown of creation:
one and a half pound of brain mass without operation manual
two legs stuck in the @$$ and let him go"

orinoco wrote:And above all there is the rationale of Theodosius Dobschansky "Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution". We as humans are highly social mammals. And that has dramatic consequences, which lead to our success as a species, but may also lead to the downfall of mankind. Ernst Mayr, a contemporary of Dobschansky, said in one of his last interviews on the question what he thinks about the future of mankind: "Sinister!"

I've always felt we needed to be social mammals for the purpose of survival eons ago, but failed to evolve enough to let go of that social need. It has been my observation that those who are socially and emotionally independent of others; family, relationships etc... are faring better during covid-19. I watched a couple today and noted their boredom with each other; their taking for granted of each other, and was thankful I am no longer in a relationship where every fibre of one's being has to be compromised , however little , by the constant presence of another.
Basically, I think we are not 'social' animals in the true sense of the word in todays world. We have a preconceived idea that we are, based on historical and habitual behaviour but today it is a need borne from boredom, loneliness etc because we cannot handle being alone, when in fact this is what we need to cultivate. ie. being alone and happy with that. We can feel Love, compassion for others energetically without the need for the fake pretenses and the use of drugs/alcohol to engage in traditions we should have left behind long ago.
But perhaps some psychedelic therapy would alter my harsh views; make me less misanthropic and therefore less inclined to adopt views that are pertinent to my own personality.

I Dream 5 wrote:My theory is that having parents/caretakers who are BOTH overbearing AND neglectful will lead to a greater chance of someone developing this condition over time. Many times we think it's either one or the other (overbearing or neglectful). In my own personal case, it was a situation that would swing wildly from overbearing parental dynamics to neglectful parental dynamics. There simply seemed to be no real "happy medium".

Why would this specific constellation lead to that specific illness?

salles wrote:

orinoco wrote:And above all there is the rationale of Theodosius Dobschansky "Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution". We as humans are highly social mammals. And that has dramatic consequences, which lead to our success as a species, but may also lead to the downfall of mankind. Ernst Mayr, a contemporary of Dobschansky, said in one of his last interviews on the question what he thinks about the future of mankind: "Sinister!"

I've always felt we needed to be social mammals for the purpose of survival eons ago, but failed to evolve enough to let go of that social need. It has been my observation that those who are socially and emotionally independent of others; family, relationships etc... are faring better during covid-19. I watched a couple today and noted their boredom with each other; their taking for granted of each other, and was thankful I am no longer in a relationship where every fibre of one's being has to be compromised , however little , by the constant presence of another.
Basically, I think we are not 'social' animals in the true sense of the word in todays world. We have a preconceived idea that we are, based on historical and habitual behaviour but today it is a need borne from boredom, loneliness etc because we cannot handle being alone, when in fact this is what we need to cultivate. ie. being alone and happy with that. We can feel Love, compassion for others energetically without the need for the fake pretenses and the use of drugs/alcohol to engage in traditions we should have left behind long ago.
But perhaps some psychedelic therapy would alter my harsh views; make me less misanthropic and therefore less inclined to adopt views that are pertinent to my own personality.

Hi everyone! New to this forum, and considering SPD - but yes I have totally been cringing every time i'm told that humans are "social beings" - I agree with the above that I don't see a lot of evidence for being social serving us anymore - especailly with COVID - or at least not in the way we're told to be social. I can be polite and learn from acquaintances - but I certainly don't like being held back or losing my freedom to gossipers, waste-of-time gas-baggers, controllers or alpha-type dominators.