Psychological rigidity: what is it?

Psychological rigidity defines those people captive to an iron cognitive and behavioral pattern.. They are those profiles that do not open themselves to new perspectives, that do not admit other points of view or tolerate changes. They do not understand that mental flexibility is essential for a healthy life, for facing difficulties, for enjoying happier social relationships…

Although more than one person we know who follows this same pattern of behavior probably comes to mind, We must admit that we all, in some way, apply a certain psychological rigidity at some point. It is common to think, for example, that certain things can only be solved in one way. Also that those values ​​and beliefs that define us so much are little more than universal truths.

Each of us clings to a series of concepts that we assume are immovable. In other areas, we know how to compromise, we open ourselves mentally to other opinions and perspectives easily and without any resistance. That this is so is not negative. Not as long as there is a balance where we are always more inclined to practice psychological flexibility.

On the other hand, Those who do not give in, those who fall prisoners of the same mental schemes, are doomed to clear suffering and discomfort.. Now, it is necessary to keep in mind that this characteristic sometimes goes beyond a personality style to be a typical trait of certain disorders, such as certain types of dementia, autism spectrum disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Let’s see more data below.

Psychological rigidity: 3 components that define it

Within acceptance and commitment therapy, the concept of psychological rigidity is key. In this type of therapeutic approach framed in what is known as third generation therapies (focused on educating and reorienting the patient’s life from a more holistic point of view) it is essential that the person detects these mental inflections.

In this way, it is understood that a large part of our suffering as people comes from those own immovable beliefs. The same ones that, in some way, are nourished by what we have been culturally taught. Also of those values ​​and schemes that we use without questioning and that structure our entire lives, plunging us into a reality lacking momentum, variation, openness to change and opportunity.

For this type of therapy, psychological rigidity is therefore a mine to detect and a bridge to overcome. However, It should be noted that this concept already had its first appearance with Sigmund Freud in psychoanalysis. For the Viennese psychiatrist, it was the patient’s resistance to change, it was that point where a series of attitudes and behaviors emerged that made progress very difficult and that at the same time showed the tip of the iceberg of a problem.

On the other hand, psychologists Robinson, Gould and Strosahl (2011), explained in the book Real Behavior Change in Primary Care that psychological rigidity is defined by three components. They are the following.

They do not connect with the present, it makes them uncomfortable and they fear it.

People characterized by psychological rigidity do not appreciate the present. They live in their particular mental scenario, where all the windows are closed. They do not admit those new things that come with the passage of the here and now where so many things happen. These profiles do not appreciate opportunities, they do not tolerate variations, they avoid the unknown, everything unforeseen…

All these dynamics capable of breaking their “iron stability” generate fear and contradiction.

They don’t know how to recognize priorities, what really matters

When someone is clear about their priority, all paths are clear. When someone knows what matters to them, they are not afraid to take risks, generate changes, open themselves to other perspectives with which to allow themselves to grow and better attend to what they esteem and value.

However, A person with psychological rigidity limits himself to following fixed rules, his own. He is unable to look beyond his comfort zone and what worries him most is having absolute control of his reality. This makes them, for example, incapable of giving in for others, of attending to other people’s needs, of being tolerant, of connecting with people by understanding their points of view…

Little by little their relationships lose quality, frustration increases until they let go of many of the things that were important to them (and that they do not know how to appreciate).

Cognitive closure: not tolerating uncertainty

Psychological rigidity does not tolerate the unexpected, and even less tolerance. So, something we must understand is that our world is governed precisely by this characteristic: unpredictability. Knowing how to adapt to changes, being able to react in a creative, original and flexible way undoubtedly allows us to overcome those typical day-to-day variations.

For its part, a profile with psychological rigidity presents what is known as cognitive closure.. It is that need to “eliminate” as soon as possible all uncertainty or ambiguity that arises in any situation. They are those people who, when faced with every problem, give only one response, and often the most extreme one.

They are also those men and women who, When faced with an argument or disagreement, they also adopt the least useful or constructive behaviorsuch as breaking that relationship or simply stopping speaking to those people.

In conclusion. If we now ask ourselves how and in what way we can break psychological rigidity, we will point out that Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or the acceptance and commitment therapy mentioned above are very useful.

Likewise, as a study by Jonathan Greenberg, from the University of Beer-Sheva, Israel, reveals, practices such as Mindfulness are very suitable on a daily basis for train a more flexible mental approach.

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