Breaking point (psychology)
In human psychology, the breaking point is a moment of stress in which a person breaks down or a situation becomes critical.[1] The intensity of environmental stress necessary to bring this about varies from individual to individual.[2]
Interrogation[edit]
Getting someone to confess to a crime during an interrogation – whether innocent or guilty – means the suspect has been broken. The key to breaking points in interrogation has been linked to changes in the victim's concept of self[3] – changes which may be precipitated by a sense of helplessness,[4] by lack of preparedness or an underlying sense of guilt,[5] as well (paradoxically) as by an inability to acknowledge one's own vulnerabilities.[6]
Life[edit]
Psychoanalysts like Ronald Fairbairn and Neville Symington considered that everybody has a potential breaking point in life, with vulnerability particularly intense at early developmental stages.[7]
Some psychoanalysts say that rigid personalities may be able to endure great stress before suddenly cracking open.[8]
See also[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Berne, Eric (1976). A Layman's Guide to Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis.
- Fenichel, Otto (1946). The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis.
- Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional Intelligence.
- Gudjonsson, G. H. (2003). The Psychology of Interrogation and Confession.
- Kimble, G. A. (1996). Psychology.
- Skynner, R.; Cleese, J. (1994). Families and how to survive them.
- Symington, Neville (2000). Narcissism: A New Theory.
References[edit]
- ^ "breaking point = work = Wordnet.Princeton.edu".
- ^ Kimble 1996, p. 100.
- ^ Gudjonsson 2003, p. 192.
- ^ Goleman 1996, p. 204.
- ^ Fenichel 1946, pp. 122–125.
- ^ Skynner & Cleese 1994, pp. 116–117.
- ^ Symington 2000, p. 79.
- ^ Berne 1976, p. 51.