Emotional crisis: why does it happen and what are its symptoms?

A crisis always implies making an important decision and accepting that everything has changed.

The word "crisis" is used with several meanings. First of all, it is necessary to mention that it comes from the Greek word krisis (decision) and krino (to separate); thus, it implies rupture but at the same time hope and opportunity. In turn, in China, many people use the term "wei-ji", a word composed of two ideograms: danger and opportunity.

Thus, it is possible to simplify that every crisis alludes to a danger because of the suffering that comes with the loss of what has been lost or what is about to be lost; on the other hand, "occasion" (opportunity) refers to the means of restoring a new reality from the crisis experienced.

In the following we will see what exactly it means to to experience an emotional crisis.

Definitions of crisis

Crisis (whether political, religious or psychological) can be conceptualized in various ways, but there is one word that objectively condenses its meaning: disequilibrium; an imbalance occurring between a before and an after..

A crisis event always infers a contextual deviation in which it takes place. It implies a threat of loss of achieved objectives (be they economic, social, religious, psychological, etc.) which is presented in anguish. A crisis episode takes place over time, and this time is relatively short (unlike stress), which is marked by a beginning and a short-term end.

The triad that shapes every crisis is: imbalance, temporality and the internal capacity to move forward or backward.. The emotional crisis, therefore, always forces to make a decision.

A drastic change

No crisis is neutral in nature. It always entails an advance or a setback; it never goes unnoticed by the affected subject, his family or society itself.

Every crisis has the same succession: conflict, disorder and adaptation (or maladaptation as the case may be).

What causes it?

The generator of the crisis is not the conflict itself, but the subject's response to this eventuality.. That is to say, the problem is not the problem but the response expressed before the event. Therefore, it is completely natural and understandable that in the face of the same event, one subject creates a crisis and another does not.

By way of synthesis, it is possible to define the crisis as "a transitory ego disorganization with probability of change". In other words, in a crisis situation the "unstable equilibrium" that makes up the individual's mental health is broken, but only temporarily, not permanently.

But this imbalance is not unhealthy, since it can further strengthen the individualIt can strengthen the individual, giving rise to new forms of behavior or activating diverse mechanisms as well as possibilities that up to that moment have been unknown even to the affected person.

Thus, the crisis, by itself, is not negative, but everything will depend on the approach taken by the subject to any eventuality.

Phases of the emotional crisis

From a synchronic perspective, the crisis can be a concentrated form of distress.. This phenomenon can be simply broken down into three different elements: stupor, uncertainty and threat.

1. Stupor

The stupor is an element that is always present: it is identified by the individual's fear and inhibition in the face of the emotions experienced, which are incomprehensible, paralyzing him.

The subject in crisis does not react, does not seek a way out of his discomfort. All the energy of his being is used to soften the gap opened by the crisis itself; this is done in an attempt to quickly recover the emotional balance. In turn, the manifested imbalance is the origin of psychic disorganization.

In spite of everything experienced, stupor protects the person from total decompensation and cushions, in a certain way, the serious consequences of the crisis.

Uncertainty

Uncertaintyis the reflection of the astonishment experienced by the subject and is translated as a struggle between opposing forces: to opt for this way out or the other, to choose "this" or "that". This dichotomous experience serves as an alarm before a real danger or a latent fantasy.

The conjunction between stupor and uncertainty is defined as "confusional anxiety", which is an experience in which mental chaos predominates. mental chaos predominates by not knowing or understanding what is happening both inside and outside oneself.

3. Threat

The third element is the "threat". Any imbalance presented implies fear of destruction.. The "enemy" is outside oneself and defensive behaviors are presented in the form of distrust or aggression. The crisis, at this point, represents a danger to the integrity of the person's psyche.

Characteristics and symptoms

From the above, it is possible to affirm that the crisis cannot be explained by itself but needs the antecedent of the past in order to be understood.

It is necessary to remember that every crisis has a before and an after. A crisis episode involves facing something that changes suddenly and unexpectedly, and the ideal way out of such a situation is to find emotional equilibrium or else continue in confusion and psychic disorder.

The evolution of the crisis is normal when the "unstable equilibrium" is achieved in a prudent time, which cannot be determined or pigeonholed. The mere fact of asking for help to overcome the episode of discomfort is a way of facilitating emotional stability. However, it is possible to point out, as common characteristics to all crises, the following:

• The primary factor that determines the appearance of the crisis is the imbalance between the difficulty of the problem itself and the difficulty of the problem itself. The primary factor that determines the occurrence of the crisis is the imbalance between the difficulty of the problem itself and the resources available to the individual to cope with it.
• The external intervention during the crisis (psychotherapy) can compensate the imbalance produced and guiding the individual towards a new harmonious emotional state.
• During a crisis episode, the individual experiences an intense need for help. Likewise, for the duration of the episode, the subject is more susceptible to the influence of others than during periods when his or her emotional functioning is balanced or in total disorder.

Bibliographical references:

• Gradillas, V. (1998). Descriptive psychopathology. Signs, symptoms and traits. Madrid: Pirámide.
• Jaspers, K. (1946/1993). Psicopatología General. Mexico: FCE.