What is Neuroticism, and Can We Treat it?
Title
What is Neuroticism, and Can We Treat it?
Author
Ametaj, Amantia
Sauer‐Zavala, Shannon
Barlow, David H.
Research Area
Psychopathology
Topic
Mental Disorder Varieties
Abstract
We review the substantive role of neuroticism and related temperaments such as extroversion in the development and maintenance of anxiety, mood, and related disorders subsumed under the term emotional disorders (EDs). We note that splitting these disorders into discrete categories as in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM‐5) diagnoses may be highlighting relatively superficial differences. Research on the structure of anxiety, mood, and related disorders indicates that neuroticism, emerging from genetic, neurobiological, and psychological factors, is central to the development of these disorders. We make a case for shifting the focus of psychological treatment of EDs to target core temperaments such as neuroticism, and discuss a dimensional approach to assessing EDs that focuses on the underlying temperament. We examine key issues requiring additional research to evaluate this possibility.