The Pacific Northwest HSP Network
A social network and support group system for Highly Sensitive People in the Pacific Northwest
All content Copyright ©2006-2008 Peter Messerschmidt & Pacific Northwest HSP Network. All Rights Reserved.
Created: 2008.01.25
Last updated: 2008.07.13
Am I really a Highly Sensitive Person?
"Sensitive" is one of those words that has a lot of different meanings, as well as both positive and negative connotations in our society. One of the most common (mis)interpretations of a "highly sensitive" person is of someone who is "emotionally fragile" and gets their feelings hurt at the drop of a hat.
That, however, is only one manifestation of sensitivity, and paints a both inaccurate and incomplete portrait of a Highly Sensitive Person.
When we talk about a "Highly Sensitive Person" on this web site, we're talking about sensitivity as a inborn trait-- people who have a highly attuned nervous system. We use the description by research psychologist Dr. Elaine N. Aron, which formed the basis for her 1996 book, "The Highly Sensitive Person."
If you feel unsure as to whether or not you're an HSP, perhaps a good starting point would be to take a few moments to go through the quick "sensitivity self-test" on Dr. Aron's web site:
Keep the number of "yes" answers you made handy-- you may need it again, if you decide to join us.
High Sensitivity shows up in many different ways
Over the past decade, I have run into a number of people who feel "unsure" as to whether they are really HSPs. Either not all the descriptions seem to apply to them, or there are certain ways they feel they are very IN-sensitive, or they feel like they are too "out there" to be a Highly Sensitive Person.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you're an extravert, your sensitivity might "look" a little different from the stereotypical description of someone who's a "sensitive flower." The extraverted HSP faces the additional challenge of feeling energized by people and outside contact, yet their need for "alone time" to recharge thair inner batteries, away from stimulating situations is much the same as an introvert HSPs'.
Certain HSPs are what Elaine Aron calls "High Sensation Seekers" (HSS). HSS HSPs constantly seek out novelty, change, excitement, risk, and can seem very un-HSP like in some ways. And yet, the very variety and excitement they seek, also tends to overstimulate and exhaust them. In one of her books, Aron describes this as being similar to driving a car with one foot on the gas pedal, and one on the brake-- inner forces working against each other.
It is also important to remember that all HSPs are unique. Whereas HSPs often have similar interests and life experiences we-- ultimately-- just have ONE specific trait in common. Jacquelyn Strickland, a therapist and coach who specializes in working with HSPs, has identified a large number of "HSP Subcultures." I highly recommend visiting her page, and seeing if you identify with one, or several, of the descriptions.
Some common look-alikes: What High Sensitivity is NOT
By now (if you didn't already), you probably have a pretty good idea of what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person. However, it is possible that you have been told or have read certain things about "being sensitive" that are not entirely correct or "complete."
"Isn't it just a form of depression?"
No, it's not. Whereas it may be true that HSPs are more prone to clinical depression, the connection ends there. Clinical depression is typically due to a chemical imbalance, and tends to have some form of experiential trigger. High sensitivity is an inborn trait, like blue eyes, or long fingers.
"High Sensitivity and Sensory Integration Dysfunction are the same thing."
No, it's not. Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID-- also sometimes called Sensory Processing Disorder or Sensory Defensiveness) does involve the central nervous system, but essentially refers to a disorder in which a person senses physical stimuli normally, but perceives them abnormally.
Distinguishing between an HSP whose primary sensitivities are physical (touch, smell, sight, sound) and SID can be somewhat tricky, and is further complicated by the fact that the words "hypersensitivities" and "hyposensitivities" are often used in conjunction with a SID diagnosis. Keep in mind, however, that SID occurs in a fairly small number of individuals, while 15-20% of the population are highly sensitive. An HSP can have SID, but it doesn't automatically follow that you have SID, just because you're an HSP.
"It's just Asperger's Disorder by a different name."
Again, not it's not. Asperger's is one of the high-functioning classifications on the autism spectrum. Whereas it is certainly possible to be an HSP and have Asperger's, being a Highly Sensitive Person does not automatically mean you have the disorder. There are a number of diagnoses on various points of the Autism Spectrum that include criteria very similar to some of the characteristics of high sensitivity. However, being a highly sensitive person isn't a "disorder," nor does it have a "diagnosis" and hence is not an indication of autism, however mild.
"High Sensitivity is the same as Social Anxiety Disorder or Generalized Anxiety Disorder."
No. What is possibly true is that HSPs-- because they tend to process more deeply, and thus are more aware of their psyches and bodies, and are more sensitive to stimuli-- are more prone to be affected by these disorders. However, the correlations end there.
High Sensitivity is not a "Disorder" or a "Pathology," or "Beware of Labels!"
In general, HSPs would do well to be wary of being included-- or including themselves-- in the overall societal trend of "medicalization;" that is, the growing tendency to classify normal parts of the human experience as "pathologies." Just like some people will have larger than "normal" feet, some people will be more sensitive than others. However, that does not make them "ill" or "defective," nor does it mean they require "treatment."
I will be the first to admit that being a Highly Sensitive Person is sometimes not only challenging, but also extremely frustrating. And there have been low points in my life where I have thought to myself "If this were just an illness, I could be cured..." However... no matter how much we may wish for that to be true, calling sensitivity a "disorder" does not make it so.
Highly Sensitive vs. Insensitive, or "Beware of Labels, part II"
It is perhaps part of human nature to lean towards seeing the world in black and white, and to draw conclusions about our social environment based on "either/or opposites." Specifically, many HSPs draw the inaccurate conclusion that because "we" are highly sensitive, everyone else is IN-sensitive.
After 11 years of actively being part of the global HSP "communtiy," I caution that embracing such beliefs is a slippery slope towards the exact same kind of intolerance that makes HSPs feel "marginalized" for their sensitivity. Just like there is nothing "wrong" with us, there is also nothing "wrong" with them-- we merely have different approaches to life. Attaching a negative label like "insensitive" to people who are "different" from us hardly serves the purpose of improving the greater good, any more than calling someone with learning difficulties "stupid" or "an idiot."
