Mr Plüss, do children suffer from their high sensitivity?
Mr Plüss, how do I find out if I am highly sensitive?
The most common way is to complete a test: a questionnaire based on self-assessment; in the case of young children, based on the assessment by the parents. The questionnaire provides an indicative result. For a more precise assessment, further interviews and clarifications are required.
How do you explain the concept of high sensitivity?
High sensitivity is the strong expression of a personality trait, namely the ability to perceive the environment and process impressions. Everyone is sensitive, but the decisive factor is the degree to which they are highly sensitive. Highly sensitive is not the same as very sensitive. According to our research, people can be divided into three categories of sensitivity. There are people with average sensitivity, which is around 41 to 47 per cent of all people. A further 20 to 35 per cent are generally less sensitive and 25 to 35 per cent are highly sensitive.
Almost all those affected report that knowing that they are highly sensitive is a relief.
This is very understandable. Such a result can help you to better categorise your own feelings and then to shape your life more in line with your disposition: for example, to better differentiate between the demands placed on you from outside and your own demands, to listen more to your own intuition, to get to know your own rhythm, to accept it and ultimately to align your life accordingly.
Is it a stigma in today's society to be highly sensitive?
High sensitivity as a predisposition is neither positive nor negative. Depending on how life plays out and what experiences you have, it can be easier or more difficult for highly sensitive people to live with this predisposition. Highly sensitive people can get through everyday life quite well with a few strategies.
Critics say that high sensitivity is a kinder way of describing a neurotic character.
Neuroticism, i.e. emotional instability and vulnerability, manifests itself, for example, in the tendency to be anxious. Although neuroticism and high sensitivity have certain similarities, they are different dimensions of personality. High sensitivity should also not be equated with introversion or anxiety, as this would not do justice to the phenomenon. There are also highly sensitive people who are emotionally stable and extroverted.
They also call highly sensitive people «orchids» and less sensitive people «dandelions». Why?
It is an illustration: orchids react more strongly to external conditions and really come into their own when these are optimal. The dandelion, a metaphor for the less sensitive, is quite different. It remains relatively unimpressed by any positive or negative circumstances. It simply grows on its own.
Does sensitivity manifest itself in the brain?
Yes, but there have only been a few scientific studies to date. A study conducted in 2011 demonstrated a higher level of sensory processing when looking at two slightly different landscape photographs. The highly sensitive participants, whose brain activity was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), were no better at registering subtle differences between the two photos, but they perceived more details than others. Another study from 2014 concluded that the areas of the brain involved in attention, empathy, motivation and thinking about oneself and others are more active in highly sensitive people.
What are other characteristics?
Highly sensitive people tend to behave more pro-socially and have a good sense of when things are going wrong. However, they also suffer more from negative tensions. They think longer and more associatively about things and are therefore more likely to come up with creative solutions. However, they also tend to be less focussed, which is easily interpreted as indecisiveness. Many environmental stimuli cause them to be distracted more quickly. And because they perceive more, they also become exhausted or overloaded more quickly.
Do they suffer from their sensitivity?
You can't really say that. It depends entirely on the environment and life story. Some sensitive people unfortunately experience more difficult situations, but they also fare better than others in a positive climate.
What is good for highly sensitive people?
Plenty of time for relaxation is important. In schools, noise protection or headphones and longer lunch breaks can be helpful. A good social environment is also key.
Why?
Because highly sensitive people perceive all aspects of their surroundings much more intensively and think about them much more than others. A negative environment therefore harms them far more.
«Not every highly sensitive child necessarily develops problems.»
Michael Plüss, developmental psychologist.
What happens when highly sensitive children grow up in a negative environment?
Highly sensitive children who feel less supported and understood are more likely to experience depressive, psychosomatic or stress-related symptoms. However, this does not mean that every highly sensitive child necessarily develops problems.
How do children experience high sensitivity?
They may perceive this as negative, become stressed or overwhelmed more quickly. These children often don't realise that their sensitivity also has many positive qualities, that they have something that others don't, such as a pronounced empathy or great creative potential.
How can you help them?
How children perceive their high sensitivity also depends on their environment. For example, if the child is stressed about their homework, as a parent you could say: «You get stressed more quickly than others, that's true. But maybe you understand a topic or a task better when you've been working on it?» It is advisable to support the child so that they also recognise the positive aspects of their expression. It is important to make them aware that their characteristic is also a strength, not just a weakness.
Read more about high sensitivity / high sensitivity:
- Test: Is my child highly sensitive?
Noises, odours and demands made by the school: Some children are more sensitive to things than others. But how do parents find out whether their child is highly sensitive? Developmental psychologist Michael Plüss has developed a self-test for children and young people that can provide an initial indication. - Highly sensitive - more than just sensitive?
Some people tire more quickly, are less able to withstand noise or take things to heart. These are characteristics that are part of the phenomenon of high sensitivity. How do you live with it? - Highly sensitive people tell us: «It's a handicap»
Maria, 45, herself highly sensitive, looks after her highly sensitive son Noé, 12, who needs close support in everyday life. This is not always easy for the rest of the family. - Dossier: Highly sensitive
How do parents deal with a highly sensitive or highly sensitive child? In our online dossier you can find out everything you need to know about high sensitivity.