Disgust is a mechanism for unconsciously identifying objects of hostility or disgust. The feeling of disgust can be directed at any objects (both living and nonliving), as well as processes. It is formed as a natural mechanism, without involving the mechanisms of consciousness, which initially ensures human survival.
Disgust is formed on the basis of a feeling of fear and is a form of defensive behavior. Natural mechanisms of disgust cause this feeling in relation to dead bodies, waste products, secretions, i.e. to something that is dangerous for consumption and being in close proximity. The danger from these phenomena is not direct, i.e. a person is not attacked by a decaying carcass, but cadaveric poison, deadly bacteria, toxic substances can lead to death, without the mechanism of disgust. At the biological level, disgust is regulated by the olfactory analyzer, and a person may absolutely not use logic to find out whether there are pathogenic microorganisms, for example, in a liquid; the gag reflex will simply work, in most cases even before consumption.
Such a feeling can arise not only due to biological factors; then it is defined as moral disgust. The mechanism is the same, only it is aimed at avoiding certain places or people, i.e. social manifestations. For the most part, such disgust is usually suppressed for the sake of preserving the image, recognition, and correct relationships. But this is not always appropriate, since not only food is toxic, but also interaction with people can destroy a person.
What is disgust
Disgust is a feeling of hostility, expressed in an extreme degree of disgust and reluctance to contact the object that causes this feeling . In simple terms, a person tries to avoid certain objects or people, the presence or interaction with which causes obvious rejection in him.
A squeamish person will never wear someone else's clothes, drink from the same mug or eat with the same fork. It is difficult for him to keep his emotions under control if there is a person nearby who is unpleasant to him, so many often mistake a manifestation of disgust for arrogance. When experiencing disgust, it is easier for a person to avoid the object of irritation than to try to overcome this unpleasant feeling of disgust.
note
Some of the most obvious manifestations of disgust include the desire to frequently wash your hands with soap, carry disinfectant lotions with you, and stiff posture.
Fear of getting infected with something
When it comes to disgust, one cannot help but mention the fear of catching some kind of disease. As in the previous case, this behavior is dictated by our instinct of self-preservation. Unfortunately, in some cases, the usual aversion to viruses and germs begins to develop into a real obsession: someone washes their hands 10 times unnecessarily, someone thoroughly wipes door handles with alcohol, etc. This phenomenon is called “pathophobia”, and, as you already understand, there is not so much good in it.
Why do people hold back their disgust?
Not all people are ready to overcome their disgust, but they are also afraid to show their attitude towards unpleasant things, so they try to control themselves and restrain themselves in case of contact with an irritant. A disgusted person tries not to show his disgust, worrying that others will begin to treat him worse. If rejection is caused by the people around him, then a disgusted person will often feel ashamed. He looks at the object of disgust with great attention, trying to understand why he feels these particular emotions. Of course, he will try not to show his interest, but this will not make him watch any less.
Disgust also helps you understand what you like and what you don't like. And it doesn’t always concern food or being in public places. For example, acute rejection can be caused by traditions or norms of behavior accepted in society. But, despite his negative attitude towards unpleasant things, a person still tries to control himself.
Sometimes disgust can be confused with anger and irritability, however, this is a completely different feeling. Disgust always depends on the distance from the object of rejection. The further you are from what makes you disgusted, the faster this feeling will go away. Anger and irritation, on the contrary, will encourage you to close the distance and try to understand your feelings.
Why does everything vile unconsciously cause us fear?
After reading this subtitle, someone probably wondered: “What could be so terrible about something that makes us feel disgusted? How can someone be scared by, for example, a sweaty T-shirt or dog feces?” The answer to this question is as simple as two and two. As mentioned earlier, disgust is a mechanism that turns on without the participation of our consciousness. Garbage, sweat, saliva, dead bodies of animals - all this is a breeding ground for dangerous microorganisms. A person may not even think about the microbes or viruses found in all of the listed objects, but his subconscious, sensing a potential danger, will still give him a signal that it is better not to contact them. This reaction is very multifaceted, so its types are described in more detail below.
Types of disgust
Disgust is a multifaceted feeling and it is impossible to predict in advance what exactly can cause it. Products, household items, hygiene products, transport, people - disgust can be experienced regarding any item or object. But if we try to classify the most common manifestations of disgust, we can say that disgust is divided into two types: physical and moral.
Features of physical disgust
Physical disgust can be caused by, for example:
- Food. Disgust is always based on fear. Moreover, fear may not always have a basis. Sometimes, for some people, it is enough to hear the news that in another cafe in the city of N, visitors were poisoned, for example, by dumplings, in order to begin to feel disgust towards this dish. No, of course, homemade dumplings made from fresh ingredients will be eaten with pleasure, but semi-finished products can be truly terrifying. Or, for example, a person remembers how in the school canteen they served warm cocoa with disgusting milk foam. One unpleasant memory from the past may be enough to stop consuming both cocoa and milk altogether.
- Fear of illness. Disgusted people most often drive themselves into rigid boundaries that prevent them from living a full life. Sometimes disgust can take truly terrifying forms. Starting to experience slight hostility, a person can work himself up into panic and become infected with some disease. Often, squeamish people begin to suffer from mysophobia - fear of dirt and germs. Suffering from mysophobia, a person will avoid medical institutions and physical contact with others.
Features of moral disgust
If we talk about moral disgust, then it is worth paying special attention to education and the concept of morality. Disgust can be caused not only by people who smell bad or foods that seem disgusting, but also by uncivil behavior. In this case, disgust can significantly help a person in his self-development and improve his quality of life.
Many people say that any acquaintance should be treasured, that any person is worthy of respect. But how can you force yourself to respect a person from whom all vulgarity and stupidity practically “rush”?
Unfortunately, more and more people forget that it is worth developing morality and morality. They happily immerse themselves in a meaningless pseudo-culture, explaining this by the urgent need for a break from everyday problems and worries, thereby not only not helping themselves to improve as individuals, but also encouraging the development of the basest qualities.
Disgust: natural feeling or pathology
Disgust is usually understood as the presence in a person of hypertrophied reactions of disdain, disgust, and intelligibility in relation to other objects or phenomena. The feeling of disgust was conceived by nature as a perfect tool that protects a person from the adverse effects of external factors. Indeed, the habit of washing your hands before eating, and not handling food with dirty hands, is a completely useful and rational quality. In most cases, hostility and disgust are caused by dead bodies, waste products of the body, and some dishes. Although not everyone knows what promines are - corpse poisons, on a subconscious level a person avoids contact with decaying flesh. The disgust reaction is triggered at a subconscious level and cannot be controlled by a person’s volitional efforts. However, there are people whose disgust reaches enormous proportions and makes it difficult to live normally in society. At its core, excessive disgust is an extreme form of disgust, which developed against the background of irrational obsessive fear. A squeamish person has an irresistible desire to protect himself from contact with those objects or people that cause disgust. The feeling of disgust can be aimed at absolutely any object: one person will never wear other people’s things, another person will desperately fight with house dust, a third person will not visit public places for fear of infection. Common objects of disgust: when the norm turns into pathology
The natural reaction of a healthy body is a feeling of disgust and hostility, a feeling of excitement or fear in front of objects that have a disgusting smell or repulsive appearance.
There are a lot of options for showing excessive scrupulosity and disgust. As a rule, any person experiences a strong desire not to come into contact and avoid contact with any objects or objects of the living world, which he interprets as a source of disease, pain, discomfort, disgusting odor or harmful dirt. However, in some situations, neglect, exactingness, and pickiness reach gigantic proportions, crossing the line of normal disgust. Let us describe the main objects that cause special hostility in people. Disgust in eating
Unmoderate pickiness is almost always based on irrational fear, even when the person is not able to give any logical explanations as to why an uncontrollable threat arises.
One of the common objects of disgust is the inability of a person to eat food prepared outside the home. Such a person refuses to have dinner at a restaurant and will not take part in a dinner with friends. And snacking in inexpensive cafes is out of the question for such an individual, since he is firmly convinced that the food was necessarily stale and of poor quality, the dishes were prepared in unsanitary conditions, and the cooks did not follow the cooking technology. The second variant of disgust in food is a refusal to consume certain foods and products, because the person is convinced that they pose a threat to his health. Some people are hesitant to include mushrooms in their diet, others refuse to eat sausage products bought in a store, and still others will not eat fruits and vegetables from the market, preferring products grown in their own garden. It is worth noting that in this case, excessive disgust is focused on a specific product or group of products. Another type of disgust is an aversion to eating food together. Such persons fiercely hate it when someone tries to taste the food that is on their plate. An individual simply loses his appetite, even if his significant other has bitten into an apple that belongs to him. Aversion to eating together is not a physiological aversion to the process of eating, but a subconscious desire to protect and protect one’s personal space, an unconscious desire to distance oneself from other people. Disgust in intimate relationships
Excessive disgust often manifests itself in relationships between a man and a woman.
Before an upcoming intimate date, such people carry out hygiene procedures excessively and demand similar actions from their partner. If, in their opinion, their companion turns out to be insufficiently clean or a natural but unpleasant odor emanates from his body, they will simply end their relationship with him. It should be taken into account that the requirements for cleanliness of the body of such persons exceed all reasonable limits of hygiene. Such hypertrophied disgust is often caused by the instinct of self-preservation and is recorded in people with insufficient functioning of the immune system. By performing unimaginable hygienic procedures, such a person instinctively tries to protect himself from infection. For other people, going to the shower before and after an intimate meeting is a kind of cleansing ritual. At a subconscious level, such subjects consider sexual intercourse to be a dirty and shameful act, and with the help of water they try to wash away their “sins.” An equally common form of excessive disgust is a complete refusal to engage in any non-standard actions in bed. For such an individual, an intimate meeting is possible only in the classic position with the lights off. Any hints from a partner to add variety to the intimate sphere cause deep protest and a feeling of disgust. Such disgust is an unconscious mechanism that acts in order to avoid pressure from a partner, to prevent oneself from becoming a driven and dependent person. A very unpleasant feature of this form of disgust is the fact that a person, if in her opinion something is wrong, will not be able to experience the pleasure of an intimate meeting, and subsequently will completely lose the desire for sexual contact. Disgust in contacts with the outside world
Excessive scrupulousness when interacting with other people is one of the ways to clearly define the boundaries of your living space.
For one individual, sanitary boundaries lie in the use of one’s own comb, toothbrush, and towel. For another person, stationery, a computer mouse, a plate and a cup are given the status of immunity. The roots of such disgust often go back to childhood, when the only child in the family was raised by overly pedantic and very careful parents. For such a person, his personal belongings are the holy of holies, and attempts by other people to use his property causes violent protest, bordering on hatred. The downside of such excessive concern for personal belongings is a constant feeling of nervous tension, anticipation of an imminent invasion of his territory. Another variant of disgust is limiting or completely avoiding contact with people whom the individual considers “dirty” and “unsafe.” It is quite normal that a healthy person will not make friends with homeless people and will avoid communicating with people infected with hepatitis. However, often disgust goes to the extreme: a person does not accept communication with certain circles of the population, for example, with people working in construction, because he is firmly convinced that people in such a profession are “dirty.” Another form of excessive hostility is conscious avoidance of crowded places. Such an individual will not visit hospitals, because it seems to him that there is a high risk of infection in medical institutions. Even in case of emergency, he would rather run five kilometers on foot than use public transport. For him, his own home is a holy temple, into which entry for outsiders is strictly prohibited. Often such disgust is adjacent to hypochondria, when a person begins to look for symptoms of non-existent diseases. Disgust before dead bodies
A very few people do not experience some kind of antipathy and slight excitement at the sight of dead bodies.
However, if necessary, they can attend the funeral. For a person with excessive disgust, the sight of a dead person evokes an extreme degree of disgust. Such an individual is simply fixated on his fear and cannot get out of his head the thought of possibly observing the body of a deceased person. At the same time, disgust is caused not only by the real life picture, but also by the plot of the film, in which the dead are present. The origins of such hostility are fear of death, a state when a person is extremely afraid of his own death and projects his death onto the bodies of dead people. With this form of disgust, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help, since this phenomenon will become aggravated over time. Disgust in front of waste products
Dislike and disgust in front of excrement is a completely normal reaction.
However, there are people who disdain to visit a public toilet and cannot clean their own bathroom. For an overly squeamish person, it is very difficult to clean up after a pet. Some ladies find it difficult to care for their own baby hygienically. It is necessary to clearly understand where rational cleanliness crosses the line of the norm, transforming into an insurmountable and uncontrollable fear of pollution. In the case of a pathological course of disgust, the only reasonable way out is to consult a psychologist and take measures to correct your destructive thinking. There is another extreme degree of disgust - or phenomena. This condition is much more dangerous than excessive disgust, because such people have a high risk of experiencing the pangs of food poisoning or becoming a victim of pathogenic microbes. How to deal with excessive disgust: measures to eliminate hostility
Some people believe that one should not fight excessive disgust at all, believing that this reaction is an indicator of physical and spiritual cleanliness. They are convinced that even an overly exaggerated feeling of disgust helps decent people protect themselves from problems and troubles. There is a popular point of view that disgust is an indicator that a person strives for complete “purification” of the world and wants to remain clean and safe in all areas of life. However, doctors are unanimous in their opinion: it is imperative to combat excessive disgust, which has reached the form of a phobia. Excessive pickiness and excessive hostility, no matter what these feelings are expressed in - either a passionate love for a vacuum cleaner, or a panicky fear of bacteria - is a dead-end path and a wrong route in life. Pathological disgust is a sign that an individual at some point turned into impassable jungle and is trying with all his might to get through the thickets. However, he is unable to unravel the tangle of his own contradictory desires, weed out invented rationalizations, or eliminate the chaos and disorder reigning in the soul. A person is not able to withstand life’s difficulties using natural methods; he does not have the strength to control his emotions, which is why he subconsciously builds various restrictions. Overcoming disgust at being oversized is quite difficult: you need to be patient and not expect changes to happen instantly. The main condition for successfully getting rid of pathological hostility is the individual’s awareness of the presence of a problem, a sincere desire to eliminate the flaw, and a firm determination to work on oneself for a long time. A qualified psychologist or psychotherapist will provide effective assistance in overcoming exaggerated disgust. The specialist will provide assistance so that the client can discover the underlying causes of hypertrophied scrupulosity. During psychotherapeutic sessions, a person will be able to identify triggers for the development of unconscious fear and identify factors that cause extreme disgust. The patient will discover the characteristics of his personality, learn constructive options for meeting his own needs, will be able to expand the boundaries of his personal space without discomfort, and in the future will have no hesitation in contacting objects of the surrounding world.
How to get rid of disgust?
Some people believe that disgust is an excellent defense mechanism and there is no need to fight it. There is an opinion that squeamish people are by nature very clean and decent, they are characterized by increased suspiciousness and are almost impossible to deceive. But in fact, disgust proves that chaos and confusion is happening inside a person, he is experiencing problems with control, which ultimately results in a feeling of limitation.
It is possible to cope with disgust, but the path will be long and very difficult. Psychologists strongly recommend not to self-medicate, but to use the services of qualified specialists. First, you need to understand where exactly a person’s fear lies, and it’s not always possible to do this on your own. A psychologist will be able to help get to the bottom of the truth and outline a plan for further action.
If you do not have the opportunity to seek help from professionals, then you can use the following techniques:
- Changing the attitude towards the stimulus. If you are clearly disgusted by a person, or rather by the characteristics of his behavior or physiology, then try to pay more attention to his positive qualities.
- Contact with an object that causes disgust. It is generally accepted that likes and dislikes are formed in a person before the age of three, and later he simply follows these attitudes. In order to cope with disgust, experts recommend trying again, touching, examining the object of irritation. Perhaps there is no disgust as such, and the feeling of rejection is simply far-fetched.
- Elimination of mysophobia. If disgust takes an extreme form, expressed in uncontrollable disgust for everything around you, then there are no other options but to seek help from a psychotherapist. Mysophobia is a mental disorder accompanied by obsessive-compulsive disorder and it is impossible to cope with it on your own.
Remember that disgust to one degree or another is inherent in every person. The main thing in this case is to understand when it is a protective mechanism of the psyche, and when it is a negative quality. If you begin to notice that feelings of rejection and disgust have begun to noticeably complicate your life, then be prepared to make every effort and regain control over your life.
Disgust towards smells
According to experts, our instincts can determine by smell how pleasant a person is to us. For example, if a girl or guy doesn’t like the smell of a person of the opposite sex, then you can safely put an end to their potential love relationship. Some people, after spending a long time interacting with an unpleasant-smelling person, rush home to literally wash off the stench. Scientists associate this behavior with the instinct of self-preservation.
Disgust in food
Some people don't understand eating from a shared plate. This shows disgust in food. The lack of desire to allow someone to eat from one’s plate manifests itself not only in the form of a physiological aversion specifically to a shared meal, but in the form of a need to protect one’s own life and space from outside intrusion. Food is the source of life, and a collective feast has always had a sacred character, speaking of the unity of souls.
For this reason, the reluctance to share your own food from the same plate with others acts as an attempt by the subconscious to create distance from others, as well as to keep your own space intact.
Where does disgust come from?
Disgust is a feeling that, by the way, only humans possess. From this we can conclude that it arose only due to the development of our intellect.
You have probably watched more than once how a tiny baby, crawling around the apartment, tries to taste absolutely everything that comes into its field of vision. The little one is not embarrassed by either his father’s slippers or the ball the lap dog used to play with. Only after growing up and overcoming the age of 5, he suddenly begins to show that same feeling, categorically refusing to drink milk with foam or turning pale and wincing at the sight, sorry, of cat excrement in a plastic tray.
What happened? Psychologists believe that in a growing and, therefore, to some extent already forced to “survive” organism on its own, “memory” awakens, or rather, a protective reflex that came to us from distant ancestors (although, of course, rejection of certain things also helps explanations from elders).
Disgust towards animals
Now we are not talking about dead animals, but about living pets. This may be hard for some to believe, but there are people for whom pets do not bring joy. Such people experience disgust towards animals not only because of their fur or the need to care for them, but because of a banal reluctance to clean up the toilet after the pet. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, since in the biological waste of cats, dogs and other representatives of the home zoo you can often find bacteria that provoke the appearance of hepatitis, cholera, dysentery and even gas gangrene. This is why many people with weak immune systems are more disgusted by animal feces than others.
How does disgust manifest itself?
Disgust, which is associated with protecting space, can be seen in treating one's belongings with trepidation. Often, even in adolescence, this manifests itself in the form of a refusal to exchange blouses with friends. And the mother might be surprised that her adult daughter does not want to take things from her wardrobe, being content with her own. Perhaps this is one of the manifestations of independence, as well as reluctance to be like others. For some people, wearing other people's clothes is the same as getting into the skin of another person.
Alien smells are the same alien things. If a girl is uncomfortable when a guy covers her shoulders with his jacket, then she does not want to recognize him as “her” person. The opposite situation, when you want to wear the things of a loved one, speaks of the unity of souls and the desire to become closer together.
Origins of disgust
Disgust is formed in people in early childhood under the influence of adults and personal experience. For example, if a baby tries lemon or an overly peppery dish for the first time, then by his reaction it will be clear that he does not enjoy eating them. For many years, a child may develop a feeling of disgust towards these products, which may not go away even in adulthood or conscious age.
Another example is a child's play in a sandbox. Young children who are just beginning to explore the world around them begin to eat sand or soil out of interest. Having felt the disgusting taste, pain in the stomach and listened to the comments of their parents, they understand for the rest of their lives that this should not be consumed.
What to do about sexual disgust?
If something in his body is unpleasant to you, there is no way to hide it.
In fact, there is hope that sexual disgust is a gradually fading legacy of Soviet education.
Modern-minded young people do not understand that even thoughts about a blowjob can cause an attack of vomiting, the offer of cunnilingus can be perceived as evidence of final depravity, and in some, especially severe cases, touching a partner’s genitals can cause panic and a desire to run away.
But the legacy has not yet been eradicated, and sexual disgust exists. Even in strong couples who have lived together for a long time.
Excellent relationship, love and respect, so much time spent together, but come on: there is no trace of oral sex, the light in the bedroom turns off at twenty-one zero, changing clothes is only behind the curtain.
The disadvantages of sexual disgust are clear even without sex therapists: the joy of sex becomes illusory, sex itself becomes monotonous, less and less reminiscent of love and more and more turning into marital duty.
But this is minus-light. It’s harder if suddenly in some not-so-pleasant conversation it turns out that it’s not about puritanical views on sex, but about ordinary disgust, and for another man, for example, she would completely give a blowjob, but he dreams of a 69 position, but not with my wife. Agree, it is impossible to imagine a worse insult.
However, it can be worse: when suddenly at some corporate event or in a sanatorium, two days before departure, there is a sudden release of oxytocins and adrenalines, passionate sex with a semi-acquaintance, and it turns out that the blowjob is pleasant not only to the one to whom it is given, but also to the author of the affection, and in a doggy position - it’s not at all embarrassing, but in the light it’s absolutely mind-blowing, and on the balcony it’s simply amazing, and in a clearing under the moonlight, completely naked - you wouldn’t die of happiness.
And everything goes to hell, because few strong, but asexual married life can resist ridiculous, but high-quality sex without disgust.
Therefore, something needs to be done. But what? You won’t be able to overcome disgust alone: this reaction is subconscious, so simple affirmations and self-persuasions will not help the matter.
Will help:
- Intense joint and solo viewing of high-quality porn;
- Delicate conversations with a partner about a gradual, careful expansion of the joint range of sexual continuity;
- A visit to an expensive and reliable sex therapist;
- Depilation, manicure and pedicure;
- Shared saunas, baths and spas;
- A long hike for two in the romantic places of the Carpathians, Lake Baikal or the Caucasus.
Divorce also helps, but this is a last resort.
VELVET: Agata Volchkova
