Oppositionist-defiant profile, what does it consist of?

Oppositionist-defiant profile, what does it consist of?
Posted on 18-03-2022

What does it mean for a person to have oppositional-defiant traits?

As the terms themselves indicate, the opposition is a position that tends to exacerbate the opposite in the face of situations or positions that are presented to it. And the challenge is related to authority and the need to confront it.

Both terms describe characteristics of people who do not easily tolerate places of listening, acceptance, or compliance, and frequently react by attacking the positions of others.

Oppositionist implies the need to highlight the opposite, the opposite. Even though the opinion can be shared from a rational point of view, the assent response is difficult, sometimes looking for various reasons to be able to destroy or dismiss that opinion or comment. We can think of this mechanism, among other options, as a way of maintaining power. Nodding or accepting what the other says is seen as a sign of weakness or loss of power.

The individual needs to recurrently strengthen himself in these struggles, through which he wants to emphasize a strength that in reality possibly covers a feeling of inferiority or great vulnerability.

The challenge to the authority and power of the other runs along the same lines. The power of others is challenged so as not to feel impotence. Accepting or assenting to the authority of another represents being, for these individuals, in inferior conditions, situations that reflect their inferiority complex and that are difficult to deal with.

Oppositionist-defiant people can hardly go through group situations calmly because they always find something that they do not like or against which they find dissidence. But it is not only about disagreement, but about the need to challenge and fight around that disagreement. Harmonious group situations based on mutual respect are rarely sustained in the environment of people with these traits because they always find a reason to compete. They do not usually have difficulties with presenting conflict, because, in fact, they usually look for it. Through conflict they permanently question the other, discrediting him directly and indirectly, and thus establishing a balance that they believe always results in their favor.

However, in the face of this dynamic, there is also suffering. The difficulty in accepting what the other says or thinks often leaves the individual isolated since her presence becomes unsustainable for the people around her. It can also be very difficult for him to learn, precisely because the learning position implies recognizing a certain validity in the knowledge that another transmits to us.

Many characteristics that are essential in relationships, such as listening and empathy, are complex because the individual is so focused on attacking and counterattacking that they cannot allow themselves to be receptive. In general, as can be expected, problems are intensified around figures who, by their very investiture, represent authority: such as the police, teachers, or parents, for example. Oppositionist-defiance usually manifests itself initially as early as schooling, presenting many difficulties in accepting rules and instructions.

These characteristics can be enhanced at certain times and then be modified. And they can be present in individuals with very different traits and pictures. The more inflexible this position, the more complex the case. But it is interesting to observe it bearing in mind that this defensive need generally covers great insecurity, which is the underlying reason why the subject cannot resist the position of vulnerability that would imply granting or accepting the power of another.

 

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