The Highly Sensitive Person

This article is about the book by Elaine Aron. For the psychological term, see Highly sensitive person.
The Highly Sensitive Person
Author Elaine N. Aron, PhD
Country United States
Language English
Genre Success, Management, Psychology, Self-Help, Interpersonal Relations
Publisher Broadway Books
Publication date
 1996; June 2, 1997 (paperback)
Media type Paperback, Kindle Edition
Pages 251 pages (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-553-06218-2

The Highly Sensitive Person, subtitled How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, is a non-fiction book by psychologist Elaine N. Aron, PhD, that discusses highly sensitive persons (HSPs).

Aron has characterized highly sensitive persons as having "increased sensitivity to stimulation" and who "are more aware of subtleties and process information in a deeper, more reflective way."[1]

Content and concepts

Definition and traits

Aron has defined highly sensitive persons (HSPs) in terms of "an increased sensitivity to stimulation" and being "more aware of subtleties and process(ing) information in a deeper, more reflective way.[1] By implication, HSPs "pick up so much subtle information, then pause and reflect before they act" and thus "aren't going to do impulsive things...that get people into a lot of trouble."[1] She added that HSPs "have valuable information—like the canaries in the mine (that) sound the alarm when something is wrong," but are often misunderstood.[1]

Determining sensitivity

Aron has offered guidelines for determining the degree to which one is highly sensitive, the guidelines including: being easily overwhelmed by things like bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or nearby sirens; sensitivity to pain; need for withdrawal to a private location for relief from stimulation; discomfort with loud noises; difficulty sleeping; being easily startled; being rattled when having a lot to do in a short amount of time; and being called sensitive or shy as a child.[1]

Examples of highly sensitive persons

Aron has described Carl Jung, Emily Dickinson, Rainer Maria Rilke as being highly sensitive persons, adding that HSPs are "traditionally poets, writers, teachers, doctors, healers, lawyers, scientists, philosophers and theologians."[1]

Influence and reception

Susan Cain's 2012 book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking referred extensively to Aron's work, with Cain commenting on her website that "For more about sensitivity, you can’t do better than read the works of Elaine Aron and Jerome Kagan."[2] Concerning the distinction between sensitivity and introversion, Aron and her husband Arthur Aron published a 1997 paper "Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and its Relation to Introversion and Emotionality."[3]

By 2015, more than a million copies of The Highly Sensitive Person had been sold.[4]

Related publications

Aron has published other works related to high sensitivity, including:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Madrigal, Alix, "She Writes About a Touchy Subject / Book aims to help sensitive people (WebCite archive), San Francisco Chronicle, July 28, 1997.
  2. ↑ Cain, Susan, "Resources" (WebCite archive of 2012-05-19), ThePowerOfIntroverts.com, probably published in late 2011 or early 2012.
  3. ↑ Aron, Elaine M., and Aron, Arthur, "Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and its Relation to Introversion and Emotionality" (WebCite archive), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 73, no. 2 (1997): 345–68.
  4. ↑ Lally, Maria (October 12, 2015). "Highly sensitive people: a condition rarely understood". The Telegraph (U.K.). Archived from the original on October 18, 2015.

External links

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