In life it is important to have our own ideas and develop points of life rich in nuances as we mature, beliefs and convictions sensitive to the complexity of life that are part of our personality.
The problem arises when someone develops fanaticism about any topic and develops a rigid and poorly adaptive thinking model of action, in defense of their interests, ideas, values or beliefs.
Fanaticism can become a big problem for a person and even for those around them since in the long run it will cause problems of all kinds, both for himself and for the people around him.
Below I will summarize a series of signs that may indicate that our behavior or that of another person may be that of a fanatic.
1. Lack of mental flexibility
The lack of cognitive flexibility is one of the main characteristics that fanatics present and consists of an inability or difficulty to change one’s mind, learn lessons from one’s own mistakes or adapt their approaches to a changing environment.
This deficit in cognitive flexibility translates into a monolithic and gridded way of seeing life, and an inability to modify one’s own approaches or ideas that one has always had, even if evidence or logic invites one to think otherwise.
In addition to that, it is also common for the lack of cognitive flexibility to translate into an unsatisfactory mode of interaction with other people based on conflict and a lack of courtesy or respect.
2. Believing that one knows everything
Another characteristic related to the previous and main one of all fanatics is the tendency to believe that they know everything about life and that there is nothing left for them to learn, assuming that one’s own mental schemas already fit sufficiently with reality
Likewise, people who present a fanatical model of thinking also tend to consider that those who do not share their positions or points of view are wrong or idiots.
Likewise, fanatical thinking pushes the person to consider that they are right in any position they take, whether political, ideological, sports, social or religious, so Those who adopt incompatible beliefs are considered incompetent, ignorant or intellectually “lazy”
3. Tendency to generalize about groups
Bigots are people who tend to oversimplify life and the world around them, as well as constantly generalize about certain groups of people, whether religious, political or ethnic groups.
This tendency to generalize is also due to a lack of cognitive flexibility that prevents the person from taking into account the nuances of reality and the complex parts that surround a given topic or problem of any kind.
4. Tendency to become obsessed with an idea and not see beyond it
It is common for fanatical people to live their lives around the topic they are a fan of, whether it is religion, a football team, a political party or a certain ideology.
In these cases, the person usually has few or no topics of conversation apart from the central topic that concerns them and lives their life obsessed with said phenomenon, coming to interact and establishing friendships that present a level of fanaticism similar to yours
5. Tendency to proselytize
Proselytism is the conscious and systematic habit that most fanatics put into practice to attract more followers to their cause, whether it is their religion, their sports team, their political party or their organization of any kind.
This proselytism is put into practice with all the people to whom the fanatics have access whether they are friends, family, couples or strangers.
6. Lack of social skills
Another of the classic characteristics of fanatics is their lack of social skills, derived, in turn, from a lack of cognitive flexibility and an inability to consider other opinions contrary to their own.
Social skills are those skills that allow us to relate correctly to our environment and establish meaningful emotional and social bonds with the people we meet in life.
Some of these skills are assertiveness, empathy, active listening, the ability to change your mind, emotional intelligence, the ability to apologize and negotiation, among others.
7. Tendency toward aggressive confrontation
Finally, among the main characteristics of the fanatic, it is also worth highlighting a systematic tendency to have conflicts with everyone they interact with due to their fanaticism and inability to give in or give in
This tendency toward conflict can also cause aggressive behavior or violence when they encounter direct opposition to their ideas or conception of life.
This is a behavior that we can observe in all types of sects and organizations in which absolute adherence to the principles and values that govern said institution is required.
Fanatical people usually tolerate very little or no displays of dissent and confrontations with their ideas, beliefs or life approaches in general.
Are you looking for professional psychological support?
If you want psychotherapeutic support, I invite you to contact me.
My name is Javier Ares and I can help you through in-person or online sessions by video call.
