Anxiety and fear are self-centered and will push their way to the front of the line at all times. When struggling with an anxiety disorder, the selfish nature of the disorder often makes you look selfish and self-centered.
At the very least, you might not be able to attribute “rude” behavior to anxiety. Unfortunately, this is often the case for people with anxiety. Their mental health disorder causes them to act in a way that appears inappropriate or rude to others.
Research has indicated that individuals with high emotional reactivity (high neuroticism) and introverted tendencies (low extroversion) are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types [101].
One of the biggest problems with anxiety is that it can cause a person to become pretty self-absorbed or even selfish. They can understandably get wrapped up in their own fears, worries, and stress and tend to forget about everything else and everyone else around them.
For an individual who suffers from anxiety, their thoughts and actions actually ARE self consuming. What people may not recognize however, is that this behavior is not a result of overwhelming confidence, but rather, a deep insecurity and fear.
Causes of Controlling Behavior
The most common are anxiety disorders and personality disorders. People with anxiety disorders feel a need to control everything around them in order to feel at peace. They may not trust anyone else to handle things the way they will.
People with anxious attachment are usually needy. They are anxious and have low self-esteem. They want to be close with others but are afraid that people don't want to be with them.
People who manipulate could even have the best of intentions, but still act in a deceptive manner. These behaviors are very common for individuals with insecurities or anxiety disorders.
Often driven by anxiety, fear, and self-doubt, they undermine their efforts to build the life they want. Self-sabotage becomes especially problematic when the behavior becomes a habit, done so automatically that you don't even fully realize you're doing it or that it is leading directly to negative consequences.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is one of several personality disorders. People with this condition have an inflated idea of themselves and a need for lots of attention from other people. It's human nature to be selfish and boastful now and then, but true narcissists take it to an extreme.
INFP and INFJ: The Overthinkers
When it comes to these types, their anxiety can stem from an inclination to overthinking. Psychology Today defines overthinking as “an excessive tendency to monitor, evaluate, and attempt to control all types of thought,” something this INFJ knows all too well.
While this can seem like annoying or rude behavior, rather than being thoughtless, someone with anxiety is likely so caught up in their own anxious feelings that they appear insensitive to others. When you are anxious, it is common to experience “brain fog,” or difficulty concentrating.
The Behaviors of Anxiety
Negative self-talk (i.e. "I am going to embarrass myself.") Feeling as though you are going crazy. Convincing yourself something is wrong with you. Sleep disturbances.
Low self-esteem may be associated with health problems such as depression and anxiety, eating disorders, social phobia, attention deficit disorder and substance abuse.
Treatment for Self-Sabotaging
Behavioral dysregulation and emotional dysregulation are often caused by childhood trauma or neglect.
Borderline Personality Disorder Defined
It is now universally recognized by mental health professionals as a debilitating illness that affects every aspect of a person's life. Borderline personality disorder causes a broad range of reactions that can be considered self-destructive or self-sabotaging.
We all know that anxiety affects our emotional state and makes interacting with the world difficult, but what may be less obvious is how it changes what we focus our attention on throughout the day. By biasing attention, anxiety alters what we are conscious of, and in turn, the way we experience reality.
In some cases, toxic behavior may stem from underlying psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, or borderline personality disorder. People with these conditions may engage in toxic behavior as a way to cope with their own emotional struggles.
Particularly unusual or irrational thoughts are typically a symptom of chronic or severe anxiety. Different types of anxiety cause different types of irrational thinking. Psychologists recommend writing down and addressing the thought, rather than pushing it away.
But loving someone with anxiety can be hard too. You might feel powerless to help or overwhelmed by how your partner's feelings affect your daily life. If so, you're not alone: Multiple studies have shown that anxiety disorders may contribute to marital dissatisfaction.
Making friends is often extremely difficult for people with social anxiety disorder and to make matters worse, people with this disorder tend to assume that the friendships they do have are not of the highest quality.
Social Anxiety Disorder
People who have this condition often experience an exaggerated sense of feeling under the spotlight. In other words, they sometimes feel like they are the center of attention, even when they are not.