Neurotic

Neurotic, in psychology, refers to a broad personality dimension or trait characterized by emotional instability and negative affect. The term historically derives from the concept of neurosis, a class of disorders associated with distress without psychosis. In clinical use, neurotic describes a pattern rather than a discrete diagnosis.

In modern psychology, neuroticism is one of the Big Five personality traits, along with openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. It reflects a tendency to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and irritability, and to react strongly to stress. Higher scores indicate greater emotional reactivity and poorer emotion regulation.

Clinical relevance: high neuroticism is linked with increased risk for mood and anxiety disorders and to subjective distress, but it is a personality trait, not a mental disorder. It interacts with life experiences and coping styles. The term neurotic is often considered pejorative in everyday language and is avoided in formal diagnoses.

Measurement and neuroscience: Neuroticism is commonly assessed with self-report inventories such as the NEO-PI-R and the Five-Factor Inventory. Research notes genetic and environmental contributions and associations with neural markers like amygdala reactivity and stress-response systems, though findings vary across studies.