Reactive States

Reactive States, pathological manifestations having as their cause excessively strong emotional experiences. Most authors combine this concept with the aggregate of phenomena designated as psychogenies (see) and 'pathological psychogenic reactions'. Some authors, in addition to certain mental disorders, also attribute to reactive states neurotic pictures of psychogenic origin (see Neuroses). The most controversial point in the doctrine of reactive states is the question of the role of constitutional predisposition in their origin. Gannushkin includes their description in the section 'dynamics of psychopathies', which however is not connected with the denial of the possibility of reactive states occurring in healthy people, but only with the assumption of their particular frequency in psychopathic personalities, associated with a significant decrease in their affective sphere stability. On the other hand, according to the same author, in almost all reactive states, the picture of the disorder is influenced by one or another factor, including the constitutional basis of personality. This influence is minimal in 'shock' reactions and predominant in 'constitutional' reactions. Lange tends to consider reactive states as an expression of a whole range of severe emotional experiences, ranging from those lying on the surface of mental life and having negligible relation to the constitutional bases of personality, to those endogenous in course and character of the reactive states (e.g., reactive melancholia, etc.). Reichhardt separates reactive states from psychogenies, considering that psychogenies are reactions of purpose and expectation, whereas reactive states represent reactions with the predominant participation of the constitutional bases of personality. All the above makes the doctrine of reactive states still confused and unclear in its basic principles. For more details, see Psychogenies and Mental Reaction.