Histrionism describes fundamentally a behavior of fictional representation reaching, in some cases, simulation and theatricality. The histrionic skier is, in part, dissociated from reality so he keeps distant from his symptoms and adapted behavior, that is to say, he acts under illusion or pretence.
He needs constantly to be the center of attention and to be admired, making use of the excess of dramatism. Considers his usual skiing as a boring routine and so he needs to experience new situations.
The characteristics of a skier with histrionic tendencies are:
- Insecure personality.
- Speaks in a strident and flashy manner.
- Gives importance to his physical appearance and dresses stridently.
- Presents superficiality in his relationships.
- Easily influenced.
- Is insincere.
- Depends on the opinions of others.
- Seeks social approval.
- Tends to self-centeredness.
- Exhibits exaggerated but unconvincing emotionality.
- In failures blames others or the unfavorable context.
Skier’s personality with paranoid tendency
The skier with paranoid tendency tends to intensely look for details that make him lose the context in which he finds himself and confirm his point of view, thus losing the true meaning of his skiing.
For the instructor, it is frustrating to try to convince him that his assumptions about skiing are wrong. It does little good to apply reasoning to persuade him since he may take him as an object of distrust. Inwardly he thinks about why this person -the ski instructor- is so interested in trying to convince him to ski in another, supposedly better, way.
The paranoid skier recurrently identifies in the mountain environment a dangerous issue that could jeopardize the integrity of his Self by feeling threatened. The danger for which he feels compelled may be real, but for the most part, they are projections of non-existent dangers or based on previous experiences.
The function of projection here is to incorporate the skier into the external world. He may project a bad object into a non-dangerous situation; he may also project a real danger and project a good object, so that the situation will not be experienced as dangerous, or even not project anything and deny its existence.
In paranoid behavior it is not the projection that characterizes it but the attribution as dangerous of the persecutory object on which the projection is based.
The behavior of a paranoid skier is identified by:
- Attributing dangers of the environment.
- Blaming others for what happens to him.
- Acting in function of possible dangers.
- Distrusting and/or attacking the outside world.
The characteristics of a skier with a paranoid tendency may be the following:
- Distrustful of other skiers.
- Believes that others are trying to harm him.
- Perceives others’ comments as personal attacks.Is prone to hold grudges.
- Reacts unfoundedly to perceived insults.
