Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What Does It Mean To Have Thin Skin PDF
What Does It Mean To Have Thin Skin PDF
eggshelltherapy.com/having-thin-skin/
People with ‘thin skin’, or ‘thin boundary’ are more sensitive than those with thick
boundaries. Their bodies and brains absorb and feel more signals from their
surroundings. They react strongly to sensory stimuli and can become irritated by
things like bright lights, loud sounds, particular aromas, tastes or textures.
‘I am often told that I should grow a thicker skin. I’m too sensitive. I let things get to me too much.’
Boundaries in the mind is a concept that characterises the way a person operates in the
world, particularly how that person handles energies and feeling tone of his or her
surroundings: To what extent are stimuli “let in” or “kept out”? How are a person’s feelings
processed internally?
“There are people who strike us as very solid and well organized; they keep everything in its place.
They are well defended. They seem rigid, even armoured; we sometimes speak of them as “thick-
skinned.
At the other extreme are people who are especially sensitive, open, or vulnerable. In their minds,
things are relatively fluid… such people have particularly thin boundaries.”
To recap, people with thin boundary are highly sensitive, and may demonstrate the
following from an early age:
Reacting more strongly to sensory stimuli and can become agitated due to bright
lights, loud sounds, particular aromas, tastes or textures.
Be more allergic and have immune systems that are more reactive.
Brush aside upsetting emotions, in order to solve the problems at hand or to get
practical matters in order.
Have less apparent mood swings, are slower to recognise how and what they are
feeling.
It is worth pointing out that people with thick boundaries experiences are affected by
feelings as much as people with thin boundaries. This was indicated by bodily signals
such as heart rates, blood pressure, hand temperature and tension in experiments.
2/6
– art students (Beal, 1989, Hartmann, 1991)
– music students
– frequent dream recallers (Hartmann, 1991, Hartmann Elkin, & Garg 1991)
– adults and adolescents with nightmares (Hartmann, 1991, Levin, Galin, & Zywiak 1991;
Galvin, 1993)
On the other hand, groups that score significantly “thicker” on the inventories include:
3/6
– naval officers
– salespersons
– lawyers
The concept of mind-boundaries is unique in that it also ties in with impact on physical
health. It was found that thick boundary people are more prone to hypertension, chronic
fatigue syndrome, and ulcers; whereas thin boundary people are more susceptible to
migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, and allergies. There also appears to be a relationship
between thin boundaries and multiple chemical sensitivities (Jawer, 2001).
In their work ‘Your Emotional Type’, Dr. M. Jawer and M. Micozzi pointed out that being
aware of your emotional type (where you are on the mind-boundary spectrum) would allow
you to access the kind of support that is more likely to benefit you.
Interestingly, a survey suggests that people with thin boundaries are more likely to value
psychotherapy, to have been involved in psychotherapy, and to have benefited from
psychotherapy (Hartmann, 1996). In other words, people with thin boundaries likely make
up majority of therapy clients. Despite its limitations (lack of quantitative data, inevitable
generalisations), the idea of mind-boundaries offer a unique framework that can enhance
therapy effectiveness by valuing individual differences.
I am easily hurt.
Sometimes it’s scary when one gets too involved with another person.
There are no sharp dividing lines between normal people, people with problems and
people who are considered psychotic or crazy.
I have had the experience of someone calling me or speaking my name and not being
sure whether it was really happening or whether I was imagining it.
It would appear that the difficulties and woundings experienced by a person with thin
boundaries are not dis-similar to that experienced by others with heightened emotional
sensitivities. Without awareness and understanding, one can imagine how sensitive people
might have been plagued with misunderstanding and confusion for many years.
Awareness and information about individual differences are invaluable in that they can help
you make sense of your life history. By reviewing events and difficulties that you have
experienced through a new perspective, you can realise where many of the old hurtful,
uninvited commentary might have come from, and be liberated to embark on a journey of
true self-discovery.
“I’ve never gotten thick skin. If you close yourself off and you get this protective armor, there is a
price you pay with that – of not feeling. And feeling is important when you are a songwriter.” –
Taylor Swift
5/6
Being Highly Sensitive
Being an Empath
2+
6/6