Irritation is ... Irritation in physiology and psychology

There are two consonant concepts - irritability and irritation. These are terms that are relevant to one science, but differ in their meaning. Although they are connected directly. However, everything is in order.

Terminology

So, irritation is an action. Which turns out to be different forms and manifestations on the body, its cells, tissues and organs. Those, in turn, are called irritants. By their classification and characteristics they are different, but about this - a little later.

Irritability, in turn, is the ability of the body to respond to certain influences coming from the environment. It expresses itself in the change in physicochemical parameters. That is, irritability is a consequence of irritation. And this is a universal manifestation of the vital activity of each biological system without exception. Its presence is the norm. It is on it that living things differ from inanimate ones. And, by the way, the phenomena of irritability in animals and plants are similar. Let and the forms of manifestation are different.

Excitability

This term has a direct relationship to the topic under discussion, so you can not fail to note his attention. Excitability is the ability of a living organism to respond to the stimulation. This, in fact, the process of generating a nerve impulse. And excitation is a complex of processes of reaction to the action exerted by the stimulus. All of them are manifested in changes in metabolism and membrane potential.

Tissues that are excitable (muscular, nervous and glandular) are distinguished by their ability to excite. It is most pronounced in the nerves, which is logical. And also skeletal muscles.

Reason for all reactions

As already mentioned, irritation is an action. Which is on us all the time, albeit unnoticed. These lines, read by a man, exert a visual irritation on him. And accordingly, they are irritants.

This term denotes any factor of internal or external environment that affects the living tissue. But the classification is, and detailed.

Irritants are primarily divided by nature. They can be:

• Physical. This is what surrounds us everywhere: sound, light, electricity, etc.
• Chemical. Acids, salts, hormones, alkalis ... even substances that come with food in the body. In order to assimilate them, they undergo complex exchange and splitting processes. Accordingly, the notorious substances have a certain irritation on the body, since it does this.
• Physico-chemical. It's a little more complicated. This class includes the osmotic and partial pressure of gases.
• Biological. In short, this category includes everything that we take inside (water, food) and the people around us (parents, friends, beloved).
• Social. Yes, conversations, speech, words, communication are all also irritants.

Impact strength

One can not help saying such a thing as the threshold of irritation. This is physiology, and every aspect is interconnected. The classification of impacts by nature was mentioned above. So, there is also a division of stimuli in strength. But in order to understand what is being said, one must know about the notorious threshold of impact. In simple terms, this is the minimum force exerted on the body by an irritant, which is sufficient for the onset of excitation. Of course, fresh bread, which is right under the nose of a man, has a pronounced aroma, but even a subtle smell from the bakery from the neighboring street is enough to make the olfactory analyzers activated.

So, the stimuli can be subliminal. That is, there is no response. Their strength is too weak for this. Thresholds are the golden mean. Irritants of minimal strength (as in the case of a bakery), causing excitement. And the third category is superthreshold effects. Those whose strength is above the threshold (shown in the example of bread).

How does it work?

Well, irritation is physiology, and everything that concerns it, proceeds according to certain laws. And this case is no exception.

There is such a thing as a rheobase. They designate the minimum force that the stimulus possesses, which causes excitation over a long time period. Which is not limited.

Hence the notion of useful time follows. This is the minimum period during which an irritant having the strength of a single rheobase affects the body. In simple terms, there is enough time for excitement.

And the last, the third component - chronaxy. This term is used to designate the minimum time interval during which the action on the body is exerted by an irritant having the strength of two rheobases. The conclusion is that the shorter chronaxy or useful time, the higher the excitability. On the contrary, this principle also works.

Turning to psychology

Well, the above was told about what is physiological strong irritation. This is a more or less understandable topic. Now you can pay attention to the psychological aspect.

Everyone knows that irritation is a feeling. Which is experienced by a person when an unpleasant personality, action or phenomenon affects him. In general, anything. But most importantly, it is necessarily associated with a person's personal perception. Suppose a man is not going to marry. He wants to do business, because he sees himself in the business sphere, it brings him pleasure and joy. But his whole family is firmly convinced that he needs to find a beloved, marry and "nest a nest." And no one hesitates to regularly remind him of this in an obsessive form. Accordingly, in his soul there is an emotion of irritation. It is natural. Which entails, as a rule, a response to a sharp reaction. What is quite understandable.

Special cases

It is worth noting the attention to another nuance. Irritation is a concept in psychology that has another meaning. Under it is often meant a tendency to inadequate reactions to completely ordinary processes and phenomena. However, it is more correct to call it irritability. Which is explained by psychologists as a curtailed aggression.

People cope with this in different ways. And it is necessary to fight against this, as irritability spoils life. How can a person who "brings to a boil" the perfume of a colleague's spirits, a friend's time delay for a meeting and the laughter of other people be happy? But it happens. In people with increased irritability, the world, as a rule, exists in black tones.

Well, in that case, you need to try to take everything under control and start solving the problem. Because the accumulation of irritation does not bode well.