Characterizing the Dimensions of a Mental/Emotional Symptom

Installment 4.2 of a series on case analysis

Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

anacardium plant

A Study of Anacardium according to the dimensions of a M/E symptom

Section 2 - Responses

In the first section of this article, I explored the Stimulus side of the Stimulus - Response equation for Anacardium. I'd like now to turn attention to Responses, or outward behaviors. I've (figuratively) described the nose of the dog; now I'd like to turn attention to the tail and the legs, to see what this dog does with the information the nose acquires from its environment:

stimulus -> disturbance of the "moment of choice" -> RESPONSE

Rubrics in the Response dimension, extracted from the Millenium Synthesis Repertory (as described in the first section of this article), include:

AWKWARD
CHILDISH behavior
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS - children; in

Although these may provide some context regarding the settings in which we will see more specific behaviors, these are not very useful rubrics, having such broad, poorly-defined meanings.

The first symptoms in the following list may be classified as well in the "disturbances of the 'moment of choice'" category; but since they also describe observable behaviors, I'll list them here in that context.

TIMIDITY
TIMIDITY - bashful
TIMIDITY - public; about appearing in

There is a fundamental division in Anacardium between its timid expressions (arising out of the profound loss of self-confidence, which we'll look at when examining the disturbances of the "moment of choice," in the next section of this study), and the many "misanthropic" expressions of this remedy. We find Anacardium listed in the rubrics:

MOOD - alternating
MOOD - changeable

- largely having to do with the dichotomy noted above.

Again, may of the rubrics below are ones we'll re-visit when exploring the distortions of the "Moment of Choice" for Anacardium; but as they also describe in part outwardly observable aspects of behavior, I list them here.

IRRITABILITY
IRRITABILITY - discouragement; with
IRRITABILITY - taking everything in bad part
RESTLESSNESS
IMPATIENCE
IMPATIENCE - children; about his
IMPATIENCE - playing of children, by
IMPETUOUS

JEALOUSY
OFFENDED, easily
SUSPICIOUS
SUSPICIOUS - walking, while
ANGER
ANGER - beside oneself; being
ANGER - children; in
ANGER - stabbed anyone; so angry that he could have
ANGER - trifles; at
ANGER - violent

HATRED
HATRED - children; of
HATRED - revengeful; hatred and

These expressions so far most closely resemble Nux vomica, Lycopodium, Staphysagria, and Natrum muriaticum. Nitric acid - another central remedy in the near-syphylitic ("cancer") miasm - also shows up as highly concordant on these expressions.

Now we're more into the observable expressions, which I'll list below roughly in order of ascending pathology.

The misanthropic expressions of Anacardium are most generally somewhat passive in character, and become overtly aggressive as the pathology deepens. Contrary to the popular stereotyped "portrait" of Anacardium, it is these milder, somewhat passive misanthropic symptoms that are more commonly encountered in clinical practice:

COMPLAINING
MUTTERING
GRUMBLING
SHRIEKING
SHRIEKING - rage; during
SHRIEKING - must shriek; feels as though she
SHRIEKING - children, in
BARKING - growling like a dog
IMBECILITY - rage, stamps the feet
GESTURES, makes - childish
GESTURES, makes - stamping the feet
GESTURES, makes - perseverance, with great
SLANDER, disposition to

These expressions most closely resemble Veratrum album and the Solanaceid remedies (Belladonna, Hyoscyamus, Stramonium), as well as Lycopodium and Nux vomica:

Another group of symptoms that cluster together are:

CONTRARY
DEFIANT
MOOD - repulsive
WICKED disposition
DECEITFUL, sly
MISCHIEVOUS

HARDHEARTED, inexorable
HEEDLESS
INSOLENCE
OBSTINATE, headstrong
RUDENESS
UNFEELING, hardhearted
UNSYMPATHETIC

These expressions most closely resemble Nux vomica, Belladonna, and Lachesis. Also, note the concordance here, once more, of Nitric acid:

Finally, we come to the more aggressive misanthropic behaviors of Anacardium. Although these symptoms describe the often-cited stereotypical portrait of this remedy, it is the passive misanthropic behaviors that are much more often seen in practice.

BLASPHEMY - cursing, and
CURSING
CURSING - desire to curse
CURSING - rage - in
CURSING - restrain himself in order not to curse; has to
OBSCENE, lewd
DESTRUCTIVENESS - emotions; destructiveness from suppressed
MALICIOUS
MALICIOUS - anger, with

ABRUPT, rough - harsh
ABUSIVE
ABUSIVE - husband - insulting; husband is - wife before children or vice versa
BRUTALITY
CRUELTY
CRUELTY - loves to make people and animals suffer
MANIA - abuses everyone

RAGE, fury
RAGE, fury - cursing, with
RAGE, fury - violent
DELIRIUM - raging
KILL, desire to
MANIA - demonic
MANIA - rage, with

STRIKING
STRIKING - fists, with

VIOLENT
VIOLENT - deeds of violence; rage leading to

DEPRAVITY
LASCIVIOUS, lustful
LEWDNESS
LOVE, perversity; sexual

HONOR, sense of honor; no
JOY - misfortune of others; at the
MORAL FEELING; want of
RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS - want of religious feeling
REVERENCE for those around him - lack of
SHAMELESS

ANGER - himself; with
REPROACHING himself

SADNESS - suicidal disposition, with
SUICIDAL disposition
SUICIDAL disposition - shooting, by
SUICIDAL disposition - thoughts
SUICIDAL disposition - throwing - height; himself from a

ANTISOCIAL
CARESSING - husband and child, then pushes them away; caresses
ESTRANGED - family; from his
ESTRANGED - society, from
MISANTHROPY
UNFRIENDLY humor

AMBITION - increased
EGOTISM, self-esteem
HAUGHTY

In these more aggressive expressions of misanthropy, Anacardium may be seen particularly to superficially resemble Hysocyamus (less so Stramonium and Belladonna), Veratrum album, Nux vomica, and Tarentula hispanica. Nitric acid also shares significant concordance in these expressions.

Miscellaneous expressions not easily classed with those above include:

ANOREXIA NERVOSA - bulimarexia
BULIMIA
ANSWERING - aversion to answer
ANSWERING - reflecting long
ANSWERING - slowly
IRRESOLUTION, indecision
LATE - too late; always
LAZINESS
MANIA - alternating with - depression
MONOMANIA
MOROSE
SADNESS
SCHIZOPHRENIA
SULKY

Compensatory Behaviors

Both the timidity, and the misanthropic behaviors described above, is incompatible with living gracefully among other people. A variety of symptoms can be classified as compensatory.

The essential thing to understand about compensation is that compensatory behaviors arise from the same disharmony - the same 'delusion' - that they are attempting to compensate for. As such, they cannot "see out of the system", and are constrained by the same disharmony as that for which they are attempting to compensate. More simply put, compensations typically don't work very well, they reveal themselves in their inadequacies, and they fail at critical times.

Compensatory behaviors for Anacardium include:

FASTIDIOUS
FASTIDIOUS - prove himself; he has to

<-> CHAOTIC

CAUTIOUS
TACITURN

<-> IMPETUOUS, etc.

PASSIONATE [= choleric]
PHILOSOPHY - ability for
PLANS - making many plans
POSITIVENESS
<-> TIMIDITY - public; about appearing in

AFFECTIONATE
BENEVOLENCE
CARESSING - husband and child,

then pushes them away; caresses

EMBRACES - companions, his - hands; his companions'
MILDNESS

<-> [v/s most of the

misanthropic behaviors above]

LAUGHING
LAUGHING - immoderately
LAUGHING - serious matters, over
LOQUACITY
MIRTH

<-> TIMIDITY,

ESTRANGED - society, from,

MISANTHROPY

RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS - too occupied with religion
RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS - too occupied with religion - mania
VENERATION

<-> REVERENCE for those around him - lack of

SERIOUS, earnest
SERIOUS, earnest - absurdities, over
SERIOUS, earnest - ludicrous things, when seeing

<-> CHILDISH behavior

ALCOHOLISM

<-> General sensitivity,

ANGER - himself; with, etc.

So, Who's the Dog?

In the first two sections of this article, I've looked at the Sensitivities (nose of the dog) of Anacardium, and the Outward Behaviors or Responses (tail and legs of the dog) of this remedy. The third dimension of this model consists of the Disturbances of the "Moment of Choice" - the inner experience of the individual, which prejudices the individual's sensitivities and determines the individual's outward behaviors. This is the subject of the third and final section of this month's article.