The Highly Sensitive Character

Nope, this post isn't about people who are emotionally touchy, or drama queens/kings. The highly sensitive person (HSP) is a psychological profile detailed by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in her book The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You.

Image courtesy evelyne_almacen.

The optimal state of human existence lies at a particular level of stimulation, somewhere north of boredom but south of over-stimulation. For HSPs, that threshold of over-stimulation comes much sooner than the majority of the population, thanks to an unusually sensitive nervous system.

HSPs aren't simply "shy" or "nervous" -- although  many times non-HSPs view HSPs as such. Being an HSP doesn't necessarily mean you're introverted at all. It simply means you're more aware of what's going on around you, and your surroundings affect you in different ways than they would a non-HSP. Some questions from Dr. Aron's HSP self-test illuminate the tendencies of an HSP:

• Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?
• Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
• Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?
• Do you seem to be aware of subtleties in your environment.
• When people are uncomfortable in a physical environment you tend to know what needs to be done to make it more comfortable (like changing the lighting or the seating).
• Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
• Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?
• Do you have a rich and complex inner life?
• Does hunger create a strong reaction in you, disrupting your concentration or mood?
• Do you become annoyed when people try to get you to do too many things at once?
• When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

If you're interested, I highly recommend you check out Dr. Aron's website or book for a more detailed and eloquent explanation of this character trait.

Not only am I an HSP, but understanding HSPs provides us, as writers, with interesting traits to give our characters. Not every character in my book is an HSP, since HSPs make up the minority of the population in real life. But the facets of HSPs provide a variety of brushes to paint those who are.

For instance, when should my HSP character snap under pressure because s/he is so rattled by the task before them and the short amount of time given to accomplish it? Or should s/he overcome that particular aspect of his/her personality as part of his/her character arc?

How would my HSP character cope with a party scene: by forcing him/herself to plunge into the social melange, or retreating to the bathroom and locking the door to escape the visual chaos and noise? Or even more interestingly, how does an HSP cope with a battle scene? What are the consequences of each path s/he chooses?

Many HSP traits can serve as an asset to the HSP character, and to the non-HSPs around them. The ability to read others' emotions accurately and to sense how to make others comfortable would make an HSP a great friend. Experiencing art and music in a more refined way would allow an HSP character to show a non-HSP the subtleties of what they're seeing and hearing. To couch it in archetypical terms, many non-HSPs ("warrior kings," as Dr. Aron calls them) call on HSPs ("royal advisors") to help them navigate the subtleties of social interaction.

Overall, these character traits make HSPs interesting people to be around, in real life and in literature!