Weak-will? An issue that has no name

Hi, my name is Matt. I'll try to be as brief as possible in describing my problem.

I'm friendly and mostly normal, but I walk lightly among others. My behavior is involuntarily twisted by others' presence. This makes it hard for me to form friendships and relationships. It's like whatever part of the brain that allows people to maintain a normal level of dominance among others is decayed in my own brain.

It's not a matter of feeling shy or anxiety. I feel normal, yet I behave abnormally.

It's hard to see a doctor or talk about this with anyone because it's not a disability. But I still want to find answers. Do these problems sound like symptoms of anything familiar? I know it's not Aspergers, because I have a good sense of humor and sensitivity to social situations.

Why do you say it isn't a disability? I think that anything which interferes with enjoying and living your life is to some extent a disability.
Depending on your line of work it could even affect your ability to earn a living, can you imagine a lawyer or real esate agent who had a problem being around people? Being downwardly mobile as I am, my people problems still hurt my income. While I'm now in food service instead of an office, I make very litle money as kitchen help wheras if I could stand the human contact I could make as much in a day as a waitress as I make in a week!

If I'm hearing you right, this sounds exactly what I'm reading about for myself in _Positive Energy_ by Judith Orloff, M.D.

An Intuitive Empath is extremely sensitive to the energies of other people. The goal of this book is to teach us how to protect ourselves and preserve our energy.

You might also be interested in _Please Understand Me: An Essay on Temperament Styles_ By David Keirsey, Marilyn M. Bates.

"If you feel like no one understands you, it's because they don't."

It sounds like an intuitive empath is someone who is sensitive to the energies of others. I definitely fall into that boat. But I think that's pretty normal--most people just aren't consciously aware of it. It's more of how you respond that separates yourself from others.

I don't agree. I'd say about 80% of the population at least aren't intuitive and another 15% aren't empaths.

Hello to you both; Matt22 and Doh2007, This whole subject has been a great personal journey through which I've
struggled to maintain some sense of dignity and worth.
But alas the battle was more than just "them and me" but it
mounted to grow and take on a power beyond the scope of
which you could measure. It took away my self control
and hunted me down to such an extent I became totally
devalued and that was hard to accept. Please send me a PM
with what ever view you apply to this post. I hope we
can discuss this further. Take care DB

Talking about difficult things can be just what liberates you from them, by way of understanding the process that takes place in your reaction. A therapist is non-judgmental and will be glad to embark on a journey of exploration and discovery with you to find out what's at work when your behavior isn't what you want it to be. There's something at work in your thoughts that, when explored, will tell you what it's all about. The therapist can help you slow down your reaction process so you can take a look at it and learn from it.

It sounds like a symptom of fear and of feeling uncomfortable being yourself around others.

I don't think behavior can be twisted that easily; behavior is a choice. While we cannot always control what we think or feel we can what we "do" about it. I would get a therapist, Matt, as Echoes suggests, and explore the ways in which you feel helpless about your behavior. It sounds like you are giving those around you too much power or projecting negative feelings on them.