Snow White Syndrome Example
Psychology / / July 04, 2021
The snow white syndrome It is the distortion of the image that a person has of himself with respect to his youth, beauty or qualities and the envy that he develops towards figures that seem to surpass him. This syndrome was coined by psychologist Betsy Cohen, who wrote a book on the subject. This syndrome has not been fully accepted by various organizations and by some psychologists. Although it is being used more and more in the media.
It occurs mainly among women, especially in mature women. But it is not exclusive to them, there are also many cases in men. It is not an exact syndrome, it is a series of pre-depressive or depressive disorders that together with other disorders gives rise to this syndrome.
The snow white syndrome It is based on the personality of Snow White's stepmother. Who despite her extreme beauty felt insecure and threatened by the youth and beauty of her stepdaughter. Filling the young woman with aggressions and trying to get rid of her. This is because she believes that in the absence of a rival the attention returns to her.
It is a disorder in which the person is unsure of their own image, of the qualities that make her unique, she feels fear of old age, loneliness, courage for lost years or wasted.
And above all envy towards younger people or with a quality that they believe they no longer possess, which is why they like them either physically or emotionally; many of these cases occur between mother and daughter, where the mother emotionally attacks her daughter, humiliating her and making her look and feel inferior. Sometimes they humiliate in public, and in private they treat their daughters well. Other times they make them feel bad everywhere. Many come to physically attack their supposed rivals, even killing in extreme cases. It also occurs between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, between sisters, and in the workplace. Even among friends. Many feel sad when the other has some kind of triumph or someone next to her. They suffer a lot when someone rejects them for their rival, even in some minor thing, they like to be the center of attention although many are shy.
You tend to overvalue beauty and overprotect yourself from disease; he takes great care of his personal image, reaching for cosmetic surgery to maintain his idea of perpetual youth. They like to wear clothes that make them feel younger or more attractive. They feel a great repulsion towards getting old or appearing their age, which they try to hide in many cases. They have activities that they generally do not consider appropriate for their age. They compete with their rivals continuously even if their rivals do not notice it. They try to socialize a lot with men who make them feel beautiful, young and confident and who also represent a superior status. For the latter, many are looking for young or mature couples but with capital or attractiveness.
The snow white syndrome it does not have a single cure. Therapy, self-knowledge and self-acceptance help a lot to calm the anxiety that these people feel.
This distorted image they feel may be due to the person's refusal to age and all that this entails, rejection, loneliness, loss of certain capacities and abandonment, and of the overvaluation they have of beauty and what it represents for them, in addition to the longing for their youth and all that they represent for her: affection, attention, attraction, gifts and concessions that mature people are not allowed by the society.
A person with snow white syndrome than the so-called Cougar, which is the mature woman who lives and has fun as a young woman, but not in order to surpass others but for the pleasure of living and making up for the years that she lost as a young woman.