Don Juan syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes, treatment

Seduction is one of the ways we have to bond with a person who is attractive to us. Therefore, we seek to generate a good feeling since we are interested in obtaining something in return. Movies and series have realized this throughout history through romantic sequences. At a certain point, for love conquest to occur, there must always be some seduction involved.

However, there are people who use seduction compulsively and seek to manipulate people through their actions. We must pay attention to the features that can be detached since the valuable data will allow us to find adequate solutions to face this problem. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Don Juan syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment.

Index

1. What is Don Juan syndrome
2. Symptoms of Don Juan syndrome
3. Causes of Don Juan syndrome
4. Treatment of Don Juan syndrome

When we mention Don Juan syndrome or compulsive seducer syndrome, we are referring to a personality disorder characterized by the compulsiveness of romantically conquering another person in order to manipulate them and satisfy a need.

The person suffering from Don Juan syndrome uses seduction to achieve your goals. It is extremely important to differentiate between seduction when seeking to make a person fall in love and the use of seduction that is carried out in Don Juan syndrome.

According to the DSM-V, it is possible to include this pathology within the group of narcissistic disorder of personality given the characteristics that appear. In order to make a proper diagnosis, a number of criteria must be met. diagnostic criteria:

• Need for admiration.
• Feelings of greatness.
• Lack of empathy.
• Arrogance over other people.
• arrogant behaviors

Don Juan syndrome or compulsive seducer syndrome presents a series of manifestations that occur at the levels of emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Although this pathology it is more common in menIt is not exclusive to one sex.

Thus, there are women who may suffer from the disorder. Next, we will detail the main symptoms so that you know how to identify a Don Juan:

• Using seduction to emotionally manipulate another person.
• predominance of lies and deception.
• Inability to establish a love relationship.
• Lack of compromise in the life.
• Compulsive search for recognition of personal aspects.
• Sensation of threat to their own integrity, both physical and emotional.

Beyond the symptoms just described, it is worth mentioning that the presence of any of them in isolation does not necessarily represent Don Juan syndrome. It is imperative that the diagnosis be carried out by a mental health professional since it will be in charge of evaluating the characteristics of the patient taking into account aspects such as age, sex, medical history, family history, among others.

This mental disorder has various origins that can account for the onset of symptoms. Knowledge of this subject is crucial for the purpose of developing adequate strategies to deal with the problem. The most important causes are the following:

• family aspects: the presence of family members who have suffered from Don Juan syndrome or compulsive seducer syndrome is one of the determining factors in this clinical picture. In other words, it is possible that the person imitates the manipulative behaviors that you may have observed from the family environment. On the other hand, it is also possible that the incidence of any other disorder of personality influences the development of the pathology.
• Genetic aspects: Another cause that is associated with Don Juan syndrome consists of genetic alterations. In more specific terms, the presence of vasopressin, a neurotransmitter that generates reactions linked to antisocial and manipulative behaviors.

Fortunately, some effective methods are now available against Don Juan syndrome. In the following paragraphs, we will address the main treatments:

psychological therapy

Although it may be difficult for someone with this disorder to recognize the suffering involved, therapy can provide certain tools that help work emotions, thoughts and behaviors related to Don syndrome Juan.

On the one hand, the short-term therapies they are focused on the acquisition of strategies to address social relations in a more pleasant way. Here we can highlight the cognitive behavioral therapy as one of the main approaches.

On the other hand, long term therapies They try to locate the origin of the patient's symptoms from the memory of childhood experiences that may be linked to current conflicts. In this group, one can mention the psychoanalysis as the main prolonged therapy.

psychiatric medication

Given its genetic causality, it is important supply of psychoactive drugs that act on the neuronal connections of the cerebral cortex in order to reduce narcissistic behaviors. However, the use of psychiatric medications should only be done under the supervision of a mental health professional.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Don Juan syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes, treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: Pan American Medical Publisher.

• Lowenkron, T. (2002). Narcissistic personality disorder: diagnostic proposal in the light of psychoanalysis. Fepal - XXIV Latin American Congress of Psychoanalysis: "Permanence and changes in the psychoanalytic experience". Montevideo, Uruguay.
• Puchol, M. (2017). In search of Don Juan: psychoanalysis of the myth. Cervantes Institute. Alcala de Henares. Madrid Spain.
• Trechera, J.L., De la torre, M., Fernández Morales, E. (2008). Empirical study of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Colombian Act of Psychology, 11 (2), 25-36.