What is posturing in psychology?

Shaun Leannon
2025-07-22 19:17:09
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Humans and other animals express power through open, expansive postures, and powerlessness through closed, constrictive postures. Forthcoming in Psychological Science will be a paper that reveals how open postures can actually cause one to grow in confidence and power. The study reveals that posing in high-power nonverbal displays caused neuroendocrine and behavioral changes for both male and female participants: High-power posers experienced elevations in testosterone, decreases in cortisol, and increased feelings of power and tolerance for risk. Adopting powerful postures allowed subjects to prepare for stressful situations and confidently take risks due to psychological, physiological, and behavioral changes. Power positioning allows an individual to prepare for a challenge on a neuroendocrine level, and gives him or her the ability to excel in decision-making and naturally gain power.

Charles McKenzie
2025-07-22 17:12:58
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Abnormal posturing refers to rigid body movements and chronic abnormal positions of the body. This symptom isn’t the same thing as showing poor posture or slumping over. Rather, it’s a tendency to hold a particular body position or move one or more parts of the body in an abnormal way. Many abnormal posturing behaviors are the result of a serious spinal cord or brain injury. When a muscle contracts, the muscles on the other side of the joint normally offer some resistance to the contraction. But with abnormal posturing, the muscle groups fail to offer resistance when a muscle contracts. This results in atypical movement of the head or back or stiff or arched feet. Abnormal posturing most often results from damage to the brain or spinal cord. The type of posturing you experience will depend on the specific area of the brain or spinal cord that was affected. There are three main types of postures that may be seen among individuals with abnormal posturing: Opisthotonos posture, Decorticate posture, and Decerebrate posture.

Conor Stoltenberg
2025-07-22 15:46:40
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Posturing means to behave in a manner that is intended to impress or mislead others. This might occur when one person is trying to act as though they are stronger or smarter than they really are in order to gain respect or fear from others. All of us have met people who puff themselves up in order to impress, or intimidate, the people around them. Another example that most of us can identify with is the male gorilla at the zoo who beats his chest and vocalizes loudly to intimidate other male gorillas.

Jasper Zulauf
2025-07-22 15:41:06
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Posturing in the context of mental illness refers to abnormal or rigid body postures assumed by individuals that do not serve any functional purpose. These postures are often unusual, fixed, and maintained for extended periods, sometimes without awareness or control. Posturing can manifest in various forms and may be indicative of underlying neurological or psychiatric conditions. Posturing is considered a neurological or neuropsychiatric symptom and can be observed in certain mental health disorders. It often reflects disturbances in motor function, posture control, or neuromuscular coordination. Posturing can occur in the following mental health disorders, including catatonia, schizophrenia, and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders. In catatonia, posturing can include rigidity, waxy flexibility, and echopraxia, and in schizophrenia, it can involve assuming rigid or bizarre body postures that are unrelated to the surrounding environment or context. Recognizing posturing as a symptom of an underlying neurological or psychiatric condition is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Posturing can also occur in neurological conditions that affect motor control and coordination, such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, or certain types of encephalopathy.
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