Brain health · Sanctum

A strong sense of fairness and rules

Unfairness genuinely bothers you, sometimes at real cost to yourself. Rules matter, and other people bending or breaking them feels wrong in a way that is hard to let go of. You will stand on a principle long after it would be easier to drop it.

This is not being rigid or self-righteous. For some brains, fairness and consistency are deeply felt, almost physical, so injustice lands hard and double standards are intolerable. It often comes with real integrity, and with a difficulty looking away from things that are not right.

Because the strength of feeling looks like being argumentative or inflexible, the sincerity underneath gets missed. Children get called defiant, adults get called difficult, when what is driving it is a genuine, intense response to unfairness.

We take the strength of your sense of fairness seriously, because it is part of how you are wired, not a behaviour to manage out. None of this is a diagnosis. It is what we explore with you.

Written by Dr Asad RaffiConsultant Psychiatrist · Founder & Medical Director