It is known that a specific form of symptomatic behavior (rigidity/autonomy (or flexibility)) is a consequence of a characteristic style and way of thinking. This cognitive style reveals the functional aspects of the nature of behavior. Behavior is governed not only by internal forces and needs in accordance with the goals of the individual. Behavior is controlled by a neurotic personality, coupled with his way of thinking, goals, and point of view. This process occurs even in cases of pathology of autonomy. Weakening of autonomy (that is, internal freedom) is inherent in any psychopathology, but the greatest rigidity is observed in the case of obsessive-compulsive and paranoid personalities. Rigidity (rigidity, inability and unpreparedness of an individual to change a planned pattern of activity in circumstances where a previously planned program requires significant changes) or rigid/flexible control can mean a person’s ability to overcome interfering factors and focus on them in the implemented methods of action. With rigid control, subjects tend to overestimate external circumstances; on the contrary, subjects with flexible control assess the external situation more comprehensively. When the field of study changes, this cognitive style acquires a different interpretation: a tendency to automate cognitive efforts, characteristics of thinking, creative potential of the individual, dependence on socio-psychological factors. Thus, people with rigid control rigidly adhere to a predetermined, or even habitual, course of action. Rigid/flexible cognitive control characterizes the amount of internal difficulty when changing methods of processing information flows in a situation of cognitive conflict. For example, rigid control may indicate difficulties in the transition to sensory-perceptual (feeling) functions from verbal ones due to their low automation, and flexible control may indicate the ease of the described transition. As a method for studying this cognitive style, the Stroop technique is usually used with the names of colors written in ink that does not correspond to the color written, with the calculation of the difference between the time indicators between the given naming of 100 objects and the naming of the color of 100 objects of multi-colored stars. The second technique is the technique of free associations by Gardner, Klein and others. The subject names words associated with the stimulus word. Responses are classified into 7 categories based on the distance of the word to the named stimulus. The length of the distance of verbal associations and the total number of words in the protocol determines the rigidity and flexibility of cognitive control. It has been shown that people with rigid control read more slowly, check the conditions and results of problems being solved more carefully, and are less immune to interference. They are also less likely to focus on preliminary information collection. These individuals try to think about their actions in advance.