Personality Blog

Researchers enthusiastically debate the etiology of phobias. Behaviorists point fervently to a pairing of a neutral stimulus and a frightening stimulus as the raison d’être of a phobic reaction. For example, an experiment performed in the experimental dark ages of the 1920’s paired a little fuzzy rabbit with a frightening noise. The subject was a young child, little Albert. He exhibited no fear of the rabbit until the loud noise was repeatedly paired with the animal. He learned to fear the rabbit, even when it was …

Individuals who are diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) are frequently diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder too. They can become very dependent on the few people in their support system. Only 0.5% to 1.0% of the general population is likely to receive this diagnosis. This is another of the personality disorders that may become less evident with age.

These individuals may respond well to anti-depressants (when indicated) and psychotherapy. Both Social Phobia and Avoidant Personality Disorder are very treatable, my advice to individuals who have …

Recently I read a “cool” list, written by successful author Stephen King. I began pondering what makes someone cool. Alas, I discovered that, “cool” is impossible to define. We know it when we see it, but we become tongue tied and very uncool when we attempt to define it. There are some things in this life that simply “are” — and that is that. The word “cool” first became popular with jazz and soul musicians in the 1930’s and 1940s. It spread from there and …

If you have been following our Personality Disorder series of articles and quizzes you are familiar with psychopaths, and the Borderline, Paranoid, and Schizoid Personality Disorders. Now you have the opportunity to meet the Histrionic Personality Disorder. Histrionic persons crave attention just as I crave great coffee, fabulous sales and chocolate. They appear especially entertaining and attractive early in relationships, yet friendships with these individuals can become a burden very quickly. They can be demanding, emotional, shallow and smothering. Their interpretation of relationships is frequently …

Two percent of the population, more women than men, suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Even mental health professionals are challenged in attempting to help these emotional individuals while maintaining their professional detachment and compassionate manner. Also, individuals who have been abused sometimes present with similar symptoms and their symptomology may be due to a trauma reaction or even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

People with BPD are likely to have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. They may develop very passionate but unstable attachments; their …

Shyness can limit ones enjoyment of life, or if the symptoms are extreme, it can make life excruciating miserable. Symptoms of extreme shyness may meet the criteria for Social Phobia. Social Phobia is defined as (in the DSM IV TR): One strongly, repeatedly fears at least one social or performance situation that involves facing a stranger or being watched by others. Also, the person specifically fears showing anxiety symptoms or behaving in some other way that will be embarrassing or humiliating. The phobic stimulus almost …

I have been in private practice for fifteen years. In that time I have met many wonderful people who simply want their lives to be happier, more rewarding, more interesting or more productive. I have found that life is like a book. We write into our life book each day. What we write creates our life story. Sometimes we feel a need to edit our lives and go in a more joyous, successful or healthy direction. We can come to this realization for many reasons. Perhaps, we have a life …