Personality Blog

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is the 8th personality disorder in our series. You don’t want to miss any of them. People with OCPD have impossibly high standards for themselves and others. Personal relationships are a challenge for them because of their tendency to be critical of others who do not share their inflexible standards. They are convinced of the rightness of their beliefs, therefore they can be contentious. There are few gray areas as far as OCPD individuals are concerned. They perceive everything as …

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 …

Narcissists are found at all economic levels and in many and diverse careers. Naturally, politics, acting, recording, higher education and religion have a ready audience to admire and pamper them. Though, physicians, teachers, attorneys and executives are not without their Narcissists, in fact, these careers could lure an individual with an overachieving ego. Narcissists can have a wonderful façade, much like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz. He was just a lonely little man behind a curtain …

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 …

The 4th article and quiz in our series on the Personality Disorders focuses on Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD). We don’t know what causes the disorder, though we must assume that both genetics and environmental factors are involved. As with individuals with Paranoid Personality Disorder it is challenging to treat these solitary individuals. They may consider therapy either intrusive or threatening – or both. Some therapeutic techniques and medications have proved to be beneficial in treating some of the symptoms associated with this disorder. …

I have just added the third personality disorder in our series, Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD). If you have not read the first two — Psychopaths and Borderline Personality Disorder — you are behind by two.

As Pat Conroy said:
I’ve always found paranoia to be a perfectly defensible position.

In some situations Pat is entirely correct, though there are individuals who trust no one under any circumstance. We don’t know what causes this disorder, however we are aware that the incidence is increased in families …

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 …