We have all heard someone call another person paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, or obsessive-compulsive.
They are ways of speaking, so we do not have to give them more importance, but we must be aware that these “adjectives” are personality disorders that cause enormous discomfort to the affected people and their immediate environment.
For this reason, I think it is interesting to know a little more about these disorders and perhaps it helps us to reconsider our vocabulary and how our words, sometimes, can go further.
Mental disorders in general and personality disorders in particular affect a large number of people, so it is interesting to know a little more about them because this will help us ourselves and also as a society.
Recommended article: “The 10 types of personality disorders”
There are different personality disorders, but all of them maintain general diagnostic criteria.
The person’s behavior will clearly deviate from what their culture considers correct or its expectations. This must be reflected in at least two of the following areas:
This behavior or conduct must be persistent, inflexible and affect a wide range of personal and social situations. Likewise, it causes clinically significant discomfort or significant impairment in areas such as social relationships or the work environment.
These types of maladaptive behaviors They usually begin in adolescence or adulthood and remain stable.
Finally, it is important that we know that there are some personality disorders that are due to the ingestion of substances such as medications or drugs, or that can occur as a consequence of a medical illness. Therefore, we must know if this persistent pattern of behavior is not due to any of these factors.
Once these general criteria are defined, we will look at some of the personality disorders so that we can distinguish them. We will divide them into 3 groups according to the similarity of their characteristics.
It is worth remembering that The characteristics that we will see below do not have to define the disorder unless the criteria defined above are also met.
Weird or eccentric
This group of disorders is characterized by a clearly abnormal pattern both in relation to cognition and in expression and relationships with others.
Dramatic, emotional or unstable
The following disorders are characterized by a pattern of violating social norms, impulsive behaviors, excessive emotionality, and grandiosity.
Limit: They are characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and effectiveness. Impulsiveness. They present identity alteration, impulsivity and unstable and intense relationships. They also display recurrent suicidal behaviors, attempts, or threats, or self-mutilating behaviors, as well as chronic feelings of emptiness and intense, inappropriate anger.
Histrionic: they present a theatrical style of behavior, excessive emotionality and attention seeking. They want to be the center of attention and show seductive or provocative behaviors, superficial and changing emotional expression. They attract attention using their physicality, self-dramatization, theatricality or exaggeration. They are easily influenced and consider their relationships more intimate than they really are.
Narcissistic: They present a need for admiration and a general pattern of grandiosity, as well as a lack of empathy. They believe they are very important, they are concerned with obtaining unlimited success, power, beauty. They demand excessive admiration and take advantage of others. They do not show empathy but they do frequently envy others, and they appear arrogant or arrogant.
Disorders in this group are characterized by showing abnormal fears. Its types are the following.
Avoidant: show social inhibition and feelings of inferiority. They avoid contact with other people for fear of criticism or rejection. Also fear of being embarrassed or criticized. They see themselves as socially inept, uninteresting, or inferior to others.
Dependent: They present the need to be taken care of, as well as a tendency towards submission and fears of separation. They have difficulty making everyday decisions, they need others to take responsibility, they have difficulty expressing disagreement for fear of disapproval. They also show exaggerated fears of being unable to care for themselves.
Obsessive-compulsive: They are characterized by concern for order, perfectionism and control. They worry about details, rules, lists, order, schedules… they tend to be excessively dedicated to work. They present intense stubbornness, conscientiousness and inflexibility in matters related to morals, ethics or values. Also difficulty getting rid of material objects. They are reluctant to delegate tasks to others and tend to be stingy with expenses for themselves and others.
