Psychology

This research paper seeks to describe and define the various personality disorders, explain their causes and highlight their treatments. Firstly, what is personality? The term personality can de described as a dynamic organisation, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person's characteristic patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings - Gordon Allport (1961). How we perceive the world, our attitudes, thoughts, and feelings are all part of our personality. A personality disorder is defined as the long-standing, maladaptive, inflexible ways of relating to he environment. Studies of personality disorders within the general population estimate their prevalence to be between 10% and 13% (Weissman, 1993).

Personality disorders constitute immature and inappropriate ways of coping with stress or solving problems and those who struggle with a personality disorder tend to have a narrow view of the world and great difficulty dealing with other people. These disorders are usually evident by early adolescence and may continue through the whole life span. A person may show a personality disorder when his life is deemed unsatisfying and ineffective, or when his interpersonal relations are disturbed.

Personality disorders exist on a continuous sequence in which the adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other but the extremes are quite distinct. That is, the personality disorder can be mild, where the person can still lead a relatively normal life; to more severe, where they begin to seriously interfere with their emotional and psychological functioning in terms of how persuasive, and to what extent the person exhibits the features of a particular personality disorder.

Most personality disorders have similar characteristics; hence, it is difficult for personality psychologists to classify some individuals. In addition, it is also a difficult task to determine if an individual's behaviour is simply different from others or it is actually a disorder. A personality disorder must fulfil several criteria. A deeply ingrained, inflexible pattern of relating, perceiving, and thinking serious enough to cause distress or impaired functioning can be deemed as a personality disorder.

What causes these personality disorders? Some experts believe that early childhood experiences and events have a powerful influence on behaviour later on in life. Some experts also believe that persons are genetically prone to developing personality disorders.

There are several types of personality disorders of which they and their characteristics are listed in the DMS-IV table below.

Diagnosis Description of Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder Impulsive, callous behaviour based on disregard for others and lack of respect for social norms.

Borderline Personality Disorder Chronic instability of mood, relationships, and self-concept, self-destructive impulsiveness.

Histrionic Personality Disorder Chronic intense need for attention and approval sought by dramatic behaviour, seductiveness, and dependence.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Frequent grandiosity and obliviousness to others' needs exploitative behaviour; arrogance.

Paranoid Personality Disorder Chronic and persuasive mistrust of others that is unwanted.

Schizoid Personality Disorder Chronic lack of interest in interpersonal relationships; emotional coldness.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder Chronically inhibited or inappropriate emotional and social behaviour; aberrant cognitions; disorganised speech.

Avoidant Personality Disorder Avoidance of social interactions and restrictiveness in interactions due to chronic worry about being criticised.

Dependent Personality Disorder Pervasive selfishness, need to be cared for and fear of rejection.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Pervasive rigidity in activities and relationships extreme; extreme perfectations.

The Antisocial Personality (formerly termed the psychopathic personality and also referred to as sociopathy) is the disorder that has been studied the most and had been the most reliably diagnosed.

The behaviour of persons with this disorder is solely driven by their own needs. This disorder is characterised by little sense of responsibility, morality, or concern for others. The individuals behave impulsively, seek immediate gratification of their needs and cannot tolerate frustration. Put simply, the individuals lack a conscience. If we take into consideration Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, which states that