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Personality Disorders.
Causes
Research suggests that genetics, abuse and other factors contribute to the development
of obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic or other personality disorders.
In the past, some believed that people with personality disorders were just lazy or even
evil. But new research has begun to explore such potential causes as genetics, parenting
and peer influences:
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Genetics. Researchers are beginning to identify some possible genetic factors
behind personality disorders. One team, for instance, has identified a
malfunctioning gene that may be a factor in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Other
researchers are exploring genetic links to aggression, anxiety and fear — traits
that can play a role in personality disorders.
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Childhood trauma. Findings from one of the largest studies of personality
disorders, the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, offer clues
about the role of childhood experiences. One study found a link between the
number and type of childhood traumas and the development of personality
disorders. People with borderline personality disorder, for example, had
especially high rates of childhood sexual trauma.
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Verbal abuse. Even verbal abuse can have an impact. In a study of 793 mothers
and children, researchers asked mothers if they had screamed at their children,
told them they didn’t love them or threatened to send them away. Children who
had experienced such verbal abuse were three times as likely as other children to
have borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive or paranoid personality
disorders in adulthood.
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High reactivity. Sensitivity to light, noise, texture and other stimuli may also play a
role. Overly sensitive children, who have what researchers call “high reactivity,”
are more likely to develop shy, timid or anxious personalities. However, high
reactivity’s role is still far from clear-cut. Twenty percent of infants are highly
reactive, but less than 10 percent go on to develop social phobias.
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Peers. Certain factors can help prevent children from developing personality
disorders. Even a single strong relationship with a relative, teacher or friend can
offset negative influences, say psychologists.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Revision (DSM-5).
According to DSM-5, a personality disorder can be diagnosed if there are significant
impairments in self and interpersonal functioning together with one or more pathological
personality traits. In addition, these features must be (1) relatively stable across time and
consistent across situations, (2) not better understood as normative for the individual’s
developmental stage or socio-cultural environment, and (3) not solely due to the direct
effects of a substance or general medical condition.
DSM-5 lists ten personality disorders, and allocates each to one of three groups or
‘clusters’: A, B, or C
Cluster A (Odd, bizarre, eccentric)
Paranoid PD, Schizoid PD, Schizotypal PD
Cluster B (Dramatic, erratic)
Antisocial PD, Borderline PD, Histrionic PD, Narcissistic PD
Cluster C (Anxious, fearful)
Avoidant PD, Dependent PD, Obsessive-compulsive PD
Before going on to characterize these ten personality disorders, it should be emphasized
that they are more the product of historical observation than of scientific study, and thus
that they are rather vague and imprecise constructs. As a result, they rarely present in
their classic ‘textbook’ form, but instead tend to blur into one another. Their division into
three clusters in DSM-5 is intended to reflect this tendency, with any given personality
disorder most likely to blur with other personality disorders within its cluster.
Cluster A personality disorders
Cluster A personality disorders are characterized by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior.
They include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder and schizotypal
personality disorder. It's not necessary to exhibit all the signs and symptoms listed for a
disorder to be diagnosed.
Paranoid personality disorder
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Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives
Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you
Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty or trustworthiness of others
Hesitant to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use the
information against you
Perception of innocent remarks or nonthreatening situations as personal insults
or attacks
Angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults
Tendency to hold grudges
Unjustified, recurrent suspicion that spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful
Schizoid personality disorder
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Lack of interest in social or personal relationships, preferring to be alone
Limited range of emotional expression
Inability to take pleasure in most activities
Inability to pick up normal social cues
Appearance of being cold or indifferent to others
Little or no interest in having sex with another person
Schizotypal personality disorder
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Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech or behavior
Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing a voice whisper your name
Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses
Social anxiety and a lack of or discomfort with close relationships
Indifferent, inappropriate or suspicious response to others
"Magical thinking" — believing you can influence people and events with your
thoughts
Belief that certain casual incidents or events have hidden messages meant
specifically for you
Cluster B personality disorders
Cluster B personality disorders are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional or
unpredictable thinking or behavior. They include antisocial personality disorder,
borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and narcissistic personality
disorder. It's not necessary to exhibit all the signs and symptoms listed for a disorder to
be diagnosed.
Antisocial personality disorder
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Disregard for others' needs or feelings
Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, conning others
Recurring problems with the law
Repeated violation of the rights of others
Aggressive, often violent behavior
Disregard for the safety of self or others
Impulsive behavior
Consistently irresponsible
Lack of remorse for behavior
Borderline personality disorder
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Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling or binge eating
Unstable or fragile self-image
Unstable and intense relationships
Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress
Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury
Intense fear of being alone or abandoned
Ongoing feelings of emptiness
Frequent, intense displays of anger
Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes
Histrionic personality disorder
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Constantly seeking attention
Excessively emotional, dramatic or sexually provocative to gain attention
Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back them up
Easily influenced by others
Shallow, rapidly changing emotions
Excessive concern with physical appearance
Thinks relationships with others are closer than they really are
Narcissistic personality disorder
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Belief that you're special and more important than others
Fantasies about power, success and attractiveness
Failure to recognize others' needs and feelings
Exaggeration of achievements or talents
Expectation of constant praise and admiration
Arrogance
Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages, often taking advantage of
others
Envy of others or belief that others envy you
Cluster C personality disorders
Cluster C personality disorders are characterized by anxious, fearful thinking or behavior.
They include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder and
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. It's not necessary to exhibit all the signs and
symptoms listed for a disorder to be diagnosed.
Avoidant personality disorder
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Too sensitive to criticism or rejection
Feeling inadequate, inferior or unattractive
Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact
Social inhibition, timidity and isolation, especially avoiding new activities or
meeting strangers
Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships
Fear of disapproval, embarrassment or ridicule
Dependent personality disorder
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Excessive dependence on others and feels the need to be taken care of
Submissive or clingy behavior toward others
Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone
Lack of self-confidence, requiring excessive advice and reassurance from others to
make even small decisions
Difficulty starting or doing projects on own due to lack of self-confidence
Difficulty disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval
Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are available
Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder isn't the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder,
a type of anxiety disorder.
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Preoccupation with details, orderliness and rules
Extreme perfectionism, resulting in dysfunction and distress when perfection is
not achieved, such as feeling unable to finish a project because you don't meet
your own strict standards
Desire to be in control of people, tasks and situations and inability to delegate
tasks
Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive commitment to
work or a project
Inability to discard broken or worthless objects
Rigid and stubborn
Inflexible about morality, ethics or values
Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money
Cartoon Characters with Personality Disorders
1. Charlie Brown: Avoidant Personality Disorder
The disorder: According to Medline Plus, “People with this disorder cannot stop thinking
about their own shortcomings. They form relationships with other people only if they
believe they will not be rejected. Loss and rejection are so painful that these people
choose to be lonely rather than risk trying to connect with others.”
2. Calvin (schizophrenia)
Calvin is a six-year old boy from the famous comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, with a stuffed
tiger named Hobbes. Calvin believes that Hobbes comes to life when no one else is
around, helping him fight enemies, complete science projects and reflect upon
philosophies of life. While this seems as simple as a child with imaginary friends, it could
something deeper: Calvin might be suffering from schizophrenia. He hallucinates
constantly about huge adventures with his tiger. It might not be as harmless as a child’s
hyperactive imagination, since Calvin is too enamored in his imagined world.
3. Bugs Bunny (Borderline Personality Disorder)
Bugs Bunny from the Looney Tunes is a very popular cartoon character, with his funny
antics and crazy disguises. But he also shows signs of mood swings and impulsive
behaviors, leading to the implication that he might have Borderline Personality Disorder.
He is very vindictive, and it is extraordinary how calmly he performs acts of cruelty or
violence, along with the fact that he adopts different disguises, as parts of his cons to
escape being shot. All these traits are manifestations of his Anti-Social tendencies. Many
of the other Looney Tunes characters, too, have mental disorders.
4. Marvin the Martian (Antisocial Personality Disorder)
This little man from Mars with a pet dog has the megalomaniacal ambition to conquer
the world and is possibly trying to compensate for his stature, indicating that he suffers
from Napoleon Complex. In the process, he can, without remorse, disintegrate anyone
who comes in his way, with a calmness that only shows his Antisocial Personality
Disorder, further explaining his disregard for safety. Strangely, he believes he can singlehandedly take over the entire earth, an impossible task even with the most advanced
technology at his disposal, clearly stating that he has Delusional Disorder.
1. Anna Nicole Smith
A number of psychologists claim that Smith exhibited many of the symptoms of
histrionic personality disorder. The public watched as she displayed excessive
emotions, abused drugs, had promiscuous sex, and always had to be the center of
attention. Famous People with Personality Disorders
2. Angelina Jolie-Pitt
Beautiful and talented, Jolie voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility in
the late 1990s, claiming she had experienced both suicidal and homicidal
thoughts. Although she had no intention of acting on these thoughts, she realized
that she needed help. She was diagnosed with "presumptive borderline
personality disorder".
3. Adolf Hitler
Okay, not a celebrity, but definitely a famous (or infamous) person. There has
been much speculation about Hitler's psychiatric profile over the years. In his
book, Hitler: Diagnosis of a Destructive Prophet, author Fritz Redlich concludes
that the genocidal leader showed strong symptoms of paranoid personality
disorder as well as narcissistic personality disorder symptoms.
4. Marilyn Monroe
During her short life, Monroe exhibited sexual promiscuity, suicidal thoughts,
substance abuse, and fear of abandonment – all hallmarks of borderline
personality disorder.
5. Steve Jobs
The late CEO of Apple Computer Corporation suffered from obsessive compulsive
personality disorder. According to an article in Slate Magazine, Jobs' OCPD is
"what made him great". The article lists other famous "greats' who suffered from
the same personality disorder. Read the rest of it here.
6. David Beckham
According to at least one source, the handsome and famous soccer star suffers
from dependent personality disorder. While certainly not financially dependent
on anyone, Beckham has shown excessive clinginess in his relationship, a low selfesteem, inability to cope with certain situations by himself.