Adult Resources
Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are pervasive chronic psychological disorders, which affects a person's life. A personality disorder can affect one's work, family, and social life. Personality disorders exists on a continuum so they can be mild to more severe in terms of how pervasive and to what extent a person exhibits the features of a particular personality disorder. While most people can live pretty normal lives with mild personality disorders, during periods of increased stress or external pressures, the symptoms of the personality disorder will increase and interfere with their emotional and psychological functioning.
Those with a personality disorder possess several distinct psychological features including disturbed self-image; inability to have successful interpersonal relationships; flawed self perceptions, and difficulty in controlling impulses. Therefore, those with a personality disorder often experience conflicts with other people. There are many potential causes of personality disorders, like parental upbringing, personality and social development, genetic and biological factors, etc. It is believed that the disorders tend to get manifested during times of increased stress. Therefore, treatment most often focuses on increasing one's coping mechanisms and interpersonal skills. The character of a person is reflected by his personality, viz. his thinking style, and behaviour. When the behavior is inflexible, maladaptive, and antisocial, then that individual is said to have a personality disorder. Most personality disorders begin as problems in personal development and character which peak during adolescence and then are defined as personality disorders. Personality disorders are not illnesses in a strict sense as they do not disrupt emotional, intellectual, or perceptual functioning. However, those with personality disorders suffer a life that is not positive, proactive, or fulfilling. Not surprisingly, personality disorders are also associated with failures to reach potential.
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