LET US DIG OURSELVES - LESSON 11 - PERSONALITY - RECAP, CATEGORIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

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now let us come back to personality disorders….a small recap of what is personality disorder….the entire stuff in (   ) is an old one as recap….if you remember then jump to ‘jump here’ line….after six paras…..today we will see the difficulty in diagnosing personality disorders and various categories of personality disorders and their characteristics……now read or jump….I have also attached some power point presentations on Personality types, theories etc...you can see them and get benefitted....this mail has para headings...so you can select and read...

 

( Ideally people continue to grow and change throughout their life.

Successful adjustment through the life cycle is mostly a matter of flexibility

adapting to the changing demands, opportunities and limitations associated

with different ages of life. For most of us, our personality is attained to the

demands of society. But for some individuals, personality formation has led to

some traits that are so inflexible and maladaptive that they are unable to

perform adequately at least some of the varied roles expected of them by their

societies. These people might be diagnosed as having personality disorders.

 

It is clear from the above that this does not have to do anything with the physical aspects of the brain. So, such people need not take any medication….so, they need not go to the psychiatrist! They only need behaviour correction for which they need to go to psychology counselor. He will use certain techniques of correcting them. If you have multiple issues it is better to address one issue at a time. You need to go with lots of preparation so that you can be corrected easily. The counselor will only apply the technique and you need to follow it meticulously.

 

 

Personality disorders typically do not stem from debilitating reactions to

stress, as in post-traumatic stress disorder or many cases of major depression.

Rather, the disorders to be examined here stem largely from the gradual

development of inflexible and distorted personality and behavioral patterns,

which result in persistently maladaptive ways of perceiving, thinking about,

and relating to the world. These maladaptive approaches usually significantly

impair at least some aspects of functioning and in some cases cause a good

deal of subjective distress.

 

In the milder cases we find people who generally function adequately but who would be described by their relatives, friends, or associates as troublesome, eccentric, or difficult to get to know. They have characteristic ways of approaching situations and people mat

make them either have difficulties developing close relationships with others, or

have difficulties getting along with those with whom they have close

relationships. However, they are often quite capable or even gifted in some

ways. In more severe cases, we find people whose extreme and often unethical

‘acting out’ against society makes them less able to function in a normal

setting;

 

 

 

People with personality disorders often cause at least as much difficulty

in the lives of others as in their own lives. Other people tend to find the

behavior of individuals with personality disorders confusing, exasperating, unpredictable,

and, in varying degrees, unacceptable—although rarely as bizarre

or out of contact with reality as that of people with psychotic disorders. Some

people with personality disorders experience a good deal of emotional suffering,

although others do not, at least not obviously. Their behavioral deviations are

persistent and seem to be intrinsic to their personalities. They have difficulty

taking part in mutually respectful and satisfying social relationships. Whatever

the particular trait patterns affected individuals have developed (obstinacy,

covert hostility, suspiciousness, or fear of rejection.

 

 

More recently, however, environmental and social factors, particularly

learning-based habit patterns and maladaptive cognitive styles, have also been

receiving more attention as possible causal factors. Many of these maladaptive

habits and cognitive styles may originate in disturbed parent-child attachment

relationships, rather than deriving simply fr temperamental differences. Early

attachment relationships are thought by developmental psychologists to create

models for children of what adult relationships should be like. If early models

are not healthy, this r predispose the child to a pattern of personality

development that can lead to the diagnosis of personality disorder later in life. )

 

 

jump here….

 

 

Scientists have studied the personality traits of individuals that cause friction in interpersonal relationships and grouped them based on the illnesses they cause. It is very difficult to categorize an individual in a particular category for treatment as he will possess some traits of one category and some of the other category. Therefore, the diagnosis is difficult because the criteria for personality disorders are defined by

inferred traits or consistent patterns of behavior rather than by objective

behavioral standards.

Type A and Type B personality theory

The Type A and Type B personality theory is a personality type theory that describes a pattern of behaviors that are considered to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Type A individuals can be described as impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about their status, highly competitive, over-ambitious, business-like, hostile, aggressive, incapable of relaxation in taking the smallest issues too seriously; and are somewhat disliked for the way that they're always rushing and demanding other people to serve to their standards of satisfaction. They are often high and over-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about the smallest of delays. Because of these characteristics, Type A individuals are often described as "stress junkies." Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as patient, relaxed, and easy-going. There is also a Type AB mixed profile for people who cannot be clearly categorized.

Meyer Friedman suggests that Type A behavior is expressed in three major symptoms. One of these symptoms is believed to be covert and therefore less observable, whereas the other two are more overt.

Symptoms of Type A Behavior

   1. An intrinsic insecurity or insufficient level of self-esteem, which is considered to be the root cause of the syndrome. This is believed to be covert and therefore less observable.
   2. Time urgency and impatience, which causes irritation and exasperation.
   3. Free floating hostility, which can be triggered by even minor incidents.


Assessment

Type A personality was originally assessed by a 15 minute, structured interview that examined both verbal and nonverbal behavior. This time-consuming method has been largely replaced by the Jenkins activity survey, a paper-and-pencil questionnaire first published in 1979. Some researchers have suggested that the questionnaire lacks the validity of the structured interview because it cannot assess nonverbal behavior, which is a strong indicator of the Type A personality.

Health implications

After a nine-year study of over 3000 healthy men, aged 35-59, Friedman & Rosenman estimated that Type A behavior doubles the risk of coronary heart disease in otherwise healthy individuals. This research had an enormous effect in stimulating the development of the field of health psychology, in which psychologists look at how a person's mental state affects his or her physical health.

Type A personality test

In case you want to know how much of personality type A you have then type Type A personality test in google and you can do it.

Physical Characteristics:
The following physical characteristics often accompany TAB:

    * Facial Tension (Tight Lips, Clenched Jaw, Etc.)
    * Tongue Clicking or Teeth Grinding
    * Dark Circles Under Eyes
    * Facial Sweating (On Forehead or Upper Lip)

Negative Effects of Type A Behavior:

Over the years, the type of extra stress that most “Type A” people experience takes a toll on one’s health and lifestyle. The following are some of the negative effects that are common among those exhibiting TAB:

    * Hyptertension: High blood pressure is common among “Type A” personalities, and has been to be as much as 84% more of a risk among those with Type A characteristics..
    * Heart Disease: Some experts predict that, for those exhibiting TAB, heart disease by age 65 is a virtual certainty.
    * Job Stress: “Type A” people usually find themselves in stressful, demanding jobs (and sometimes the jobs create the Type A behavior!), which lead to metabolic syndrome and other health problems.
    * Social Isolation: Those with TAB often alienate others, or spend too much time on work and focus too little on relationships, putting them at risk for social isolation and the increased stress that comes with it.

Fixed Characteristic vs. Situational Reaction:

While many personality traits, such as extroversion, are innate, most researchers believe that Type A personality characteristics are more of a reaction to environmental factors, or tendencies toward certain behaviors, and are influenced by culture and job structure. For example,

    * Many jobs put heavy demands on time, making it necessary for workers to be very concerned with getting things done quickly if they’re to adequately get their jobs done.
    * Some workplaces put heavy penalties on mistakes, so efficiency and achievement becomes extremely important.
    * Other jobs just create more stress, making people less patient, more stressed, and more prone to 'Type A' behaviors.
    * Other people do have a natural tendency toward being more intense, but this tendency can be exacerbated by environmental stress, or mitigated by conscious effort and lifestyle changes.