Chapter 9 - 4

04 Psychology

Personality Disorder

Personality disorders are a class of mental disorders. They affect the way people view themselves, other people, and the world around them. Personality disorders are broadly classified. They include multiple-personality disorder, which describes a person who thinks of himself as more than one person.

He behaves differently according to each personality.

They also include extreme narcissism.

This describes a person who focuses on herself so much as to severely hinder her behavior and perceptions of the world.

Personality disorders are typically identified by psychologists late into their development.

Thus, their original causes are difficult to pinpoint.

There are a number of possible factors, however, that may contribute to the formation of a personality disorder.

The most obvious factor−and perhaps the easiest to identify are biological causes.

Particular traits that infants inherit from their parents may contribute to the development of a personality disorder.

Some researchers have also suggested that there may be a genetic basis, independent of heritable traits, that makes an individual more likely to develop certain disorders.

However, it has been determined that nearly all known personality disorders are not caused entirely by genetic makeup.

Socio-cultural and other psychological factors inevitably play a role.

Psychological factors are most likely to play a role in personality disorders. It is believed that individuals are most affected by experiences early on in life.

Interestingly, there is very little research to support this notion. One study reported that seventy-one percent of patients with borderline personality disorder claimed that they had been abused as children.

Another study found that eighty-one percent of borderline patients reported some form of trauma in early childhood.

However, such evidence is by no means conclusive.

The research is based on the reports of patients already believed to have a personality disorder.

As a result, their perceptions of the past may be distorted.

A patient with borderline narcissism disorder, for instance, may exaggerate a past experience because of his sense of self-importance.

Further research has suggested that perceived trauma may not have actually occurred early on in a patient’s life, but rather much later.

As such, it is unclear how much of a role traumatic situation have on one’s personality.

Many experts suspect a connection.

Nonetheless, they are unable to verify it.

Social factors are also thought to play a significant role in the development of personality disorders, perhaps more than any other.

Some researchers, for instance, have argued that infants go through a phase in which they believe that all events of the world revolve around them.

In most individuals, this phase eventually passes and infants come to terms with social reality.

However, this period is key in helping individuals retain a sense of self-confidence.

If parents do not provide some assurance that their child deserves respect and attention, he or she may develop a personality disorder.

Conversely, others have argued that too much attention from parents during childhood can result in the development of a narcissistic personality disorder.

Some psychologists have gone so far as to suggest that socio-cultural factors may contribute to personality disorders.

These theories go beyond simple social situations on an individual level.

They suggest that one’s culture can affect personality.

People, for instance, brought up in an oppressive society and taught that they exist only to serve the state may, on returning to normal conditions, feel overwhelmed by the attention they get as individuals.

As a result, they may experience severe anxiety when “asked to talk about themselves.

Other theories suggest that many developed nations are responsible for the expectation of individuals that material goods provide meaning.

Given the broad nature of socio-cultural theories of personality disorder, they are nearly impossible to prove or disprove.

They remain, however, a source of debate for most psychologists.

Our understanding of personality disorders is by no means complete.

Their causes may vary dramatically from person to person.

Psychologists have been criticized because they claim to know what is normal.

They serve as the arbiters of what is unusual.

In addition, some have questioned the usefulness of broadly identifying contributing factors to personality disorders.

Each individual case varies. Clearly, further research must be done to adequately identify not only causes and, treatments, but also what is and what is not a disorder.