Personality Traits

Personality traits can be both healthy and unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.  You may find it difficult to participate in social, educational, work and family activities.  You may not realize that your behavior is abnormal.  These traits can lead to other conditions such as depression or anxiety.  Friends and relatives may be the only way for you to recognize that you need help.

The cause of personality traits isn’t known, but may be triggered by genetic and environmental influences, usually childhood trauma.

Signs tend to emerge in the late teens or early adulthood.   These symptoms can change, becoming better or worse, when incarcerated or institutionalized.  Partly due to stress or protection from outside influences.

What are Unhealthy Personality Traits?

Basically, they can be sorted into three groups:

1. Suspicious

• Paranoid personality disorder: People with paranoid personality disorder are very distrustful of others and suspicious of their motives. They also tend to hold grudges.
• Schizoid personality disorder: People with this type of disorder display little interest in forming personal relationships or partaking in social interactions. They usually don’t pick up on normal social cues, so they can seem emotionally cold.
• Schizotypal personality disorder: In schizotypal personality disorder, people believe they can influence other people or events with their thoughts. They often misinterpret behaviors. This causes them to have inappropriate emotional responses. They may consistently avoid having intimate relationships.

2. Emotional and Impulsive

• Antisocial personality disorder: People with antisocial personality disorder tend to manipulate or treat others harshly without expressing remorse for their actions. They may lie, steal, or abuse alcohol or drugs.
• Borderline personality disorder: People with this type of disorder often feel empty and abandoned, regardless of family or community support. They may have difficulty dealing with stressful events. They may have episodes of paranoia. They also tend to engage in risky and impulsive behavior, such as unsafe sex, binge drinking, and gambling.
• Histrionic personality disorder: In histrionic personality disorder, people frequently try to gain more attention by being overly dramatic or sexually provocative. They are easily influenced by other people and are extremely sensitive to criticism or disapproval.
• Narcissistic personality disorder: People with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they are more important than others. They tend to exaggerate their achievements and may brag about their attractiveness or success. They have a deep need for admiration, but lack empathy for other people.

3. Anxious

• Avoidant personality disorder: People with this type of disorder often experience feelings of inadequacy, inferiority or unattractiveness. They usually dwell on criticism from others and avoid participating in new activities or making new friends.
• Dependent personality disorder: In dependent personality disorder, people heavily depend on other people to meet their emotional and physical needs. They usually avoid being alone.  They regularly need reassurance when making decisions. They may also be likely to tolerate physical and verbal abuse.
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder have an overwhelming need for order. They strongly adhere to rules and regulations. They feel extremely uncomfortable when perfection isn’t achieved. They may even neglect personal relationships to focus on making a project perfect.

What to Do if You Suffer from a Personality Disorder

Talk to a counselor about your symptoms and whether they cause problems in your life.  Friends and family can add insight into symptoms that you may not even recognize.  It is very important for someone with a personality disorder to avoid drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs.  These substances can have a negative impact on emotions and interfere with treatment.  Some personality traits can be caused soley by these substances.  So a true diagnosis cannot be made.  The trait’s root cause could be either due to the trait or substance use.  This is rather like the old saying, which came first, the chicken or the egg.

How to Help Someone with an Unhealthy Personality Trait

If you are close to someone you think may have a personality disorder, encourage them to seek help.  They may get angry or defensive, but it’s important to avoid arguing with them.  Instead, focus on expressing your feelings and voicing your concerns about their behaviors in a caring manner.