Understanding Mental Illness by Carlin Barnes

Author:Carlin Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510745964
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2019-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Personality versus Personality Disorder

The word personality comes from the Latin word persona, which refers to one who wears a mask, such as an actor or actress.1 Thus, the term personality is naturally linked to how we behave in our everyday interactions with others. In fact, the actual definition of personality refers to patterns of behavior and attitudes that people display on a regular basis over a long period of time. Various personality traits affect these behaviors and attitudes, and these combine to form one’s actual personality.

If personality is defined by our behaviors and attitudes, what prompts us to behave or respond in these specific ways? As with many other mental health disorders, some experts favor genetics as a primary factor, while others believe experiences shape personality to a greater degree. When it comes to personality, the nature versus nurture debate is alive and well. For those who support genetics, the term temperament is often used. Indeed, research supports a person’s natural temperament as a major factor in development of some personality disorders.2 At the same time, childhood and adult experiences also play a major role in shaping personality. Parenting styles, traumatic events, and other developmental influences have been shown to influence personality types.3 Thus, while a precise formula describing how personality develops does not yet exist, it appears both genetics and life experiences play significant roles.

Given this information, you can easily appreciate how a large number of different personalities exist. But this hardly helps identify specific personality types. In an effort to better describe various personalities, many psychiatrists and experts have developed theories and models that attempt to describe specific personality features. Several personality tests exist that help you determine key personality traits you may have. Common areas that are considered include one’s degrees of openness, agreeableness, anxiousness, conscientiousness, and extent of introversion versus extroversion. Various combinations of these five major criteria help determine your main personality type. By appreciating your own personality better, you can understand why you respond to situations the way you do.

Different personalities do exist. This diversity not only makes life interesting, but also fosters creativity and new ideas. When does a set of personality traits and behaviors cross the line from being a unique variant of normal to actually being abnormal? In answering this question, we would like to stress that the line separating the normal from the abnormal is far from solid. Instead, personality categories exist along a spectrum. On one end, normal personality styles exist where individuals are able to function well within a society. On the opposite end, personality traits result in severe dysfunctions in the ability to manage one’s life. In between, a variety of combinations exist.

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