Mental health articles

Personality is a pattern of feelings, behaviors, and thinking that defines the way
a person is perceived. Personality develops during childhood and remains stable
during adulthood. All of us have these traits. For example, you may cut in line
at the checkout counter or pretend to be sick to avoid going to a family gathering.
At times you might have a violent outburst when someone tells you that
you are wrong. Many of us pretend we are challenged by a task that we do not
want to do in order to have someone come to our rescue. A person with a personality
disorder displays these same traits but in the extreme and is unable to
modify their behavior. For example, a person who does not have a personality
disorder exhibits avoidant behavior by avoiding situations that are perceived to
be dangerous. However, the person returns to a more normal behavior once the
perceived danger dissipates. A person diagnosed with an avoidant personality
disorder exhibits the same behavior but is unable to return to a more normal
behavior when the perceived danger passes. Context is a key factor that differentiates
between normal behavior and abnormal behavior as exhibited in a
personality disorder. For example, a person who moved into a quiet block in the suburbs may be apprehensive about their neighbors for the first few months
until they get to know them. Apprehension is reasonable. There should be less
apprehension afterward unless something threatening occurred. A person with
an avoidant personality disorder may never let down their guard.
We will learn about personality disorders and ways to mitigate symptoms of
personality disorders.

Tags: personality disorders, symptoms