We all have parts of our personality we do not like and things we would like to change. Some people are aggressive, others are shy and fear being thought of negatively, and still others may find establishing close relationships and expressing emotions difficult. While these traits may be character flaws and things we would like to improve, they need not be personality disorders. “Being high or low on a personality trait is normal and expressing these traits in certain situations is normal” (Web 1).
Personality disorders are more severe than everyday personality problems and produce more serious consequences. People with personality disorders have extreme personality traits and show several problem traits. These problem traits hinder the person’s long-term functioning in all situations. This means that the problematic traits of someone with a personality disorder reflect who the person is all the time.
While everyday problems may cause distress and even impairment, the distress and impairment experienced by someone with a personality disorder is more severe. These impairments cause serious problems in social and occupational life, interpersonal relationships, and other important life areas. Serious interpersonal problems are common among people with personality disorders because they find it difficult to make friends and maintain intimate relationships. Personality disorders are found in 5-6 % of people in the general population. The nature of personality disorders can vary widely, so Clinical Psychologists have identified ten groups of personality disorders.
The descriptions may remind you of others or even yourself, but this does not mean that they or you have a personality disorder. It is the severity of a person’s behaviors, the appropriateness of their behaviors given the circumstances, and the amount of distress or impairment caused, that determines if a person has a personality disorder.
Borderline Personality Disorder affects more females than males.
