The 10 types of Personality Disorders

The personality disorders They are a group of conditions in which individuals display long-lasting patterns of thought, perception, feeling, and behavior that differ from what society considers normal.

Your way of acting and thinking, and your distorted beliefs about others, can cause strange behavior, which can be very annoying to other people.

• Related article: "The 16 most common mental disorders"

What are Personality Disorders?

These individuals they often have problems in different areas of life, including social and work functioning, and they often have poor coping skills and difficulties forming healthy relationships. Personality disorders usually emerge in adolescence and continue into adulthood. They can be mild, moderate, or severe, and these people may have periods of remission in which they function relatively well.

Although the causes are not entirely clear, personality disorders can be associated with genetic and environmental factors. Regarding the latter, experiences of anguish, stress or fear during childhood, as well as mistreatment, abuse or emotional neglect, can cause future development of these disorders.

Types of Personality Disorders

The different types of personality are grouped into three large groups or "clusters".

• Group A: Strange, eccentric. Introverts and absence of close relationships.
• B Group: Impulsive, emotional, flashy, extroverted, and socially and emotionally unstable
• Group C: Anxious, fearful and with the presence of interpersonal and intrapsychic conflicts.

Group A Personality Disorders

Cluster A personality disorders have to do with strange behavior patterns, alien to codes desocialization and social conventions, and even that denote a disconnection with reality and psychological alterations of the psychotic.

1. Paranoid Personality Disorder

The paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a widespread mistrust of others, including friends and even family and partner. As a result, the person feels watched and under suspicion, and is constantly looking for clues that validate her conspiracy theories. This type of personality is that of a person extremely sensitive to setbacks, and easily feels shame and humiliation. You tend to isolate yourself from others and destroy close relationships.

2. Schizoid disorder

The Schizoid personality Disorder is characterized by the fact that individuals with this condition isolate themselves and avoid social activities and interpersonal relationships. These individuals organize their lives in such a way that they avoid contact with other people. Therefore, they do not want or enjoy close relationships, choose solitary jobs and activities, and show emotional coldness.

3. Schizotypal Disorder

The schizotypal disorder characterized by oddities in appearance, behavior, and speech; by unusual perceptual experiences, and abnormal thinking, which resemble those observed in the schizophrenia.

Schizotypal isolates themselves because they possess inappropriate affect and social anxiety. They tend to have magical thinking and are characterized by being superstitious. Sometimes they may believe that they have superpowers or that they have been victims of paranormal experiences or with extraterrestrials. They have trouble relating because of their coldness and because they are distant.

Group B Personality Disorders

This group of personality disorders are characterized by emotional instability and / or the histrionic and unpredictable component of the person's behavior. They tend to generate serious difficulties when interacting with others, either due to emotional outbursts or the tendency to ignore social norms.

4. Antisocial Disorder

The person suffering from this personality disorder called antisocial disorder It does not take into account social norms and obligations, is aggressive, acts impulsively, lacks a sense of guilt, and does not seem to learn from experience.

In many cases, he may have no difficulty relating, and may even appear superficially charming (which is why he is known as a 'charming psychopath'). However, their relationships do not usually last long. This type of personality disorder is closely related to criminal behavior.

5. Borderline Personality Disorder

People with Borderline personality disorder or borderline oftene feel empty and abandoned, and may have difficulty coping with stressful events. They have a weak and changeable personality, and they doubt everything. They can go from moments of calm to moments of anger, anxiety or despair in just a few seconds. These people live their emotions to the fullest, and their love relationships are intense, because they idolize the other person.

The symptoms are characterized by intense anger and inability to control it, frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, real or imagined, alternation between extremes of idealization and devaluation in interpersonal relationships, markedly unstable self-image, and chronic feelings of emptiness. Sometimes these individuals can have episodes of paranoia, and tend to engage in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex, excessive alcohol consumption, and gambling.

6. Histrionic personality disorder

People affected by histrionic personality disorderhave low self-esteem and seek to attract other people's attention Dramatizing or role-playing, they are emotionally very sensitive in an attempt to be heard and seen. Therefore, these individuals pay excessive attention to the care of their appearance and behave in a way that is too charming and seductive. They have a low tolerance for frustration and continually seek approval from others.

Their life becomes a vicious circle that can take hold, because if they feel rejected, the more histrionic they become; and the more histrionic they become, the more rejected they feel.

7. Narcissistic Personality Disorder

People with narcissistic personality disorderthey believe they are more important than others. They tend to exaggerate their achievements and can show off their attractiveness or success constantly. They have a deep need for admiration, but lack empathy for other people. In addition to his egocentric behaviorThey are also characterized by being very spiteful people, and tend to maintain attitudes of resentment and revenge towards others.

Group C Personality Disorders

Finally, cluster C of personality disorders includes psychological alterations associated with fear, anguish and avoidance tendencies. Those who develop a disorder of this type tend to feel discomfort in situations that do not represent a danger or real risk, which also influences their way of establishing social interactions (often based on dependence).

8. Avoidant Personality Disorder

People with this type of disorder often experience feelings of inferiority. They generally live pending criticism from others and avoid participating in new activities or making new friends because they consider themselves socially inept and unattractive. They live in constant fear of being embarrassed or rejected.

This personality disorder is strongly associated with an anxiety disorder, and can have its origin in rejection by parents or childhood companions.

9. Dependent Personality Disorder

In the dependent personality disorder, individuals suffering from this condition depend on other people to meet their emotional and physical needs. They are unable to make decisions on their own and generally avoid being alone and may be prone to tolerating physical and verbal abuse.

10. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

People with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder They are usually highly disciplined people, with a dire need for order, and they adhere strongly to rules and regulations. They are characterized by being rigid, perfectionist, ruminant, moralistic, inflexible and indecisive. They feel very uncomfortable when they don't achieve perfection.