PERSONALITY DISORDERS

THE DSM CLASSIFICATION OF PEOPLE…

SUPPORTED BY THE APA AND WHO PEOPLE…

APA IS THE AMERICAN PSYCHIIATRIC ASSOCIATION…

WHO IS THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION…

CREATED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE MAINLY OCPD…

WHO FEEL THEY KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR US ALL,

And don’t hesitate to tell us and direct us, accordingly and with self-righteous pomposity…

THESE ARE THE TWELVE PERSONALITY “DISORDERS:”

(1)           paranoid personality disorder

(2)           schizoid personality disorder

(3)           schizotypal personality disorder

(4)           borderline personality disorder

(5)           antisocial personality disorder

(6)           narcissistic personality disorder

(7)           histrionic personality disorder

(8)           avoidant personality disorder

(9)           dependent personality disorder

(10)         obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

(11)         intellectual disabilities

(12)         “normal”-creative-musical-athletic-charismatic-healing-leading-teaching personality disorder

Considering that everyone is a person and therefore has a personality, these are arbitrary and don’t account for the observation that there are frequent cross-overs and people with two or more personalities.  Overlapping descriptions of the personalities observed is universal.  In society, we all are aware that some folks just don’t fit the standard definitions, which are, in fact, contrived.  Astrologers and horoscope creators are well aware that their predictions are based on huge differences between people with various personalities while at the same time conceding that under the skin, we all have shared feelings, goals and conceptualizations of what life is all about.  The interesting coincidence is that the classifications have been used for years by physicians, magicians, leaders, teachers and healers, probably dating back to the cavemen and cavewomen and cave-children,  There’s a lot of genetic determination for personalities  With determination and hard work and psychological supervision, most of us can alter our personalities somewhat to re-create ourselves to fit our own dreams, goals and machinations.  It is safe to say, that the most comfortable amongst us are those that recognize our genetically determined, family personality, and relax and let happen whatever happens and not be disturbed, unduly.  Interestingly, the Chinese have a 12 year calendar of personalities and signs, animals.  Occidentals follow the old image of monthly personalities that we call the Zodiac.  Perhaps it’s naïve of me to say, no matter where one is, people are people, basically similar to me and you.  My birthday is February 15, 1938.  This makes me a Tiger and a Water Carrier.  In Cosmopolitan Magazines and in other books on the Occidental and Oriental signs of the Zodiac.  The folklorish descriptions of my Water Carrying Tiger personality are very accurate, as far as i can tell.  The day to day descriptions of my activities are way off or they fit everyone reading them.

The number, 12, is in itself very interesting.  There are 12 Zodiac Signs in both the Occidental and Oriental Zodiacs,  Jacob, in the Mosaic Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament, had 12 sons, if you leave out his thirteenth, a daughter, Dinah.  There were 12 Jewish Tribes and 12 Jewish Disciples of Jesus.  In a right-angled triangle whose sides are 3, 4 and 5, a geometric figure which helped the Egyptians and Jews build the pyramids, the perimeter is 12.  I believe a Cubit was 12 inches, the usual distance from the forefinger to the elbow, which was the standard unit for the building of Noah’s Ark.  An inch was the length of someone’s thumb.  The French, who messed us all up with the Metric System of Weights and Measures, made 10 the standard number, instead of the seemingly natural, 12.

As humans, the old standard for behaviour was a human who erred.  The 7 “deadly” sins, AKA, “errors,” are

1.        GREED

2.        GLUTTONY

3.        LUST

4.        SLOTH

5.        ANGER

6.        ENVY

7.        PRIDE

The most dramatic presentation of these, that I have ever seen, was the movie, SEVEN.  It starred the excellent actors, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Gwen Paltrow.  Please watch it, if you dare.  The Bible also lists CURSES and BLESSINGS.  Of course, the CURSES far outnumber the BLESSINGS…  In my opinion, the sins are more interesting than the blessings.  Besides, where would we all be if everyone was un-erring.  It would be a truly boring existence.  Creativity would be truly stifled if everyone were the same self-righteous holier-than-thou individual.

A paranoid person is always certain that someone or something is out to get him or her.

A schizoid person is shy and suspicious of everyone’s attempt to do them harm.

A schizotypal person is one who tends to act or think in an illogical manner

A borderline person is borderline bizarre in thinking and behaviour with difficulties centred around setting boundaries.

An antisocial person is uncomfortable mingling with other people

A narcissistic person imitates Narcissus who sat all day at the edge of a pond, gazing at his or her own reflection.

A histrionic person is one who likes to tell dramatic stories, true or fictional.

An avoidant person is one who dislikes confrontation and dealing with problems

A dependent person is one who looks to others for how to feel and how to act, co-dependency being a very common form of relationship in marriage, friendships, society and governments.

An obsessive-compulsive person is chained to his self-prescribed schedules and regimented ways of thinking and behaving.  This person feels that everyone would benefit from his or her successes due mostly to his own “manufactured” ideas of working, behaving and thinking.  This person is big on rules and regulations, mainly of his or her contrivance, or the contrivance of all the other obsessive-compulsive people that surround him because he or she seeks them out for his own comfort.  He or she is extremely uncomfortable with what he or she sees as an unpredictable, unbalanced, non-rule abiding person.  If that person cannot be brought “into line,” plotting amongst OCPD’s usually results in forced institutionalization, imprisonment or ostracization of the “offending” creative, normal person.

A normal person is most likely found amongst the native and aboriginal peoples of the world.  Those that have undergone professional psychoanalysis or have struggled with self-actualization, are rarely lauded or appreciated and seem to be the instigators in situations where there are restrictive rules and regulations set by self-righteous folks, usually the OCPD’s.

This essay was unsolicited and as such would frighten or anger some other persons, who don’t have personalities like my own.  For those of you that appreciate the summaries of names of personalities and my probably biased descriptions, I appreciate your difficulties which may be based on easily seen differences in scheduling and disciplining.  Much good luck, my friends.  You’ll need it!

THE END

© izzy sommers, md

Welland, Canada

June 30, 2013