Personality Traits: A Professional Exploration of the Personality

Understanding Personality Disorders

A personality disorder usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood. Although the disorders grouped within each cluster have similar symptoms and traits, one person may not have the same symptoms as another person with the same diagnosis, nor exhibit symptoms to the same degree. People who exhibit symptoms of a personality disorder may be unaware that they do so because they perceive their distorted thought processes, emotional responses, and behaviors as normal.

What is a personality disorder?

A personality disorder is a long-term set of tendencies in one’s thinking and behavior that impair the person’s functioning in the world. While personality disorders are commonly described in terms of distinct categories, research suggests that, for the most part, they reflect various combinations of multiple underlying personality traits, including extreme levels of traits that all people have. 

How can you tell if someone has a personality disorder?

While the signs of a personality disorder—characteristics like lack of empathy and remorse, or consistently chaotic relationships with others—may be evident to many people in someone’s life, only a clinical professional, such as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, can make an official determination that the person meets the criteria for a personality disorder.

Managing and Treating Personality Disorders

Personality disorders present unique treatment challenges. Most personality disorders are ego-syntonic, meaning they are compatible with a person's self-concept. As such, there may initially be little or no motivation to change. Nevertheless, mental health professionals have developed and applied different therapeutic techniques to help those with these conditions learn more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving, and research suggests that positive change is possible for many.