CUNY Bronx Community College Personality Disorders Discussion

“Hell Is Other People”, Jean-Paul Sartre, 1944 (No Exit)

This quote is perfect for our understanding of personality disorders. Personality disorders refer to maladaptive and entrenched personality traits and behaviors that cause significant distress, social impairment, and/or occupational impairment. The problem with that, is that most people with a personality disorder do not see themselves as having a problem; that is, their symptoms are ego-syntonic. In fact, it is often those around the person with the personality disorder that feel that the individual has a problem and should get “help”. That is not to say that individuals with personality disorders are not bothered or distressed by their experiences; they are often quite upset because they feel misunderstood – they just don’t see how they contribute to the situations they find themselves in. The DSM 5 divides personality disorders into 3 clusters, each one sharing certain characteristics or traits.

One of the things that students misunderstand is the difference between OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality (OCPD). Many people mistake the two and in my opinion the similarity in names creates lots of confusion. Personality Disorders are often just who we are.

For this discussion, review the information on personality disorders in your e-text and the links below and in the slides. It will seem like I have posted many things for you to review but these are short and should be helpful in understanding personality disorders. They are meant to be informative.

Here is a crash course link to a description of personality disorders:

http://urbanareas.net/info/personality-disorders-crash-course-video/

Monica from Friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzXB_1xi–8

This is also Monica but many in short examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQea59u5hA

Now think back at the OCD mother from the anxiety disorders discussion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obJMeV_ESj8

Once you have reviewed the e-text and other materials, we can have a good discussion on what it means to have a personality disorder

. Respond to the following questions:

1. What is the difference between OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder(OCPD)?
2. Do you believe that personality disorders can be best understood as a constellation of maladaptive personality traits, or do you think that there is something more involved for individuals suffering from a personality disorder? Please explain your answer as fully as you can.
3. Do you think that any of the specific traits associated with personality disorders are ever good or useful to have? For example, having OCPD or having a Narcissistic Personality people?
4. Can you think of any television or movie characters (or real-life celebrity) that could fall into any one of the personality disorders covered in the material? Make sure to explain why.