Problematic Personality Patterns

Personality can be described as a set of enduring patterns of behaviours, thoughts, beliefs, inner experiences and interpersonal functioning that distinguish human beings.

When these patterns are inflexible and associated with significant distress, social or personal disruption or disability, we can say that they have become unhelpful or maladaptive.

Some examples of these pervasive patterns are: excessive suspicion or mistrust of others, lack of interest or detachment from social relationships, extreme discomfort interacting socially, lack of empathy for others, instability in relationships and identity, co-existing fears of intimacy and separation, constant fears of abandonment and rejection, strong need for admiration, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation from others, a constant need to be cared for by others, and a rigid conformity to rules, perfectionism, and control.