Common Beliefs in Personality Disorders

In the book Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders, Aaron Beck – the creator of cognitive psychology – and collaborators describe how cognitive psychologists understand and treat patients diagnosed with personality disorders.

What is a Personality Disorder?

Roughly speaking, it is understood that a patient with a personality disorder differs from a patient with symptoms of a disorder with the same name by the constancy over time. Some signs, such as the patient’s report that “I’ve always been like this” or close people “oh, he’s always done that, since he was little”, poor adherence to treatment, unawareness of the consequences of behavior in others, low change despite the understanding of the need to change and the view that problems are acceptable and natural, as if to say, “I’ve always been like this, I can’t imagine myself being different” may indicate that it is a personality disorder.

For example, a patient diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder differs from a patient diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder by the constancy of symptoms, by the predominance of beliefs in most situations, such as behavioral rules that do not change in the long term.

Learn more – Difference between OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

It is important to point out that the patient with personality disorder, evidently, does not seek treatment due to his personality, but seeks treatment to treat depression, anxiety or external situations that he cannot deal with or that would be against him.

Another question that usually arises is about the causes of Personality Disorders. According to Beck and collaborators, the most reliable argument to explain the causes is the evolution of the species, that is, the inheritance passed from generation to generation genetically and which is activated by the environment in certain circumstances:

“It would be reasonable to consider the notion that very old cognitive-affective-motivational programs influence our automatic processes: the way we interpret events, what we feel and how we are willing to act. Programs involved in cognitive processing, affect, arousal, and motivation may have evolved as a result of the ability to sustain life and promote reproduction.” (BECK, p. 32).

Common beliefs and basic strategies in Personality Disorders

Dependent Personality Disorder: strategy – attachment/binding

Core Beliefs – “I am incapable”

“If I am not loved, I will be unhappy”

“The worst possible thing would be to be abandoned”

“I feel helpless when left to my own devices”

“I need to have access at all times to the person who helps and supports me”

Avoidant Personality Disorder – strategy: avoidance

Core belief: “I can get hurt

“I am inept and socially undesirable in professional or social situations”

“If people get close to me, they will discover the real me and reject me”

“I must avoid situations that attract attention or remain as unnoticed as possible”

“Being exposed as inferior or inadequate will be intolerable”

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder – strategy: perfectionism

Core belief: “I can’t go wrong”

“Details are extremely important”

“It is important to do everything you do perfectly”

“People should do things my way”

“If we don’t have schemes, everything ends up going wrong”

Narcissistic Personality Disorder – strategy: self-aggrandizement

Core Belief: “I am special”

“I don’t need to follow rules that apply to other people”

“Since I am so superior, I deserve special treatment and privileges”

“Other people don’t deserve the admiration and wealth they get”

“Since I am so talented, people should do what they can to further my career”

Histrionic Personality Disorder – strategy: dramatization

Core Belief: “I need to impress”

“I am inadequate and unable to handle situations on my own”

“I need others to take care of me”

“I need them to notice and like me”

Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder – strategy: resistance

Core Belief: “I could be controlled”

“No one should tell me what to do”

“I can’t depend on anyone”

“Submitting means I have no control”

“Expressing anger can get me into trouble”

Antisocial Personality Disorder – strategy: attack

Core Belief: “Others are there to be exploited”

Schizoid Personality Disorder – strategy: isolation

Core Belief: “I need lots of space”

“I am different, worthless, uninteresting and abnormal”

“Other people are cruel, dangerous and not to be trusted”

“The world is hostile”

Paranoid Personality Disorder – strategy: caution

Core belief: “people are dangerous”

“People will take advantage of me if I give them the chance”

“Others will try to use or manipulate me if I am not careful”

“I have to be on guard at all times”

“If people act friendly, they may be trying to use or exploit me.”

Conclusion

As I always say here on the site, it is important to note that such definitions of disorders or mental illnesses are a reference for the psychologist, for the psychiatrist, for the doctor. They are not the ultimate truth and are constantly being reformulated.

If, by chance, you identified yourself with some of these types of beliefs present in personality disorders, that does not mean that you have this disorder. After all, such phrases can appear as thoughts from time to time in our mind.

However, if you believe that such thoughts are harming you and causing you distress, you can seek out the professionals mentioned above for a detailed evaluation and treatment.

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