What is a personality disorder?
Disordered personality is a personality trait as defined by an expanded version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test.
In the traditional test, the results came in the form of four letters that correspond to four aspects of your personality. Now, results can include a fifth character described, either a T or an A. These refer to the disturbed personality trait or its counterpart, the assertive personality.
People with a disturbed personality tend to be more uptight than others and may be described as more “Type A”. They are more sensitive to criticism and more concerned about their impression of others. They value career success and are often perfectionists.
Signs You have a troubled personality
- You always strive for the best
A perfectionist and a restless personality often go hand in hand. People with a disordered personality struggle to feel satisfied with the work they produce and sometimes even with activities in their personal lives, such as relationships and material possessions.
They feel that everything they do could be improved upon or improved in some way, but they always fall short of perfection. To reach what they consider perfection, they push themselves beyond their limits, often to the point of physical exhaustion.
- You are motivated by success
For those with a troubled personality, success often seems like the only way others can view you as deserving of praise, affection, or friendship. They measure their lives in their accomplishments and are driven by reaching milestones.
These milestones are usually job-based, such as securing an account, getting a promotion, or producing immaculate work that your boss praises. In some cases, they may also be motivated by goals in their personal lives, such as buying a bigger home, a happy marriage, or more money.
- You are sensitive to your surroundings
People with troubled personalities often suffer from the influence of the spotlight. This psychological sensation often causes the patient to feel like all eyes are on him.
Those with troubled personalities are especially self-conscious people who feel like they’re being judged by strangers when they’re in public, for any number of reasons.
They may have something that they are particularly aware of and think everyone around them has noticed, or they may feel that others may notice a whole host of things that they may not have thought of before.
- You are detail-oriented
Having a troubled personality naturally makes a person interested in detail. To make something the best it can be, you have to work on every finite detail until it’s perfect. Once the details are perfect, so will the big picture. This is an excellent way to work and makes someone with a troubled personality a great colleague.
However, for an individual, this can make life stressful. They can become obsessed with small, unimportant details in pursuit of perfection, to the detriment of their mental health. If every detail has to be perfect before you can finish the job, you will probably be working for a very long time.
- You are often sensitive and overly anxious
The constant desire for perfection can make a person feel stressed and overwhelmed. Since success is usually how a person with a personality disorder determines their self-esteem, they will likely never feel worthy. The parameters will keep moving farther and farther away until you can’t keep up.
People with troubled personalities are usually riddled with self-doubt caused by constantly comparing themselves to others. They take criticism badly as if criticism of their work is a personal attack. They are also always overly aware of problems that others don’t see, which makes their overall worldview quite negative.
- You suffer from imposter syndrome
A person with a disordered personality will rarely think of themselves as worthy of the position they hold in work and life, especially if they have a certain level of seniority. They often underestimate their accomplishments, feel as if they don’t deserve to be proud of, and don’t want to share them with others.
People with impostor syndrome are usually terrified that someone will one day find out that they don’t belong in or deserve the position they are in, and they will be humiliated or saddened when they are all robbed.
- You often forget about self-care
Being successful is the priority of anyone with a troubled personality, and this often comes at a steep price. While many of us sometimes struggle to balance our work and social lives, as well as find time to take care of ourselves, a person with a disordered personality struggles to find balance at all.
In order to produce their best work, the personal needs of a troubled personality are ignored. Instead of eating meals, washing themselves, or getting a good night’s sleep, they will choose to work so they can feel that what they have made is the best it can be.
They usually see no choice when it comes to self-care versus work, only one of these feels worth their time and they can’t risk wasting time on the other.
- People say you lack empathy
People with a disordered personality do not innately lack empathy, but they may find that friends and family often accuse them of not being empathetic when they need support. This is because they instinctively approach the world with a logical problem-solving perspective.
When their loved ones ask for help, they look for a shoulder to cry on. They want an ear to listen and empathize. However, if they are seeking this support from someone with a troubled personality, they are likely to get suggestions and solutions that will help with the problem they are facing, rather than a sounding board to vent on.
While they may have pure intentions and really want to help, this can be cold and unsympathetic.
- You are an optimist
Having a troubled personality is not the terrible thing it is often portrayed to be. In addition to being a great hard worker, a person with a restless personality is usually a relentless optimist. Their work ethic is so strong that they believe that everything can be solved through work and dedication.
In their eyes, everything could be improved. They make confident leaders who are able to direct teams to produce the best quality work because of their determination and commitment to what they do.
