The character of a person is shown through their personality by the way they think, feel and behave. When a person’s inner thoughts and feelings along with their behaviour are inflexible, maladaptive, and antisocial, then they may be diagnosed with a personality disorder.
Personality traits become a personality disorder when the pattern of thinking and behaviour is extreme, inflexible and maladaptive. They may cause major disruption to a person’s life and are usually associated with significant distress to themselves or others.
Personality disorders are not illnesses in a strict sense as they do not disrupt emotional, intellectual or perceptual functioning. Instead they are typified by behaviours outside societal norms, which often lead to conflict with others and vice versa. Consequently personality disorders can cause serious problems with relationships both personal and in the workplace. These disorders tend to be long term and difficult to treat.
Symptoms and characteristics
There are three main types of personality disorders, all with similar symptoms and characteristics such as:
- obsession
- requiring attention and affirmation
- feeling entitled
- envious of others
- withdrawn, antisocial behaviour
- self harm
- unstable mood.
For further information on the above symptoms please see the links below:
Workplace solutions and adjustments
In the workplace there are various factors or considerations that would assist those with a personality disorder. These include; a suitable job match, for example a role requiring minimal interaction with others, conducive work environment such as including screens or partitioning to separate work areas, once again to reduce interaction and an understanding employer.
There are various factors that would greatly assist people with a personality disorder to better manage their symptoms in the workplace. These include:
- provision of conflict-resolution mechanisms for narcissistic personality disorder sufferers
- working in a disciplined and supportive environment
- consistent support in the workplace from co-workers and employers
- avoiding jobs requiring monotonous or repetitious tasks
- avoiding frequent shift changes due to irregularity in sleep-wake cycles for individuals with borderline personality disorder.
References
Australian Government (no date specified), Brochure: What is Personality Disorder?, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, viewed 10 August 2011,
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/307939DFF924900ACA2572ED001EC4F9/$File/whatper.pdf.
Vaknin, S. 2008, Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) Definition, HealthyPlace.com, Inc., online, viewed 10 August 2011, http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/personality_disorders/narcissism/narcissism_defined.html.