Is personality a construct?
What does science suggest about the nature of personality and whether or not the concept of a pure, unchanging personality truly exists?
Where did the concept of personality disorders originate?
As a therapist specialized in treatment of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), I’ve served many people with extremely complicated and severe trauma histories. This also correlates with the number of clients I’ve assisted who have at some point been diagnosed with a personality disorder, or have otherwise been curious about the possibility of meeting criteria for one of the following labels found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5):
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Dependent Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Personality Disorders come with heavy implications, a lot of stigma, and often an increased sense of hopelessness. For this reason, I’ve always taken these particular labels quite seriously, exercised caution when giving them, and thoroughly discussed my clinical perceptions in an effort to capture and honor the complexity of the human experience.
From a purely clinical perspective, we’re taught in school that diagnosing someone with a disordered personality implies there has been a lifelong disturbance in mood, behavior and overall functioning that permeates all areas of the individual’s life and has a significantly low expectation of changing substantially over time. Sounds a lot like “permanent problem,” eh?
The flaw in this philosophy is that it overlaps with the symptomatic development of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition emerging from too much stress in the environment during the time when the fragile brain is growing and developing. In cases of C-PTSD, a child typically begins by presenting at a very young age with symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and oppositional behavior that becomes difficult to address through standard methods of discipline.
By the time the child is 9-12 years old, they’ve begun showing signs of anxiety and/or depression in addition to their ongoing struggle with inattention and hyperactivity. By the teen years, more serious labels like Bipolar start being considered, and by the time they reach adulthood, they’re quite clearly meeting criterial for a mood disorder as well as the potential for a personality disorder diagnosis.
Is it clear why this experience can feel completely overwhelming, disempowering, and often leads to tremendous feelings of shame, guilt and self-blame or self-hatred? The developmental atmosphere did not provide the inputs needed for healthy thriving, and yet the fully grown adult is left feeling judged for the outcome and relegated to a group of outlying cases deemed “difficult to treat.” Needless to say, the problem is complex, which results in a complex presentation of symptoms.
The good news? It doesn’t have be so complicated!
A combination of evidence-based approaches designed to teach resiliency skills and process trauma is the key to liberating the brain and body to unlock unlimited potential. You see, the brain has this super power called neuroplasticity, which means it can change it’s physical form throughout it’s lifetime simply by changing the inputs and the way it’s being used.
This super power enables us to physically rewire our brains well into our adulthood. This means there is hope for substantial change and lasting recovery.
The brain is also made up of a set of filters we can construct. Cognitive constructs are the lenses through which we view the world and our place in it. These constructs are formed through our formative experiences, typically prior to the age of 18 years old, and color the way in which we experience reality. By changing our thinking, we can change these filters or constructs, and we can replace them with a brand new framework through which we experience the world.
Want to learn how to reverse the symptoms of trauma and set yourself free?
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