In the previous few Psychology columns I focused on serious forms of mental illness. In the next few columns I shall focus on Personality Disorders, which too significantly affect our capacity to live satisfying and meaningful lives and in a special way our interpersonal relationships.
An understanding of personality disorders and how to cope with them is especially important for those engaged in the formation of priests and religious.
What is Personality Disorder?
Personality
Personality is a complex mixture of biologically based temperament, the internalized record of the events and experiences that have shaped our character, the way we see ourselves and others, the conflicts involving wishes, and defenses against those wishes that direct and motivate us, and our vulnerabilities and aspirations. These varied dimensions and characteristics define who we are as persons and form our personality styles.
Our personality is built on various personality traits each of us develop, mostly unconsciously through our genetic (inborn endowments) and our relational and environment experiences. These traits are enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and ourselves that are exhibited in a wide range of personal and inter-personal contexts.
Fr Jose Parappully SDB
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