A schizoid personality

Apr 160:56

Trouble de la personnalité : schizoïde

Un bon post pour les francophones:

Le trouble de la personnalité schizoïde est un trouble de la personnalité grave.

Cette personne vit seule sans ressentir les conséquences de sa solitude. Elle ne manifeste aucun interêt pour les relations sociales. Elle n’est pas touchée par les marques de sympathie ou d’affection et n’exprime quasiment jamais ses émotions. Ses loisirs sont solitaires et son activité professionnelle est souvent indépendante

La personne schizoide, chez qui donc règne la peur inconsciente d’être présent et d’avoir à s’investir dans le monde concret, peut manifester des symptômes divers :

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Feb 0814:51

Our extrovert friends

Encounters, Work 2 Comments »

A word on one of my « coworkers ». He is the database administrator at work, in fact the best damn DBA I had the pleasure to work with. He is self taught in this field, changed career several times.

He is also pretty handy with systems (Windows / Linux) not just Databases, does some neat programming too. Hard worker, reliable, efficient, dependable. On a personal side, he is married, traveled quite a bit in Australia, has four and half daughters (two + twins + a newly discovered pre marriage older one…) Two years ago he decided to shape it up a bit, and he is now a marathon man (already 3 marathons done). Redid pretty much everything in his house, got a few websites, etc…

Yes, I like him. He is an “individual”, which be my standards is a pretty high status already. He has also earned my respect both professionally and personally, which is pretty much the top of my pyramid before sleeping with me…

Last year, he came in my office (good times, no shared office then, I was acting director while my boss was working for the ministry of education for a year) and told me he was just diagnosed a mild bipolar with Tourette traits. Of course I already knew he was an unusual guy, this, just like for me, was just putting a label, a name, on his personality.

Bipolars do have some pretty definite med treatments, which he adapted to very well, keeping the strengths while shoving away the bad sides of bipolar (harsh decisions, destructive behaviors and such…). It’s normal, I do believe there is little he could not achieve, he’s “the man” after all (private joke).

See, another proof than extraordinary individuals can’t be “normal” peoples, by definition. Sure he is on the extrovert scale, sure I won’t discuss Kafka or geopolitics with him, sure I won’t hit bars with him either, but none the less, he is one of those that are standing out of the mass (in a good way, not in a mass-murderer clown politician kind of way [not targeting anyone in particular here]).

And if I deal with a particularly hard project with impossible goals and tight schedule, guess who I’ll turn towards to? I’ll choose an extrovert friend over any sheep, anytime!

Jan 2710:39

I have got to admit

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Important disclaimers before going forward:

I personally do not believe in classifying people into tables. My own belief is that INDIVUDUALS are UNIQUE (it just so happen that in our society there are not much individuals).
I STRONGLY advise that you look into yourself and KNOW yourself very well before taking any online personality test. They are not meant to inform you of who you are. You should know who you are by yourself. A test (if it is good and honestly answered) will just put a name or label on what you already knew.

So, as I prepared that site I made quiet extensive research and crossed path with an awful lot of online therapy and self help sites, or other “let us give you your personality profile for (insert fee here)”… Usually that crap is 100% commercial, trying to have some kind of “medical” feel to it but full of ads and always ending having something to sell you (book, meds, counseling, your profil…) DO NOT FALL FOR IT! Those sharks are surfing the trendy wave of anxiety. Of course most people feel “inadequate” or “stressed” or “anxious”, they live in a society that goes pretty much against any natural instincts we may have as mammals, so yeah people don’t feel so “well”…

While researching I tumbled on a site pretty much dedicated only to online personality testing. Just one ad on top, no selling, nor pushing you toward anything of the like. I first thought I should take the “personality disorder” test because it will make for great bashing in the blog…

Well I got to admit I cannot bash it. It worked for me, pretty accurate too. Remember: you have to answer HONESTLY (not the way you would like to appear, it is just you behind the keyboard, no lies) and keep in mind it is a COMPUTERIZED assessment (which mean it’s very close to what 95% of the therapists are doing when check marking your answers on their pre-printed forms, no no I am kidding… Sort of… Well it is computerized so no margin to interpretation, hence some results “discrepancies”.)

Let’s just comment my testing (I took it several times, always scoring the same into 2 to 4 % margin, this was the first attempt)

Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 240:44

Pitfalls, common mistakes and misunderstandings about SPD

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Warning Outside of the medical interdependences shown previously, SPD and its syndromes are also typically misinterpreted by the general population.

Schizoid v/s schizophrenia: Only thing they have in common is their Greek roots. “schizo” meaning “split”. Other than that they have nothing in common, The schizoid is “split from the society” when schizophrenia is “split from reality” ( the fantasizing part of the schizoid does not even compare to schizophrenia, the schizoid never doubt for a minute that he is day dreaming and nothing of it is real). I have read an interesting post where someone suggested to change the term schizoid to “souls of solitude”. Not very clinical, but very poetic indeed.

Introverts (it’s not just the schizoids) are egoist and narcissist: Faceit the general population thrives in an extrovert society, so as soon as you look at your shoes and keep quiet you are egoist (for not sharing your life), if on top of it you seem the slightest at ease being alone (like the schizoid will) then you are a self absorbed narcissist. Funny when medically, the narcissism disorder is actually an extrovert behavior… Those are more due to ignorance and vocabulary misunderstanding than anything else but they were worth mentioning as they do sent the wrong message about introverts.

Introverts are always shy / timid: Seems obvious right? Yet it is not ALWAYS true. Shy and timid people are not necessarily introverts either… An introvert is someone interiorizing things, bottling up things tightly inside (could be feelings or emotions for the schizoid, could be fears for the paranoid, or delusions for the shizotypical) but not necessarily himself. Yes in most cases an introvert will display shy or timid like behaviors, but not always. Which bring me to the last part.

The “secret schizoid”: Shattering some bases of the DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10 heavily focusing on the avoidance and reluctance side of the schizoid towards the external world and interpersonal relationship, the concept of “secret schizoid” (I like to call it “the social schizoid” or “The ubber impersonator”) first rose in the 40’s while a study conducted by psychologist Fairbairn made him cross path with a diagnosed schizoid showing sign of nothing less than “impressive social contacts”.
Who is that “secret schizoid”? Well it is a schizoid who mastered his tools of defense mechanism to a whole new level. He can actually “act” like social, appear socially appealing, and even engage in group activities… But the toll to pay is heavy to achieve the level of detachment implied (trust me on that one: The show is good, but don’t try to get backstage).

Jan 240:41

Relations between SPD and the other Personality Disorders

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Like shown in the previous table, medically speaking, SPD is a disorder of the cluster A “Odd, Eccentric” (no kidding) Along with Paranoid and Schizotypical personality disorders, all of them also happens to produce introvert behaviors.

But it also shares some aspects with another personality disorders from cluster C “Anxious/Fearfull”, the Avoidant personality disorder, as well as with other conditions that are not categorized as personality disorders: Depression, Asperger’s Syndrome and the Hikikomori phenomenon (to recent to have a medical classification yet).

If most psychologists will not be confused between a Schizoid, a shyzotypical and a Paranoid personality disorder while pulling a diagnostic. They might however get fooled by certain types of schizoid individuals and wrongfully diagnose depression, avoidant personality, asperger’s syndrome, and now the newbie Hikikomori. We can’t blame them, schizoid is the rarest of personality disorders (not the rarest of all mental disorders) and one with symptoms spreading all across the chart at that, and depression is so very trendy now days, so why look somewhere else?…

Keep in mind that a schizoid can also double with a second personality disorder (the combination schizoid + Avoidant is not unheard of) or be having a clinical depression as well. Nonetheless, several indicators can help in the medical diagnostic:

SPD v/s clinical depression: Unlike depressed people, persons with SPD generally do not consider themselves inferior to others, although they will probably recognize that they are different. (Again keep in mind the individual might actually have a depression on top of being schizoid, or doubling with an avoidant that have strong depression traits).

SPD v/s Avoidant Personality Disorder: Unlike avoidant personality disorder, those affected with SPD do not avoid social interactions due to anxiety or feelings of incompetence, but because they are genuinely indifferent to social relationships. (however, in a 1989 Canadian study, schizoid and avoidant personalities were found to display equivalent levels of anxiety, depression, and psychotic tendencies. And as a matter of fact some schizoids are ALSO avoidants).

SPD v/s Asperger’s Syndrome: Unlike Asperger’s Syndrome, SPD does not involve an impairment in nonverbal communication (e.g., lack of eye-contact or unusual prosody) or a pattern of restricted interests or repetitive behaviors (e.g., a strict adherence to routines or rituals, or an unusually intense interest in a single topic). Instead people with SPD are typically more indifferent with regard to their activities. More over SPD does not affect the ability to express oneself or communicate effectively with others, and is not believed to be related to any form of autism like Asperger’s Syndrome is.

SPD v/s Hikikomori: Little is yet established for the diagnosis of Hikikomori, but it is a COMPLETE withdrawal from society. Where the schizoid still maintain some outside activities (like a job), the Hikikomori never leaves his house, generally not even is room. The schizoid thrives on autonomy and self sufficient, but the Hikikomori is totally dependent from is family for is support and rapidly loose all social skills. A point of origin seems to be the refusal of school, but since the phenomenon started in Japan where the education system is very different that might not be relevant for the occidental individuals.

Jan 240:18

The other personality disorders

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Note from the author: Instead of detailing all the personality disorders, I opted to make an exert of them. If you are interested in having more details, I did link each disorder to its Wikipedia definition.

There are 10 personality disorders medically recognized (There is more personality “Types” and “character” disorders) and they are split into three categories. From reference to the SDP, I will put in RED the symptoms NOT associated to SDP (others could be seen or otherwise mislabeled like being SPD traits due to the introvert/odd/not social aspect of SPD, but the RED ones are exclusives).

The cluster A (odd, eccentric) personality disorders:

Personality Disorder	Signs and symptoms may include
Paranoid personality disorder A pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:	Suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her. Is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates. Is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her.§ Reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events. Persistently bears grudges, i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights. Perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack. Has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner.
Schizoid personality disorder a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:	Neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family. Almost always chooses solitary activities. Has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person. Takes pleasure in few, if any, activities. Lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives. Appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others. Shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity. Fantasizing / Fixation on own thoughts and feelings
Schizotypal personality disorder A pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:	Ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference). Odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g., superstitiousness, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, or “sixth sense”; in children and adolescents, bizarre fantasies or preoccupations). Unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions. Odd thinking and speech (e.g., vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, overelaborate, or stereotyped). Suspiciousness or paranoid ideation. Inappropriate or constricted affect. Behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar. Lack of close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives. Excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self.

The cluster B (dramatic, emotional) personality disorders

Personality Disorder	Signs and symptoms may include
Histrionic personality disorder a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:	Is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention. Interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior. Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions. Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self. Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail. Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion. Is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances. Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.
Narcissistic personality disorder A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:	Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements). Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love. Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions). Requires excessive admiration. Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations. Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends. Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.
Antisocial (formerly, sociopathic) personality disorder This disorder is characterized by a long-standing pattern of a disregard for other people’s rights, often crossing the line and violating those rights. This pattern of behavior has occurred since age 15 (although only adults 18 years or older can be diagnosed with this disorder) and consists by the presence of the majority of these symptoms:	Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead. Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults. Reckless disregard for safety of self or others. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations. Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
Borderline personality disorder A person who suffers from this disorder has labile interpersonal relationships characterized by instability. This pattern of interacting with others has persisted for years and is usually closely related to the person’s self-image and early social interactions. The pattern is present in a variety of settings (e.g., not just at work or home) and often is accompanied by a similar lability (fluctuating back and forth, sometimes in a quick manner) in a person’s affect, or feelings. Relationships and the person’s affect may often be characterized as being shallow. A person with this disorder may also exhibit impulsive behaviors and exhibit a majority of the following symptoms:	Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days). Chronic feelings of emptiness. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights). Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

The cluster C(anxious, fearful) personality disorders:

Personality Disorder	Signs and symptoms may include
Avoidant personality disorder This disorder is characterized by a long-standing and complex pattern of feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to what other people think about them, and social inhibition. It typically manifests itself by early adulthood and includes a majority of the following symptoms:	Avoids occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact, because of fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection. Is unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked. Shows restraint within intimate relationships because of the fear of being shamed or ridiculed. Is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations. Is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy. Views self as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others. Is unusually reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in any new activities because they may prove embarrassing.
Dependent personality disorder a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:	Has difficulty making everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others. Needs others to assume responsibility for most major areas of his or her life. Has difficulty expressing disagreement with others because of fear of loss of support or approval. Has difficulty initiating projects or doing things on his or her own (because of a lack of self-confidence in judgment or abilities rather than a lack of motivation or energy). Goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others to the point of volunteering to do things that are unpleasant. Feels uncomfortable or helpless when alone because of exaggerated fears of being unable to care for himself or herself. Urgently seeks another relationship as a source of care and support when a close relationship ends. Is unrealistically preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of himself or herself.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense or flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:	Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met). Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity). Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification). Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value. Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way or doing things. Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes.Shows rigidity and stubbornness. Attention: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder, an anxiety disorder that shares some symptoms but is more extreme and disabling.

Jan 2323:30

Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD)

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Note from the author: For more clarity I will leave this section “dry” as these are factual information fetched over the Net and in several publications, the need to comment on it is great but I shall do it in another section and/or a blog entry to avoid confusion.

The Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness. SPD is reasonably rare compared with other personality disorders. Its prevalence is estimated at less than 1% of the general population (1993).

There are two main diagnostics criteria commonly used by psychologists to identify SPD: the ICD-10 (From the World Health Organization) and the DSM-IV-TR (a worldwide manual used by analysts to diagnose mental disorders). The later seems to be the more commonly accepted as the “standard” worldwide.

According to the ICD-10, schizoid personality disorder is characterized by at least four of the following criteria:

ICD-10 criteria

Emotional coldness, detachment or reduced affection.

Limited capacity to express either positive or negative emotions towards others.

Consistent preference for solitary activities.

Very few (if any) close friends or relationships, and a lack of desire for such.

Indifference to either praise or criticism.

Taking pleasure in few, if any, activities.

Indifference to social norms and conventions.

Preoccupation with fantasy and introspection.

Lack of desire for sexual experiences with another person.

The DSM-IV-TR, defines schizoid personality disorder as:

A. A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

DSM-IV-TR criteria

almost always chooses solitary activities

has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person

neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family

takes pleasure in few, if any, activities

lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives

appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others

shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity

B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic features, another psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition.

Note: DSM-IV, which is an earlier version of DSM-IV-TR, does say that a person with Schizoid Personality Disorder may feel sensitive to the opinions of others and may even feel lonely but cannot do anything about the loneliness due to the disorder.

If you want to dig deeper than those mere definitions, you can start with Wikipedia, and you can stick with this site, for real life insights.

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Trouble de la personnalité : schizoïde

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Our extrovert friends

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I have got to admit

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Pitfalls, common mistakes and misunderstandings about SPD

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Relations between SPD and the other Personality Disorders

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