Personality and Personality Disorders: Overview

Everyone has a personality. The term means that there are unique patterns of thinking, emotion, and behavior that vary from one person to another. These characteristics are called traits. Variations in personality need not be abnormal, but they make people different. Because these characteristics vary continuously in the population, personality traits are often called dimensions.

The concept of a personality disorder (PD) describes problems that occur when personality traits are dysfunctional, affecting close relationships and work. One can say that PD can be diagnosed when personality does not work. PDs are very common in the practice of psychology and psychiatry and can lead to serious clinical problems. In the past few decades, PDs have stimulated a large body of research.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental ...

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