Personality Disorders Gender Bias
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) confesses to gender bias, with personality disorders such as borderline and histrionic being more common among women, while narcissistic, antisocial, schizotypal, passive compulsive, schizoid and paranoid disorders are more prevalent among men. The reason for this gender disparity may be due to culture-bound syndromes, with personality disorders reflecting biases and value judgments of the prevailing culture. Upbringing, environment, socialization, cultural mores, and genetics may also play a role in the pathogenesis of personality disorders. Ultimately, the ambiguity and equivocation of the diagnostic criteria may be the problem, with gender bias being everywhere in the psychiatric profession.
Psychological Tests and Structured Interviews: Introduction
Personality assessment is an art form that uses psychological tests and structured interviews to render it as objective and standardized as possible. Most tests restrict the repertory of permitted answers, and the scoring and keying of results are automated. Interpretation is arguably more important than data gathering, and most practitioners administer a battery of tests and structured interviews. Projective tests are far less structured and thus a lot more ambiguous, and the scoring is done exclusively by humans and involves judgment and bias.
Narcissistic Supply Deficiency Coping Strategies
Sam Vaknin explains that the grandiosity gap between a narcissist’s self-image and reality is grating on their nerves. As a result, the narcissist resorts to self-delusion, which can lead to various solutions. These include the delusional narrative solution, the antisocial solution, the paranoid schizoid solution, the paranoid aggressive or explosive solution, and the masochistic avoidance solution. Ultimately, the narcissist’s pronounced and public misery and self-pity are compensatory and reinforce their self-esteem against overwhelming convictions of worthlessness.
Old-age Narcissist
Narcissists age without grace, unable to accept their fallibility and mortality. They suffer from mental progeria, aging prematurely and finding themselves in a time warp. The longer they live, the more average they become, and the wider the gulf between their pretensions and accomplishments. Few narcissists save for rainy days, and those who succeed in their vocation end up bitterly alone, having squandered the love of family, offspring, and mates.
Bad Therapy for Abuse Victims and Survivors
Therapy for victims and survivors of abuse is not always smooth, with therapists often experiencing counter-transference and struggling to identify with the victim. Male therapists may try to prove themselves as good men, while female therapists may blame the victim for their abuse. Many therapists expect the victim to be aggressive and assertive, leading to premature termination of therapy if they fail to do so. However, good therapy can empower the victim and restore their sense of control over their life. It is crucial to find a therapist that is compatible with the specific victim or survivor of abuse.
Acquired Situational Narcissism
According to Professor Robert B. Millman, pathological malignant narcissism can be induced in adulthood by celebrity, wealth, and fame. He calls this acquired situational narcissism and believes that it can be provoked by certain situations. However, it is likely that acquired situational narcissism is merely an amplification and manifestation of earlier narcissistic conduct, traits, style, and tendencies. Narcissists tend to gravitate to specific professions and settings which guarantee them access to fame, celebrity, power, and wealth.
Twitter Narcissism
Twitter is not a platform for narcissists as it limits them to 140 characters, which can cause narcissistic injury. However, Twitter presents a challenge to its users to be creative and imaginative in their communication. Twitter is the digital reincarnation of earlier forms of direct communication, such as the telegraph and text message, and forces recipients to use their imagination to decipher the code. Twitter is unlikely to disappear and is unlikely to become a platform for verbose, uncontrollable narcissists.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
Narcissists are anxious for social approval and seek narcissistic supply compulsively, which creates attendant anxiety. They require external feedback to regulate their sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem, making them irritable. Narcissists are terrified of being embarrassed or criticized in public, and they fail to function well in various settings. It is easy to mistake the presenting symptoms of certain anxiety disorders with pathological narcissism, but the narcissist is egosyntonic, while the anxious patient is distressed and looking for help.
Abusive Ex: Tell Your Children the Truth!
Parents who have been victims of abuse should not attempt to present a balanced picture of their relationship with their abusive ex-spouse to their children. Children have a right to know the truth about the overall state of affairs between their parents, and both parents have a moral obligation to tell their offspring the truth. If spousal abuse is wholly or partly to blame, it should be brought out into the open and discussed honestly with the children. The child should be brought up to insist on being respected by the other parent, on having him or her observe the child’s boundaries and accept the child’s needs and emotions, choices and preferences.
Abusive Ex Leverages Children Against You
Abusive ex-partners often use their children to manipulate and control their former partners. They may co-opt their children into aiding and abetting their abusive conduct, using them as bargaining chips or leverage. The abuser may emotionally blackmail the children, threatening to withhold love and affection if they do not comply with their demands. The abuser may also pervert the system, using therapies, marriage counselors, mediators, court-appointed guardians, police officers, and even judges to pathologize the victim and separate them from their sources of emotional sustenance.