#<- NPD + potential ASPD +/or AvPD

[antisocialsharky]

Hi! My therapist and I were talking today, and we ended up on the subject of ASPD. I mentioned the two different accepted 'types' of it (the version caused by trauma and the version people are born with), and she brought up a theory she had for why that happens. She said she suspects people who are supposedly born with ASPD are actually autistic, and then the unique symptoms and experiences of growing up autistic creates its own trauma that can lead to ASPD later.

I was kinda curious on your thoughts on that, because I've always heard about people who were supposedly 'born sociopaths', but I've also thought it was strange that out of all the personality disorders in all the clusters, ASPD seems to be the only one that some people can really truly be considered born with, rather than being caused primarily through trauma. I won't say that isn't the case and people can't be born with ASPD ofc. I mostly just thought it was an interesting theory.

Hi ^^ I personally think thats mostly "bullshit" pretty much 👍🏻 I mean in the end we do not know for sure, science hasnt reeeeally unraveled all that shit yet, but I like the theory more, where the genetic aspect of ASPD refers to being born with certain traits that simply make it more likely for you to develop it after trauma exposure! Such as having a brain that is more likely to react aggressively, maybe having a lower amount of a certain hormone or neurotransmitter released, having areas of your brain work slower/less extensively than they should, etc. That, coupled with trauma and a low resilience against such events, makes more sense to me in terms of ending up as ASPD rly?

I don't believe in a "born type" where you can have all the ASPD characteristics without trauma/some type of fucked up socialization. I can believe the emotional aspect being influenced by genetics and that in turn influencing behaviors, but the thought aspect of ASPD and the correlated behaviors are sorta more rooted in socialization imo! Thats just what makes the most sense to me tho, as I said, we absolutely do not know! (this genetic aspect theory exists for all PDs! and tbh I also sorta think that the pure genetic ASPD type being a thing may have potentially been creates to justify not helping them, or demonizing and killing them, cus "if they're born this way, they wont change so lets get rid of them, no one needs them" is an argument that should be familiar to people...again just my theory tho and doesn't necessarily need to be true for all cases/occurences of this idea)

I would agree on the fact, that being autistic and then traumatized can very much end up in ASPD, since the two already share some characteristics and the jump from "I dont understand social rules" to "I dont care about social rules" isn't particulary big! It does however also make sense for autistics to develop any of the other PDs due to their challenges & the way those are met by society? Like...AVPD due to anxiety surrounding fucking up in social situations, DPD due to anxiety surrounding being left alone with your challenges, BPD/NPD/HPD due to having had your self esteem fucked with and you are more the type to be emotionally erractic, etc.

Plus I mean stuff like ADHD or childhood onset schizophrenia could cause you to go trough very similar challenges as a child and that with added trauma, has just as much of a potential to end up in ASPD or any of the other PDs. So I think using only autism as a possibility for that theory is a little shortsighted! Its for sure an interesting thing to think about tho!

[avoidant-attachment-culture]

Hello, not a cultures ask but I'd like some advice, if possible?

I'm fairly certain that I'm NPD with ASPD traits (or just very low empathy, though it does fluctuate at times). I'm also extremely avoidant. (Also autism and ADHD, if those can play a part in it?)

I've lost a handful of friends in the past (and one more recently) due to my avoidance. I'll just... not respond to messages. I'll make up excuses like I've been busy, been very depressed (which isn't entirely inaccurate, just a bit exaggerated) and so on. I can't really figure out why I do this. I don't have any thoughts or thinking patterns I can connect it to. If I had to guess, maybe a fear of confrontation. I have a big "out of sight, out of mind" mindset and will actively mute notifications and avoid certain social media so I dont have to see it—even when I know this actively harms those I'm close to who are BPD. I do consciously realise that avoiding issues doesn't solve them, it just makes the issue pile up and will inevitably need to be handled.

I hope to get back into therapy soon and have a professional's help, but for now any and all advice you or others can share is greatly appreciated. Thank you. ❤️

Okay so firstly thank you for trusting little old me with this its very flattering.

Informing people that you struggle with this is 100% the first step. People you value, trust, want to keep around, let them know that you have trouble with disappearing. Even if they nor you can do anything about it, having knowledge will lessen the blow that it could be personal and potentially help any adverse reactions that could result from that. It also gives you peace of mind because you can live knowing you've done your due diligence of warning people.

What immediately springs to mind for me is that it could be caused by sensitivity to criticism (NPD) and therefore a premature avoidance of people in general to quell the possibility of receiving any. This is kinda similar to how AvPD works just that narcissists are trying to conserve a high self image that is fragile, unlike AvPDers who already have low self esteem and just struggle to see that manifested in their environment. Note that if you're a grandiose narc more than a vulnerable narc this might be less obvious to you because grandiose narcs have a tendency to be unable to comprehend when they have a need/fear etc. and sometimes feel like their vulnerable self doesn't exist at all because the grandiose defence is so effective.

It could also be because you lack a sense of responsibility or duty which can be characteristic of the ASPD.

You may also have a lack of interest in relationships with others (SzPD trait) but this seems unlikely since you're bothered by the difficulties you're having.

Either way DBT may help you a little, there are free worksheets online, Google "DBT worksheets therapist aid" and they should be easy to find. They're a little infantile but they helped me through my years as an erratic 14 year old so I praise them highly. Best of luck.

[aspdsolace]

https://www.tumblr.com/aspdsolace/754875403978555392/

This is very belated but i'd also like to chip in. To this anon

I also do not have avpd but i know a lot about it, i did a ton of research on it while i misdiagnosed it. I ended up having npd and szpd, 2 personality disorders which are very very similar to avpd. These also have high comorbidity rates with aspd.

As far as your first 2 points about recklessness or quieter self harm, these aren't really things that contradict each other, avpd is a very isolating self destructive disorder on it's own and aspd would at least boost the urges to self destruct or self mutilate in some way.

As far as your point on fear of rejection goes - I would argue this also doesn't contradict with aspd to a certain degree. Aspd is rooted in fear. It's a disorder that deals with a ton of anxiety and paranoia and is often comorbid with disorders that deal with these, although this naturally varies from person to person and their brain's way of handling said fear. Now like i said before, npd and szpd are also highly comorbid with aspd and overlap significantly with avpd, which tells us a lot about the overaraching type of mindset these personality disorders have - one of the things they all have in common is that they all fear some aspect of social interactions in some way.

Back to aspd and avpd. I feel like avpd's intense fear of rejection would exacerbate aspd's hypervigilance and "scanning for potential threats" type of mindset, looking for any possible sign of danger before it gets them first, and would be incredibly self preserving and also self hating. Low self esteem is a core symptom of avpd and many people with aspd don't particularly see themselves as "worth caring about" to other people, whether this is out of genuine self hate or not understanding why is dependant on the person. Aspd and avpd would also create a very internally spiteful and bitter person, further fuelling aspd's "I do x because people did x to me" beliefs (this one is very vague because it applies to many different things. For example "i dont care about anyone else because nobody cares about me"). Avpd would also curb a lot of aspd's impulse drive manipulative tactics and recklessness, out of fear of getting found out and criticized for it, creating a very restless person when bored.

I could end this off better but I'm struggling to find the words to do so. I hope this was able to provide some insight to anyone. Please keep in mind how vastly different everyone with aspd or any personality disorder is, and these are not universal traits of everyone with aspd and avpd comorbid. These are specific examples from my own experiences with my understanding of avpd, as well as lived experiences with aspd, rejection sensitive dysphoria, and other similar comorbid disorders.

i appreciate your insight, i'll add the link to this ask to that post. you bring up many good points about the ways they can interact!

[wolfs-stimboards]

hi, this is @lesboylycan's stimboard/gif blog. for stimboards and gifs.

bodily adult, autistic, schizophrenic, avpd + aspd + npd. adaptive-spontaneous mediple gateway constellate with DID. physically disabled. technically not a diagnosable pyromaniac but we're one required symptom away and we have multiple non-required symptoms so do with that what you will (personally we think it's bullshit that we can't be diagnosed considering everything but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

butch male lesbian, multigender genderfaun. potentially abro between bi gay and bi lesbian? loveless aplaro, technically acespec but we relate more to aroallos than aroaces. autosexual, plurillean (although maybe leaning towards sysian). do not call us wlw or you will be eaten. (also don't call us nonbinary, even if it technically fits. call us genderqueer if you have to, but ultimately, we are butch.)

SpIns include: (leopard) seals, wolves, sighthounds, Dimension20, [redacted because the fandom is shite]

we also really like the color green. and textiles. if you mention disliking green, you are at sincere risk of being blocked.

within the constellate, there is a system known as the Wolf System. it's disordered via avpd. go to our other blogs (particularly @leptonyx-constellate) if you want information on how/why.

(orange) slime kin, leopard seal kin, corvid cladotherian, harehearted. wolf-bodied werebeast.

not a safe space for: anti-endos (and "neutrals"), anti-shippers/"proship dni", anti-physical nonhumans, "kid-friendly only" (makes us incredibly anxious & paranoid about what is or is not "kid-friendly"), anti-good faith

#reblog - the vast majority of posts #non-stimboard - posts that aren't stimboards or related stimmy gifs #id stims - stimboards related to our identity/ies #spin stims - stimboards related to our SpIns #color stims - stimboards that are largely a single color. mostly green probably #silly stims - stimboards that we just like because they're fun :] #other stims - stimboards for categories not listed above (eg., character stimboards that might be a color stim, but aren't a character from a SpIn)

#blog upkeep - blog upkeep #intro post - this post

[radiomogai]

[PT:

clusterapridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster a disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster a -pridix terms

clusterbpridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster b disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster b -pridix terms

clustercpridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster c disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster c -pridix terms

end PT]

clusterapridix | clusterbpridix | clustercpridix

clusterapridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster a disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster a -pridix terms

clusterbpridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster b disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster b -pridix terms

clustercpridix: a gender related to being proud of one’s cluster c disorder(s) and that pride affecting how their gender feels; an umbrella term for all cluster c -pridix terms

for anon! the top stripe represents pride and the rest of the stripes are inspired by these cluster a flags, these cluster b flags, and these cluster c flags. since those flags each only have two stripes that are shared between each flag in a cluster, i chose two more colors that share meanings with the colors in those flags!

flag id: three flags with 5 stripes. the left flag’s stripes, in order, are purple, turquoise-white, light teal, bright yellow-orange, and reddish-orange. the middle flag’s stripes, in order, are purple, white, golden yellow, red, and black. the right flag’s stripes, in order, are purple, bright yellow, yellow-orange, dark dull yellow-green, and very dark grey. end id.

dni transcript here

[m-grouped]

MILLON'S SUBTYPES [ BPD EDITION ]

Note: all definitions are taken directly from Millon's writings, which are quite old, with only a few edits and rephrasings to make things more digestible to a modern audience.

📃 The Discouraged Borderline — Generally acts pliant, submissive, loyal, and humble. Feels vulnerable and in constant jeopardy. Feels hopeless, depressed, helpless, and powerless.

▐ has avoidant and dependent traits

📃 The Petulant Borderline — Negativistic, impatient, restless, as well as stubborn, defiant, sullen, pessimistic, and resentful. Easily feels slighted and is quickly disillusioned.

▐ has negativistic traits

📃 The Impulsive Borderline — Captivating, capricious, superficial, flighty, distractable, frenetic, and seductive. When fearing loss, the individual becomes agitated. Often gloomy, irritable, and potentially suicidal.

▐ has histrionic or antisocial traits

📃 The Self-Destructive Borderline — Inward-turning, self-punishing, and angry. Abilities to conform and integrate have deteriorated. Increasingly high-strung and moody.

▐ has depressive and self-defeating traits

More of Millon's subtypes:

[ASPD] [AVPD] [BPD] [DPD] [DPPD]

[HPD] [OCPD] [PPD] [NGPD] [NPD]

[SAPD] [SDPD] [STPD] [SZPD] [TPD]

[hauntedselves]

Personality Disorder Concepts: Attachment Styles

Attachment is the “emotional bond” between a child and their caregiver. It’s relevant to personality disorders since it influences the child’s “capacity to form mature intimate relationships in adulthood”. It “influences and organizes motivational, emotional, and memory processes that involve caregivers”. Attachment is associated with “emotional regulation, social relatedness” and the “development of self-reflection and narrative”, all things that are impacted by personality disorders.

Attachment Styles

Attachment styles are made up of two dimensions:

the distinction between self and others

“valence”: positive vs. negative evaluation

Most people will exhibit more than one attachment style.

The five styles are:

secure: positive view of self and others

preoccupied: negative view of self, positive view of others

dismissing: positive view of self, negative view of others

fearful: negative view of self and others

disorganized: fluctuating positive and negative views of self and others

Preoccupied style: DPD, OCPD & HPD

Negative view of self (“a sense of personal unworthiness”)

Positive view of others

Tend to be very “externally oriented in their self-definitions”, i.e. look to others to define them

Dismissing style: SZPD

Positive view of self (“a sense of self that is worthy and positive”)

Negative view of others, which “typically manifests as mistrust”

See themselves as “emotionally self-sufficient”

See others as emotionally unresponsive

Therefore they “dismiss the need for friendship and contact with others”

Fearful style: PPD

Negative view of self and others

Expectation that others are untrustworthy & will reject them

Don’t trust themselves or others

Believe themselves to be “special and different”

Hypervigilant against threats and “unexpected circumstances”

Preoccupied-fearful style: AVPD

Negative view of self

Fluctuates between negative and positive view of others

Want to be liked and accepted but fear rejection and abandonment, so they avoid and withdraw

Fearful-dismissing style: ASPD, NPD, STPD

Fluctuates between negative and positive view of self

Negative view of others

See themselves as “special and entitled”

Acknowledge their need for others, as well as others’ potential to hurt them

Use others to meet their needs but are fearful and dismissing of them

Disorganized style: BPD

Fluctuates between negative and positive view of self and others

This style develops from trauma

Associated with dissociation & PTSD

Seems to shift among the other attachment styles

(More on disorganised attachment & dissociation)

- From Sperry, Handbook of Diagnosis and Treatment of DSM-5 Personality Disorders (2016)

[deathfactory]

BPD: Favorite Person

NPD: Chosen person

AVPD: Safe Person

SZPD: Interest Person

PPD: Trusted Person

DPD: Dependant/Depended

As people with personality disorders, we forge very intricate relationships to those around us. These relationship types are common within their respective disorder group but are not required for a diagnosis.

It's interesting for myself, as someone with ASPD [Antisocial personality disorder] to study these types of relationships and analyze whether I myself experience any type of complex relationship attachment born out of ASPD.

And upon some deep introspection I have discovered that I most certainly do.

"Favored People"

[^name suggestions welcome]

These are people who I enjoy [subject to extreme fluctuation] and favor over all other people [typically I do not care about anyone, except for these 'favored people'] for some reason they do not always set off the ASPD-need to be vitriolic and (of course) antisocial.

It's well more complicated than that, but I'd like to hear input from other people with ASPD to see whether any of us share these forms of relationships which are potentially born out of the disorder.

[borderline-vent]

So I know this is a vent blog but honestly like

I'm really grateful to my fp for helping me learn how to handle not only my bpd, but my other personality disorders, too. Whether it's avpd or avpd traits is a little up in the air w my therapist right now- at this point the list is kind of long and we're focusing on managing symptoms rather than what precise label goes where - but npd is a definite. When I met my fp I was mostly just questioning npd traits; I realized as I learned more about it and talked more to my therapist that I have, like, The Whole Thing. You know how it goes.

I'm determined not to be my mother who I suspect has bpd and npd traits -probably not the whole disorder, but some of our thought patterns and perceptions have been pretty similar in that regard -and kind of ruins everyone's life she touches, including mine. She's badly fucked her own self over, her husband I really don't think she abuses but he also seems uninvolved in some pretty significant ways; he just kind of let her do whatever she wanted to us, believed her over us, and she hides some of her worst abuse from him- like hitting me with a hanger, and choking my sibling and throwing them to the floor to scream at them and not letting us tell him what happened. She's also just manipulative and controlling and blames everyone else for her negative feelings and anything that goes wrong, even (especially) when it's her fault (sort of how her throwing me into a wall as a teenager was my fault somehow... lol). So that's oart of my motivation to work hard with therapy and learn to manage all this stuff, but really put some focus into managing my narcissism. It's not going to benefit me, or anybody else, if I'm unselfaware and I just treat people like shit all the time -which I don't, but I don't ever want to, and there are always places I can improce as a person.

It's hard to be honest and fucking excruciating to be vulnerable. I have a huge ego and a massive rift in self-esteem, I can't confront shame (so I use other mechanisms to motivate me to adjust problematic behavior) and I'm incapable of self-compassion, which apparently is essential for healing your inner child or something. I guess my inner child is just going to have to stay broken, but I can work on other things.

Fp has aspd and npd, which I think I've mentioned here before; and he's conscientious enough and makes me feel comfortable enough to talk to him about new things in my life, even things that make me feel vulnerable. We don't have all the same symptoms of course, but we share several, and he's got a lot of experience learning how to manage comorbid personality disorders, and when I'm really struggling he's extremely helpful in clearing my perception- and often he's the only person I feel comfortable enough to talk to about it, given that childhood abuse gave me such trouble with trust. I've known him for nearly 2 years now, and he's only ever demonstrated more commitment to treating me well, and so I trust him. I mean, I don't /really/ trust anybody. But I trust him more than anyone else, and he's made me feel more comfortable being secure and he's never been malicious or gaslit me or been cruel to me or put me down or any of the shit some other people have done.

I've also learned a lot about how dysfunctional my family is- for instance, defensiveness to the point of making an ass of yourself instead of correcting your mistakes, seems to be a family trait. Stuff like that is pretty frustating, given I'm (still) too sick to work and I have to live with them (but with therapy and a purse full of medicine I'm getting there). I isolate here a lot, because communication breaks down so easily, and then I get frustrated, and I don't want to snap at people and I want to try to identify what I could do to smooth interactions; and some things I'm oversensitive to because they remind me of my abusive mother (but apparently I'm not allowed to say "hey please don't do this because I have a history with it happening to me in greater degree and it's bad" because then I get accused of comparing people to my mother... anyway I spend a lot of time by myself.

Recently I've been deep in a ptsd swing because an alter got a (shiny!new!) flashback to our csa and so we had a bad couple of weeks tbh but it seems like that's smoothing out now. I haven't had a flashback or a panic attack in a couple of days and the nightmares are better too.

And I've realized that a lot of what I was so worried about before -a lot of what I yelled about on this blog actually- was just... not all an inaccurate perception on my part, but that I noticed changes in communication with fp and reacted to them in a characteristically borderline way. I correctly registered that he seemed more withdrawn, was less warm, etc. And when we talked about it, he told me he still liked me just as much as ever, but he was depressed, like we'd been talking about, and he had less energy and he just hadn't been expressing it the way he had when he'd felt better. And that's something I'm familiar with, because it's super common with depression and I've withdrawn like that, too.

He told me this friendship, and his being my fp, is important to him and he wants to maintain it, and he was glad I shared my feelings with him, because he wants to know if there's a issue. I told him that while I didn't want to make him feel taxed while he's depressed (or at all), more expression would ameliorate my anxiety and make me feel more secure. He didn't blame me for feeling the way I did, didn't try to make it my fault (it wasn't anyone's fault; I have my symptoms and he has his and we communicate out limitations and work on issues together) just told me he appreciated me, my friendship, and my communicating with him, and he'd adjust his behavior to help remind me I was liked and valued. And he has, and his depression has gotten better with meds, and I feel better (and the fact he was so receptive and so willing to put in the effort also made me feel better) and he's helped me as I've been stressed over family drama (my mother having some drama with other family members- I need to figure out somehow who's telling the truth but it's gonna be uhhh stressful) and over the new piece of trauma we remembered (not good) and the worsening of ptsd symptoms.

I feel stable in our friendship, and have done for several weeks now, and that's been the defining trend of our friendship over two years. It's fucking hard for me to feel stable or secure in friendships, especially with fps and especially when I have strong romantic feelings for them, but he puts in a lot of effort to help me feel that way, /and to help me improve my baseline ability to feel that way./

Our friendship is predicated in many ways on what's most useful; for instance, it's beneficial to him to put in that effort because I feel better, and so there's less maintenance work he needs to do. That's not a drawback; we genuinely like each other and enjoy one another's company, and help each other a lot, and while it's not an empathetic friendship from his side, it's a kind ans supportive one, a safe one, a sheltering one, a comfortable and profoundly important one. It's the strongest and healthiest relationship I've ever had, and it's done as much or maybe even more than therapy has to get me through struggling times and improve the way I feel about myself and other people.

This is a long fucking post right now but like. I'm really grateful for this man. I always have been. I have strong emotional reactions to real or percieved abandonment, and I see it everywhere, but he never tries to make me feel bad for it, just helps me feel better. I yell a lot on this blog but there's a reason I haven't really posted here in a while (and other things go wrong elsewhere but I usually post about that on my other blog. That's where my ptsd and family vents went.) I have an as-soon-as-possible goal to get myself well enough to work, and save enough money to move so that I can live where he lives. I'll finally be away from toxic family (telecontact, I'm sure, but still a meaningful distance) and regularly able to see the most important person in my life, and I think that has a lot of potential to help with my mental health.

[m-grouped]

MILLON'S SUBTYPES [ NPD EDITION ]

Note: all definitions are taken directly from Millon's writings, which are quite old, with only a few edits and rephrasings to make things more digestible to a modern audience.

📃 The Unprincipled Narcissist — Has a deficient conscience. Is unscrupulous, amoral, disloyal, fraudulent, deceptive, arrogant, and exploitive. Act akin to a con artist and charlatan. Appear dominating, contemptuous, and vindictive.

▐ has antisocial traits

📃 The Amorous Narcissist — often sexually seductive, enticing, beguiling, and tantalizing. They are quite glib and clever. Generally disinclined to real intimacy while indulging hedonistic desires. Characterized by pathological lying and potential swindling. Tends to have many affairs, often with "exotic" partners. (Somewhat synonymous with exhibitionist narcissism)

▐ has histrionic traits

📃 The Compensatory Narcissist — Seeks to counteract or cancel out deep feelings of inferiority and lack of self-esteem. Offsets deficits by creating illusions of being superior, exceptional, admirable, noteworthy. Self-worth results from perceived self-enhancement. (Somewhat synonymous with Vulnerable, Hypervigilant, or Oblivious Narcissism)

▐ has avoidant traits

📃 The Elitist Narcissist — Feels privileged and empowered by virtue of a special childhood status and pseudo-achievements. Their entitled facade bears little relation to reality. They seek a favored and good life. Is extremely upwardly mobile and cultivates special status and advantages by association with others.

▐ variant of the "standard" narcissist

More of Millon's subtypes:

[ASPD] [AVPD] [BPD] [DPD] [DPPD]

[HPD] [OCPD] [PPD] [NGPD] [NPD]

[SAPD] [SDPD] [STPD] [SZPD] [TPD]

[hauntedselves]

Alternate model for personality disorders

Part 1: Intro | Part 2: Specific PDs (ASPD, AVPD, BPD, NPD, OCPD, STPD, PD-TS)

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Typical features of antisocial personality disorder are a failure to conform to lawful and ethical behavior, and an egocentric, callous lack of concern for others, accompanied by deceitfulness, irresponsibility, manipulativeness, and/or risk taking. Characteristic difficulties are apparent in identity, self-direction, empathy, and/or intimacy, as described below, along with specific maladaptive traits in the domains of Antagonism and Disinhibition.

A. Moderate or greater impairment in personality functioning, manifested by characteristic difficulties in two or more of the following four areas:

Identity: Egocentrism; self-esteem derived from personal gain, power, or pleasure.

Self-direction: Goal setting based on personal gratification; absence of prosocial internal standards, associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behavior.

Empathy: Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another.

Intimacy: Incapacity for mutually intimate relationships, as exploitation is a primary means of relating to others, including by deceit and coercion; use of dominance or intimidation to control others.

B. Six or more of the following seven pathological personality traits:

Manipulativeness (an aspect of Antagonism): Frequent use of subterfuge to influence or control others; use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve one’s ends.

Callousness (an aspect of Antagonism): Lack of concern for feelings or problems of others; lack of guilt or remorse about the negative or harmful effects of one’s actions on others; aggression; sadism.

Deceitfulness (an aspect of Antagonism): Dishonesty and fraudulence; misrepresentation of self; embellishment or fabrication when relating events.

Hostility (an aspect of Antagonism): Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults; mean, nasty, or vengeful behavior.

Risk taking (an aspect of Disinhibition): Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard for consequences; boredom proneness and thoughtless initiation of activities to counter boredom; lack of concern for one’s limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger.

Impulsivity (an aspect of Disinhibition): Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing and following plans.

Irresponsibility (an aspect of Disinhibition): Disregard for—and failure to honor—financial and other obligations or commitments; lack of respect for—and lack of follow-through on—agreements and promises.

Specify if with psychopathic features.

Psychopathy (or “primary” psychopathy) is marked by a lack of anxiety or fear and by a bold interpersonal style that may mask maladaptive behaviors (e.g., fraudulence). This psychopathic variant is characterized by low levels of anxiousness (Negative Affectivity domain) and withdrawal (Detachment domain) and high levels of attention seeking (Antagonism domain). High attention seeking and low withdrawal capture the social potency (assertive/dominant) component of psychopathy, whereas low anxiousness captures the stress immunity (emotional stability/resilience) component.

[hauntedselves]

are the names of PDs actually good?

in this post i’m discussing each personality disorder’s name and alternatives (used in academia, not community based) and rating thembased on the following criteria:

✅ is it accurate?

✅ is it unique?

✅ is it easy to learn and read?

‼️ is it stigmatising or have stigma attached?

Antisocial

accurate ❓ unique ✅ easy ✅ stigma ‼️

“antisocial” refers to criminal or harmful behaviour; not every person with ASPD acts that way

on the other hand, many people with ASPD tend to be misanthropic so maybe it’s not entirely inaccurate

easy to read

stigmatising, though more because of the stigma surrounding ASPD itself than the name

rating: 2.5/4

Alt: Dissocial / Dyssocial

accurate ❓ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ‼️

same as above, except “dyssocial” looses a point for being difficult to read

rating: 1/4

Alt: Psychopathy / Sociopathy

accurate ❌ unique ❌ easy ❓ stigma ‼️

psychopathy & sociopathy aren’t the same thing, and neither are the same as ASPD

huge amount of stigma attached to these

can be difficult to read/spell

rating: 0/4

Avoidant

accurate ✅ unique ✅ easy ✅ stigma ❌

it’s accurate, unique, easy and doesn’t have stigma attached (largely because AVPD isn’t well known)

rating: 4/4

Alt: Anxious-Avoidant & Phobic

accurate ❌ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ❌

inaccurate - many avoidants don’t have social anxiety / phobia

too long

no stigma (again because of it being unknown)

rating: 1/4

Borderline

accurate ✅ unique ❌ easy ✅ stigma ‼️

it is accurate but not many know what “borderline” actually means

the most known PD, carries a lot of stigma and sexism

easily confused with “borderline functioning” and similar terms in psychology

rating: 2/4

Alt: Emotionally Unstable

accurate ❓ unique ❌ easy ✅ stigma ‼️

not accurate as instability is not a feature of every borderline’s symptoms

not unique - also an alt. name for HPD

stigmatising

rating: 1/4

Dependent

accurate ✅ unique ✅ easy ✅ stigma ❓

accurate, unique, easy

possibly could be seen as stigmatising

rating: 3.5/4

Histrionic

accurate ❌ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ‼️

who actually knows what “histrionic” means?

apparently it comes from a word meaning an actor who is exaggeratedly false, which isn’t accurate for people with HPD

unique, but not easy to read

stigmatising, but again, no one knows what it means

rating: 1/4

Alt: Hysteric / Hysteric-Histrionic

accurate ❌ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ‼️

inaccurate - people with HPD aren’t “hysteric” (in the modern use of the word)

too long

“hysteria” is sexist & stigmatising

rating: 1/4

Alt: Emotionally Unstable

accurate ❌ unique ❌ easy ✅ stigma ‼️

inaccurate - emotional instability can be part of HPD, but not for all histrionics

not unique, already an alt. name for BPD

stigmatising

rating: 1/4

Narcissistic

accurate ✅ unique ✅ easy ❓ stigma ‼️

accurate, unique

might not be easy to spell

stigmatising, though more because of the stigma surrounding NPD itself than the name

rating: 2.5/4

Obsessive-Compulsive

accurate ❌ unique ❌ easy ✅ stigma ❓

inaccurate: people with OCPD don’t have obsessions or compulsions

not unique: too easily confused with OCD

easy to spell

potentially stigmatising

rating: 1/4

Alt: Compulsive

accurate ❌ unique ❓ easy ✅ stigma ❌

inaccurate for the same reasons OCPD is

technically unique but still not great for same reason OCPD isn’t (re: OCD)

rating: 1/4

Alt: Anankastic

accurate ❌ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ❌

unique, but no one knows what “anankastia” means

it means obsessive, so has the same problems as OCPD & compulsive

better than the others because it’s not easily confused with OCD

not easy to spell

not stigmatising, because it’s not known

rating: 1/4

Paranoid

accurate ✅ unique ❓ easy ✅ stigma ❓

accurate, easy to spell

possibly confusing with paranoid schizophrenia

potentially stigmatising

rating: 2/4

Schizoid

accurate ❓ unique ✅ easy ❌ stigma ❓

hard to tell if it’s accurate or not, because there’s no real definition of “schizoid” outside of SZPD

unique, but could be hard to spell

possibly stigmatising

rating: 1/4

Schizotypal

accurate ✅ unique ❌ easy ❌ stigma ❓

accurate, but easily confused with the concept of schizotypy

difficult to spell

potentially stigmatising

rating: 1/4

feel free to add on / criticise!

[hauntedselves]

Millon’s ASPD subtypes

The Covetous Antisocial

Resembles the “pure” pattern

Aggrandizement & desire to control

Feel that life hasn’t given them what they deserve, depriving them of love and support

Jealous of those who have love and support, they desire retribution

Deceitful and destructive

Desire for “compensation for the emptiness of life”

Angry and resentful

Desire for revenge

Manipulative

Insecure, regardless of their success

Ostentatious and wasteful in an effort to show off power and success

Deep sense of emptiness, never content and always dissatisfied and insatiable

Little compassion or remorse

The Malevolent Antisocial

ASPD with PPD traits

Vicious, brutal, callous, vengeful, vindictive, malignant, sadistic

Hateful and destructively defiant of “conventional social life”

Anticipate betrayal and punishment

Ruthlessly avenge mistreatment, rather than passively as in PPD

Interpret kindness as having ulterior motives

Victimise people who are “too weak to retaliate” or “those whose terror might prove particularly entertaining”

Will escalate confrontations as far as necessary

The Nomadic Antisocial

ASPD with SZPD & AVPD traits

Seek to escape from a society that makes them feel unwanted, abandoned, cast aside

Drifters, wanderers, desire to “exist at the edge of a world that would almost certainly reject them”

Self-pity, see themselves as doomed

Often involved in sex work and substance abuse

Alienated, no sense of belonging

Disconnected from reality and lack clear self-identity

Indifferent, disengaged

Some are fearful, others angry and resentful, impulsively aggressive

The Reputation-Defending Antisocial

ASPD with NPD traits

Desire to defend and have a reputation of bravery and toughness

Antisocial acts ensure attention and respect

Hypervigilant for possible belittlement

Not easily dismissed, taken lightly, or treated indifferently

May “erupt with ferocious intensity” if slighted

Some are loners, some involved in “adolescent gang activities”, some leaders

Being tough and assertive is a defensive measure to prove their strength and courage

The Risk-Taking Antisocial

ASPD with HPD traits

Risk takers and thrill seekers, intending to impress, with a mask of “courageous indifference” regardless of consequences

Unfazed, don’t feel fear

Risk is a reward, a way to feel alive, not a means to an end as it is for other people with ASPD

Without attention from their risky, bold actions, they feel trapped and bored

Irresponsible, disregard danger and potentially deadly consequences

- From Millon et al., Personality Disorders in Modern Life (2004)

[hauntedselves]

Alternate model for personality disorders

Part 1: Intro | Part 2: Specific PDs (ASPD, AVPD, BPD, NPD, OCPD, STPD, PD-TS)

Borderline Personality Disorder

Typical features of borderline personality disorder are instability of self-image, personal goals, interpersonal relationships, and affects, accompanied by impulsivity, risk taking, and/or hostility. Characteristic difficulties are apparent in identity, self-direction, empathy, and/or intimacy, as described below, along with specific maladaptive traits in the domain of Negative Affectivity, and also Antagonism and/or Disinhibition.

A. Moderate or greater impairment in personality functioning, manifested by characteristic difficulties in two or more of the following four areas:

Identity: Markedly impoverished, poorly developed, or unstable self-image, often associated with excessive self-criticism; chronic feelings of emptiness; dissociative states under stress.

Self-direction: Instability in goals, aspirations, values, or career plans.

Empathy: Compromised ability to recognize the feelings and needs of others associated with interpersonal hypersensitivity (i.e., prone to feel slighted or insulted); perceptions of others selectively biased toward negative attributes or vulnerabilities.

Intimacy: Intense, unstable, and conflicted close relationships, marked by mistrust, neediness, and anxious preoccupation with real or imagined abandonment; close relationships often viewed in extremes of idealization and devaluation and alternating between overinvolvement and withdrawal.

B. Four or more of the following seven pathological personality traits, at least one of which must be (5) Impulsivity, (6) Risk taking, or (7) Hostility:

Emotional lability (an aspect of Negative Affectivity): Unstable emotional experiences and frequent mood changes; emotions that are easily aroused, intense, and/or out of proportion to events and circumstances.

Anxiousness (an aspect of Negative Affectivity): Intense feelings of nervousness, tenseness, or panic, often in reaction to interpersonal stresses; worry about the negative effects of past unpleasant experiences and future negative possibilities; feeling fearful, apprehensive, or threatened by uncertainty; fears of falling apart or losing control.

Separation insecurity (an aspect of Negative Affectivity): Fears of rejection by—and/or separation from—significant others, associated with fears of excessive dependency and complete loss of autonomy.

Depressivity (an aspect of Negative Affectivity): Frequent feelings of being down, miserable, and/or hopeless; difficulty recovering from such moods; pessimism about the future; pervasive shame; feelings of inferior self-worth; thoughts of suicide and suicidal behavior.

Impulsivity (an aspect of Disinhibition): Acting on the spur of the moment in response to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing or following plans; a sense of urgency and self-harming behavior under emotional distress.

Risk taking (an aspect of Disinhibition): Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard to consequences; lack of concern for one’s limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger.

Hostility (an aspect of Antagonism): Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults.