Psychological Matters

You were out late the night before, do you bother arriving on time to work the next day? Your female co-worker leaves her purse unattended on her desk; do you help yourself to a few dollars? People diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder have problems with these types of scenarios, often choosing the self-serving option. They could be described as “conscience-less.” To understand the problem of the Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), it is necessary to examine the role our conscience plays in interpersonal relationships. What exactly is a conscience? Free Dictionary defines it as “ the awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong .” Various disciplines have their own answers about how the conscience is formed. Freud believed we have psychologically internalized the parental figures of our childhood to develop a “superego.” Christians say it is God’s voice or an internalized moral code that directs u...

I watched an interesting BBC (2001) movie, The Hole,  over the summer. The story begins with the main character Liz Dunn’s proposed version of the tragic deaths of her friends. We meet Liz giving her statement to the police and learn her perspective of what happened. It all started when four college students decided to spend a weekend in an underground military bunker instead of going on a school field trip. Liz had a crush on a fellow classmate and used this opportunity to get to know him better. As the story unfolds, however, it becomes apparent that Liz is lying and deliberately misleading, whereas the truth is much different. The movie then retells the weekend events. Liz is revealed as a self-serving mastermind of the horrific events that led to the deaths of her friends. She callously ignores her best friend’s plea for help in order to spend more time with her love interest, kills another friend to keep him from revealing the truth about the weekend, and then threat...

We have just wrapped up a brief exploration of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and now are going to shift gears slightly and address another psychological condition, Borderline Personality Disorder. In 1987, there was a popular movie, Fatal Attraction , which drew the public’s attention to Borderline Personality Disorder. The main character, Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), portrayed an individual suffering with a serious form of this disorder. To quickly recap the plot of Fatal Attraction , Alex meets Dan Gallagher (played by Michael Douglas), a married business man, and has a weekend affair. Dan sees their relationship as a brief fling and attempts to break it off. Alex, however, views their relationship much differently. She becomes obsessed with Dan and is threatened by his desire to discontinue their relationship. She makes increasingly bizarre efforts, such as stalking Dan and killing his daughter’s pet rabbit, to keep him connected to her. When all these attempts fail, Alex’...

I thought I would take a brief break from exploring the serious side of psychopathology and review movies which best portray mental illness, with a special emphasis on personality disorders. Here is a brief list– Narcissistic Personality Disorder *Black Swan  (2010) - Erica Sayers, mother *Morning Glory (2010) - Mike Pomeroy and Becky Fuller, to a lesser degree *Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps  (2010) - Gordon Gekko * Fireflies in the Garden (2008) - Charles Taylor *Wall Street  (1987) - Gordon Gekko *Gaslight (1944) - Gregory Anton, husband Borderline Personality Disorder Monster  (2003) - Aileen The Hours  (2002) - Virginia Woolf *Single White Female  (1992) - Hedy Carlson *Girl, Interrupted  (1999) - Lisa Rowe and Susanna Kaysen, to a lesser degree *Fatal Attraction (1987) - Alex Forrest Mommie Dearest  (1981) - Joan Crawford  *A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Blanche, see also Histrionic Personality...

What is narcissism? Narcissists have these common characteristics: Exaggerates their abilities or personal value   Are unable to empathize with others’ needs and concerns   Tend to use others to meet their own emotional and physical needs   Are unable to accept failure   Fear intimacy because they are afraid to be found out or exposed as a fraud or failure   Deny personal responsibility and shift blame to others   Keep others at arm’s length to prevent from being known   Are controlling and need things to go their way   Tend to devalue and/or abandon others when they feel out of control   See people as “good” or “bad” or in other words, tend to idealize some people while demonizing others   Determine a person’s goodness or badness by this individual’s ability to please them   Treat others as objects or tools   Struggle to recognize that ot...

I enjoyed watching a recently released DVD this weekend, called Morning Glory . One of the main characters was Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), a veteran TV journalist who loved to list his famous interviews and numerous awards. Other co-workers frequently referred to him as the “third worst person in the world.” He treated his colleagues with casual disregard and at times sabotaged others to get his way. He was divorced, had lost touch with his children, and lived in an apartment which looked like a museum. The movie was a comedy, and Mike was fun to watch because he was easy to hate. Yet, there was something very sad about him. Mike Pomeroy is a great example of a classic narcissist. Narcissists are usually charming, attractive people. They often are successful in their chosen careers. We find them interesting and make them the center of attention. Life around them feels exciting and spontaneous. We ignore the fact that they become disinterested when the conversation drifts aw...

Most of us have had an experience dealing with an extremely difficult person. We may have initially found this individual attractive. He (or she) seemed sincere and had interpersonal charisma. But once we began to trust this person, we discovered that he was not who he first appeared to be. We ended up being treated rudely or felt manipulated. Our interests were betrayed, leaving us feeling ripped off and deceived. This is a common scenario that happens when we encounter individuals who has some characteristics of a personality disorder.  What is a personality disorder? The American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) classifies ten distinct personality disorders. This manual is the primary guide mental health professionals use to identify various mental health conditions. The DSM-IV-TR defines personality disorders as “an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations...