Character Traits List & Examples

Character traits are the individual characteristics and qualities that make
characters from books, stories, movies, plays, and other art forms come to life for
readers.

Use the following list of character traits as a guideline when writing book reports and
essays about the different characters you've read about. Don't stop with this list, though;
you can probably think of many more terms to describe your characters.

Search and explore the definitions of character trait with our sister company Infoplease's
dictionary.

Values, Morals, and Beliefs Character Traits

● Honest
● Brave
● Compassionate
● Leader
● Courageous
● Unselfish
● Loyal
● Hard-working
● Independent
● Selfish
● Responsible
● Considerate
● Self-confident
● Humble

Physical and Emotional Character Traits

 ● Poor
● Rich
● Strong
● Tall
● Dark
● Light
● Handsome
● Pretty
● Ugly
● Messy
● Gentle
● Wild
● Joyful
● Busy
● Patriotic
● Neat
● Popular
● Successful
● Short
● Prim
● Proper
● Dainty
● Able
● Fighter
● Tireless
● Plain
● Expert
● Imaginative
● Conceited
● Mischievous

Personality Character Traits

● Demanding
● Thoughtful
● Keen
● Happy
● Disagreeable
● Simple
● Fancy
● Plain
● Excited
● Studious
● Inventive
● Creative
● Thrilling
● Intelligent
● Proud
● Fun-loving
● Daring
● Bright
● Serious
● Funny
● Humorous
● Sad
● Lazy
● Dreamer
● Helpful
● Simple-minded
● Friendly
● Adventurous
● Timid
● Shy
● Pitiful
● Cooperative
● Lovable
● Ambitious
● Quiet
● Curious
● Reserved
● Pleasing
● Bossy
● Witty
● Energetic
● Cheerful
● Smart
● Impulsive
● Humorous
● Sad
 ● Lazy
● Dreamer
● Helpful

Just like real people, literary characters have behaviors, attitudes, traits, and beliefs that
give them a unique personality. These can be surface characteristics, like personality or
physical traits - or they can be deeply-held values and morals. Writers develop
characters with myriad traits to help readers build empathy or antipathy, relate to the
narrative, create realism, and develop various plot points and storylines.

How To Use Character Traits In Plotting

When you know what your characters’ traits are, you can use this to add to or
to change your plot.

Examples

1. An unreliable character might lose a job and the course of the story
will change.
2. A helpful or scrupulous character may inadvertently find out
information when they are lending a hand. This information could
create conflict and might force them to act or react.
3. A romantic might start an affair and cause complications in their
relationships. This could be the inciting moment for a story.
4. A selfish person may want to be more dependable and
self-disciplined, but this trait could prevent them from achieving this.
You can use this to create internal conflict in your characters.
5. A hostile character may want to be included in society to improve
their life, but their anger will ensure this does not happen.
350 Character Traits – A Fabulous Resource For
Writers
Introduction

When we observe people around us, one of the first things that strikes us is how
different people are from one another. Some people are very talkative while others are
very quiet. Some are active whereas others are couch potatoes. Some worry a lot,
others almost never seem anxious. Each time we use one of these words, words like
“talkative,” “quiet,” “active,” or “anxious,” to describe those around us, we are talking
about a person’s personality—the characteristic ways that people differ from one
another. Personality psychologists try to describe and understand these differences.

“Are you an introvert”? In popular culture it’s common to talk about people being introverts or
extroverts as if these were precise descriptions that meant the same thing for everyone. But
research shows that these traits and others are quite variable within individuals. [Image: Nguyen
Hung Vu, https://goo.gl/qKJUAC, CC BY 2.0, https://goo.gl/BRvSA7]
Although there are many ways to think about the personalities that people have, Gordon
Allport and other “personologists” claimed that we can best understand the differences
between individuals by understanding their personality traits. Personality traits reflect
basic dimensions on which people differ (Matthews, Deary, & Whiteman, 2003).
According to trait psychologists, there are a limited number of these dimensions
(dimensions like Extraversion, Conscientiousness, or Agreeableness), and each
individual falls somewhere on each dimension, meaning that they could be low,
medium, or high on any specific trait.

An important feature of personality traits is that they reflect continuous distributions

rather than distinct personality types. This means that when personality psychologists
talk about Introverts and Extraverts, they are not really talking about two distinct types of
people who are completely and qualitatively different from one another. Instead, they
are talking about people who score relatively low or relatively high along a continuous
distribution. In fact, when personality psychologists measure traits like Extraversion,
they typically find that most people score somewhere in the middle, with smaller
numbers showing more extreme levels. The figure below shows the distribution of
Extraversion scores from a survey of thousands of people. As you can see, most people
report being moderately, but not extremely, extraverted, with fewer people reporting very
high or very low scores.
 1. To have a personality trait, individuals must be somewhat consistent across
situations in their behaviors related to the trait. For example, if they are talkative
at home, they tend also to be talkative at work.
2. Individuals with a trait are also somewhat stable over time in behaviors related to
the trait. If they are talkative, for example, at age 30, they will also tend to be
talkative at age 40.
3. People differ from one another on behaviors related to the trait. Using speech is
not a personality trait and neither is walking on two feet—virtually all individuals
do these activities, and there are almost no individual differences. But people
differ on how frequently they talk and how active they are, and thus personality
traits such as Talkativeness and Activity Level do exist.

A challenge of the trait approach was to discover the major traits on which all people
differ. Scientists for many decades generated hundreds of new traits, so that it was soon
difficult to keep track and make sense of them. For instance, one psychologist might
focus on individual differences in “friendliness,” whereas another might focus on the
highly related concept of “sociability.” Scientists began seeking ways to reduce the
number of traits in some systematic way and to discover the basic traits that describe
most of the differences between people.

The way that Gordon Allport and his colleague Henry Odbert approached this was to
search the dictionary for all descriptors of personality (Allport & Odbert, 1936). Their
approach was guided by the lexical hypothesis, which states that all important
personality characteristics should be reflected in the language that we use to describe
other people. Therefore, if we want to understand the fundamental ways in which
people differ from one another, we can turn to the words that people use to describe
one another. So if we want to know what words people use to describe one another,
where should we look? Allport and Odbert looked in the most obvious place—the
dictionary. Specifically, they took all the personality descriptors that they could find in the
dictionary (they started with almost 18,000 words but quickly reduced that list to a more
manageable number) and then used statistical techniques to determine which words
“went together.” In other words, if everyone who said that they were “friendly” also said
that they were “sociable,” then this might mean that personality psychologists would
only need a single trait to capture individual differences in these characteristics.
Statistical techniques were used to determine whether a small number of dimensions
might underlie all of the thousands of words we use to describe people.

The Five-Factor Model of Personality

Research that used the lexical approach showed that many of the personality
descriptors found in the dictionary do indeed overlap. In other words, many of the words
that we use to describe people are synonyms. Thus, if we want to know what a person
is like, we do not necessarily need to ask how sociable they are, how friendly they are,
and how gregarious they are. Instead, because sociable people tend to be friendly and
gregarious, we can summarize this personality dimension with a single term. Someone
who is sociable, friendly, and gregarious would typically be described as an “Extravert.”
Once we know she is an extravert, we can assume that she is sociable, friendly, and
gregarious.

Statistical methods (specifically, a technique called factor analysis) helped to determine

whether a small number of dimensions underlie the diversity of words that people like
Allport and Odbert identified. The most widely accepted system to emerge from this
approach was “The Big Five” or “Five-Factor Model” (Goldberg, 1990; McCrae & John,
1992; McCrae & Costa, 1987). The Big Five comprises five major traits shown in the
Figure 2 below. A way to remember these five is with the acronym OCEAN (O is for
Openness; C is for Conscientiousness; E is for Extraversion; A is for Agreeableness; N
is for Neuroticism). Figure 3 provides descriptions of people who would score high and
low on each of these traits.

Figure 2. Descriptions of the Big Five Personality Traits

Figure 3. Example behaviors for those scoring low and high for the big 5 traits
Scores on the Big Five traits are mostly independent. That means that a person’s
standing on one trait tells very little about their standing on the other traits of the Big
Five. For example, a person can be extremely high in Extraversion and be either high or
low on Neuroticism. Similarly, a person can be low in Agreeableness and be either high
or low in Conscientiousness. Thus, in the Five-Factor Model, you need five scores to
describe most of an individual’s personality.

In the Appendix to this module, we present a short scale to assess the Five-Factor
Model of personality (Donnellan, Oswald, Baird, & Lucas, 2006). You can take this test
to see where you stand in terms of your Big Five scores. John Johnson has also
created a helpful website that has personality scales that can be used and taken by the
general public:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/j5j/IPIP/ipipneo120.htm

After seeing your scores, you can judge for yourself whether you think such tests are
valid.
Traits are important and interesting because they describe stable patterns of behavior
that persist for long periods of time (Caspi, Roberts, & Shiner, 2005). Importantly, these
stable patterns can have broad-ranging consequences for many areas of our life
(Roberts, Kuncel, Shiner, Caspi, & Goldberg, 2007). For instance, think about the
factors that determine success in college. If you were asked to guess what factors
predict good grades in college, you might guess something like intelligence. This guess
would be correct, but we know much more about who is likely to do well. Specifically,
personality researchers have also found the personality traits like Conscientiousness
play an important role in college and beyond, probably because highly conscientious
individuals study hard, get their work done on time, and are less distracted by
nonessential activities that take time away from school work. In addition, highly
conscientious people are often healthier than people low in conscientiousness because
they are more likely to maintain healthy diets, to exercise, and to follow basic safety
procedures like wearing seat belts or bicycle helmets. Over the long term, this
consistent pattern of behaviors can add up to meaningful differences in health and
longevity. Thus, personality traits are not just a useful way to describe people you know;
they actually help psychologists predict how good a worker someone will be, how long
he or she will live, and the types of jobs and activities the person will enjoy. Thus, there
is growing interest in personality psychology among psychologists who work in applied
settings, such as health psychology or organizational psychology.

Facets of Traits (Subtraits)

So how does it feel to be told that your entire personality can be summarized with
scores on just five personality traits? Do you think these five scores capture the
complexity of your own and others’ characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors? Most people would probably say no, pointing to some exception in their
behavior that goes against the general pattern that others might see. For instance, you
may know people who are warm and friendly and find it easy to talk with strangers at a
party yet are terrified if they have to perform in front of others or speak to large groups
of people. The fact that there are different ways of being extraverted or conscientious
shows that there is value in considering lower-level units of personality that are more
specific than the Big Five traits. These more specific, lower-level units of personality are
often called facets.
 Figure 4. Facets of Traits
To give you a sense of what these narrow units are like, Figure 4 shows facets for each
of the Big Five traits. It is important to note that although personality researchers
generally agree about the value of the Big Five traits as a way to summarize one’s
personality, there is no widely accepted list of facets that should be studied. The list
seen here, based on work by researchers Paul Costa and Jeff McCrae, thus reflects just
one possible list among many. It should, however, give you an idea of some of the
facets making up each of the Five-Factor Model.

Facets can be useful because they provide more specific descriptions of what a person
is like. For instance, if we take our friend who loves parties but hates public speaking,
we might say that this person scores high on the “gregariousness” and “warmth” facets
of extraversion, while scoring lower on facets such as “assertiveness” or
“excitement-seeking.” This precise profile of facet scores not only provides a better
description, it might also allow us to better predict how this friend will do in a variety of
different jobs (for example, jobs that require public speaking versus jobs that involve
one-on-one interactions with customers; Paunonen & Ashton, 2001). Because different
facets within a broad, global trait like extraversion tend to go together (those who are
gregarious are often but not always assertive), the broad trait often provides a useful
summary of what a person is like. But when we really want to know a person, facet
scores add to our knowledge in important ways.

Other Traits Beyond the Five-Factor Model

Despite the popularity of the Five-Factor Model, it is certainly not the only model that
exists. Some suggest that there are more than five major traits, or perhaps even fewer.
For example, in one of the first comprehensive models to be proposed, Hans Eysenck
suggested that Extraversion and Neuroticism are most important. Eysenck believed that
by combining people’s standing on these two major traits, we could account for many of
the differences in personality that we see in people (Eysenck, 1981). So for instance, a
neurotic introvert would be shy and nervous, while a stable introvert might avoid social
situations and prefer solitary activities, but he may do so with a calm, steady attitude
and little anxiety or emotion. Interestingly, Eysenck attempted to link these two major
dimensions to underlying differences in people’s biology. For instance, he suggested
that introverts experienced too much sensory stimulation and arousal, which made them
want to seek out quiet settings and less stimulating environments. More recently, Jeffrey
Gray suggested that these two broad traits are related to fundamental reward and
avoidance systems in the brain—extraverts might be motivated to seek reward and thus
exhibit assertive, reward-seeking behavior, whereas people high in neuroticism might be
motivated to avoid punishment and thus may experience anxiety as a result of their
heightened awareness of the threats in the world around them (Gray, 1981. This model
has since been updated; see Gray & McNaughton, 2000). These early theories have led
to a burgeoning interest in identifying the physiological underpinnings of the individual
differences that we observe.

Another revision of the Big Five is the HEXACO model of traits (Ashton & Lee, 2007).
This model is similar to the Big Five, but it posits slightly different versions of some of
the traits, and its proponents argue that one important class of individual differences
was omitted from the Five-Factor Model. The HEXACO adds Honesty-Humility as a
sixth dimension of personality. People high in this trait are sincere, fair, and modest,
whereas those low in the trait are manipulative, narcissistic, and self-centered. Thus,
trait theorists are agreed that personality traits are important in understanding behavior,
but there are still debates on the exact number and composition of the traits that are
most important.

There are other important traits that are not included in comprehensive models like the
Big Five. Although the five factors capture much that is important about personality,
researchers have suggested other traits that capture interesting aspects of our behavior.
In Figure 5 below we present just a few, out of hundreds, of the other traits that have
been studied by personologists.
Figure 5. Other Traits Beyond Those Included in the Big Five
Not all of the above traits are currently popular with scientists, yet each of them has
experienced popularity in the past. Although the Five-Factor Model has been the target
of more rigorous research than some of the traits above, these additional personality
characteristics give a good idea of the wide range of behaviors and attitudes that traits
can cover.

The Person-Situation Debate and Alternatives to the

Trait Perspective

The way people behave is only in part a product of their natural personality. Situations also influence
how a person behaves. Are you for instance a “different person” as a student in a classroom
compared to when you’re a member of a close-knit social group? [Image: UO Education,
https://goo.gl/ylgV9T, CC BY-NC 2.0, https://goo.gl/VnKlK8]
The ideas described in this module should probably seem familiar, if not obvious to you.
When asked to think about what our friends, enemies, family members, and colleagues
are like, some of the first things that come to mind are their personality characteristics.
We might think about how warm and helpful our first teacher was, how irresponsible and
careless our brother is, or how demanding and insulting our first boss was. Each of
these descriptors reflects a personality trait, and most of us generally think that the
descriptions that we use for individuals accurately reflect their “characteristic pattern of
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors,” or in other words, their personality.

But what if this idea were wrong? What if our belief in personality traits were an illusion
and people are not consistent from one situation to the next? This was a possibility that
shook the foundation of personality psychology in the late 1960s when Walter Mischel
published a book called Personality and Assessment (1968). In this book, Mischel
suggested that if one looks closely at people’s behavior across many different
situations, the consistency is really not that impressive. In other words, children who
cheat on tests at school may steadfastly follow all rules when playing games and may
never tell a lie to their parents. In other words, he suggested, there may not be any
general trait of honesty that links these seemingly related behaviors. Furthermore,
Mischel suggested that observers may believe that broad personality traits like honesty
exist, when in fact, this belief is an illusion. The debate that followed the publication of
Mischel’s book was called the person-situation debate because it pitted the power of
personality against the power of situational factors as determinants of the behavior that
people exhibit.
Because of the findings that Mischel emphasized, many psychologists focused on an
alternative to the trait perspective. Instead of studying broad, context-free descriptions,
like the trait terms we’ve described so far, Mischel thought that psychologists should
focus on people’s distinctive reactions to specific situations. For instance, although
there may not be a broad and general trait of honesty, some children may be especially
likely to cheat on a test when the risk of being caught is low and the rewards for
cheating are high. Others might be motivated by the sense of risk involved in cheating
and may do so even when the rewards are not very high. Thus, the behavior itself
results from the child’s unique evaluation of the risks and rewards present at that
moment, along with her evaluation of her abilities and values. Because of this, the same
child might act very differently in different situations. Thus, Mischel thought that specific
behaviors were driven by the interaction between very specific, psychologically
meaningful features of the situation in which people found themselves, the person’s
unique way of perceiving that situation, and his or her abilities for dealing with it. Mischel
and others argued that it was these social-cognitive processes that underlie people’s
reactions to specific situations that provide some consistency when situational features
are the same. If so, then studying these broad traits might be more fruitful than
cataloging and measuring narrow, context-free traits like Extraversion or Neuroticism.

In the years after the publication of Mischel’s (1968) book, debates raged about whether
personality truly exists, and if so, how it should be studied. And, as is often the case, it
turns out that a more moderate middle ground than what the situationists proposed
could be reached. It is certainly true, as Mischel pointed out, that a person’s behavior in
one specific situation is not a good guide to how that person will behave in a very
different specific situation. Someone who is extremely talkative at one specific party
may sometimes be reticent to speak up during class and may even act like a wallflower
at a different party. But this does not mean that personality does not exist, nor does it
mean that people’s behavior is completely determined by situational factors. Indeed,
research conducted after the person-situation debate shows that on average, the effect
of the “situation” is about as large as that of personality traits. However, it is also true
that if psychologists assess a broad range of behaviors across many different situations,
there are general tendencies that emerge. Personality traits give an indication about
how people will act on average, but frequently they are not so good at predicting how a
person will act in a specific situation at a certain moment in time. Thus, to best capture
broad traits, one must assess aggregate behaviors, averaged over time and across
many different types of situations.

Symptoms
Types of personality disorders are grouped into three clusters, based on similar
characteristics and symptoms. Many people with one personality disorder also have
signs and symptoms of at least one additional personality disorder. It's not necessary to
exhibit all the signs and symptoms listed for a disorder to be diagnosed.

Cluster A personality disorders

Cluster A personality disorders are characterized by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior.

They include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder and
schizotypal personality disorder.

Paranoid personality disorder

● Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others and their motives

● Unjustified belief that others are trying to harm or deceive you
● Unjustified suspicion of the loyalty or trustworthiness of others
● Hesitancy to confide in others due to unreasonable fear that others will use
the information against you
● Perception of innocent remarks or nonthreatening situations as personal
insults or attacks
● Angry or hostile reaction to perceived slights or insults
● Tendency to hold grudges
● Unjustified, recurrent suspicion that spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful

Schizoid personality disorder

● Lack of interest in social or personal relationships, preferring to be alone

● Limited range of emotional expression
● Inability to take pleasure in most activities
● Inability to pick up normal social cues
● Appearance of being cold or indifferent to others
● Little or no interest in having sex with another person

Schizotypal personality disorder

 ● Peculiar dress, thinking, beliefs, speech or behavior
● Odd perceptual experiences, such as hearing a voice whisper your name
● Flat emotions or inappropriate emotional responses
● Social anxiety and a lack of or discomfort with close relationships
● Indifferent, inappropriate or suspicious response to others
● "Magical thinking" — believing you can influence people and events with
your thoughts
● Belief that certain casual incidents or events have hidden messages meant
only for you

Cluster B personality disorders

Cluster B personality disorders are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional or

unpredictable thinking or behavior. They include antisocial personality disorder,
borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and narcissistic
personality disorder.

Antisocial personality disorder

● Disregard for others' needs or feelings

● Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, conning others
● Recurring problems with the law
● Repeated violation of the rights of others
● Aggressive, often violent behavior
● Disregard for the safety of self or others
● Impulsive behavior
● Consistently irresponsible
● Lack of remorse for behavior

Borderline personality disorder

● Impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling or binge
eating
● Unstable or fragile self-image
● Unstable and intense relationships
 ● Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress
● Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury
● Intense fear of being alone or abandoned
● Ongoing feelings of emptiness
● Frequent, intense displays of anger
● Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes

Histrionic personality disorder

● Constantly seeking attention

● Excessively emotional, dramatic or sexually provocative to gain attention
● Speaks dramatically with strong opinions, but few facts or details to back
them up
● Easily influenced by others
● Shallow, rapidly changing emotions
● Excessive concern with physical appearance
● Thinks relationships with others are closer than they really are

Narcissistic personality disorder

● Belief that you're special and more important than others

● Fantasies about power, success and attractiveness
● Failure to recognize others' needs and feelings
● Exaggeration of achievements or talents
● Expectation of constant praise and admiration
● Arrogance
● Unreasonable expectations of favors and advantages, often taking
advantage of others
● Envy of others or belief that others envy you

Cluster C personality disorders

Cluster C personality disorders are characterized by anxious, fearful thinking or

behavior. They include avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder
and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
Avoidant personality disorder

● Too sensitive to criticism or rejection

● Feeling inadequate, inferior or unattractive
● Avoidance of work activities that require interpersonal contact
● Socially inhibited, timid and isolated, avoiding new activities or meeting
strangers
● Extreme shyness in social situations and personal relationships
● Fear of disapproval, embarrassment or ridicule

Dependent personality disorder

● Excessive dependence on others and feeling the need to be taken care of

● Submissive or clingy behavior toward others
● Fear of having to provide self-care or fend for yourself if left alone
● Lack of self-confidence, requiring excessive advice and reassurance from
others to make even small decisions
● Difficulty starting or doing projects on your own due to lack of
self-confidence
● Difficulty disagreeing with others, fearing disapproval
● Tolerance of poor or abusive treatment, even when other options are
available
● Urgent need to start a new relationship when a close one has ended

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

● Preoccupation with details, orderliness and rules

● Extreme perfectionism, resulting in dysfunction and distress when perfection
is not achieved, such as feeling unable to finish a project because you don't
meet your own strict standards
● Desire to be in control of people, tasks and situations, and inability to
delegate tasks
● Neglect of friends and enjoyable activities because of excessive
commitment to work or a project
● Inability to discard broken or worthless objects
 ● Rigid and stubborn
● Inflexible about morality, ethics or values
● Tight, miserly control over budgeting and spending money

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is not the same as obsessive-compulsive

disorder, a type of anxiety disorder.

When to see a doctor

If you have any signs or symptoms of a personality disorder, see your doctor or other
primary care professional or a mental health professional. Untreated, personality
disorders can cause significant problems in your life that may get worse without
treatment.

Causes
Personality is the combination of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that makes you
unique. It's the way you view, understand and relate to the outside world, as well as how
you see yourself. Personality forms during childhood, shaped through an interaction of:

● Your genes. Certain personality traits may be passed on to you by your

parents through inherited genes. These traits are sometimes called your
temperament.
● Your environment. This involves the surroundings you grew up in, events
that occurred, and relationships with family members and others.

Personality disorders are thought to be caused by a combination of these genetic and

environmental influences. Your genes may make you vulnerable to developing a
personality disorder, and a life situation may trigger the actual development

Risk factors
Although the precise cause of personality disorders is not known, certain factors seem
to increase the risk of developing or triggering personality disorders, including:

● Family history of personality disorders or other mental illness

● Abusive, unstable or chaotic family life during childhood
● Being diagnosed with childhood conduct disorder
● Variations in brain chemistry and structure

Complications
Personality disorders can significantly disrupt the lives of both the affected person and
those who care about that person. Personality disorders may cause problems with
relationships, work or school, and can lead to social isolation or alcohol or drug abuse.

Diagnosis

If your doctor suspects you have a personality disorder, a diagnosis may be determined
by:

● Physical exam. The doctor may do a physical exam and ask in-depth
questions about your health. In some cases, your symptoms may be linked to
an underlying physical health problem. Your evaluation may include lab tests
and a screening test for alcohol and drugs.
● Psychiatric evaluation. This includes a discussion about your thoughts,
feelings and behavior and may include a questionnaire to help pinpoint a
diagnosis. With your permission, information from family members or others
may be helpful.
 ● Diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5. Your doctor may compare your symptoms
to the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Diagnostic criteria

Each personality disorder has its own set of diagnostic criteria. However, according to
the DSM-5, generally the diagnosis of a personality disorder includes long-term marked
deviation from cultural expectations that leads to significant distress or impairment in at
least two of these areas:

● The way you perceive and interpret yourself, other people and events
● The appropriateness of your emotional responses
● How well you function when dealing with other people and in relationships
● Whether you can control your impulses

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the type of personality disorder, as some

personality disorders share similar symptoms and more than one type may be present.
Other disorders such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse may further complicate
diagnosis. But it's worth the time and effort to get an accurate diagnosis so that you get
appropriate treatment.

Treatment
The treatment that's best for you depends on your particular personality disorder, its
severity and your life situation. Often, a team approach is needed to make sure all of
your psychiatric, medical and social needs are met. Because personality disorders are
long-standing, treatment may require months or years.

Your treatment team may include your primary doctor or other primary care provider as
well as a:

● Psychiatrist
 ● Psychologist or other therapist
● Psychiatric nurse
● Pharmacist
● Social worker

If you have mild symptoms that are well-controlled, you may need treatment from only
your primary doctor, a psychiatrist or other therapist. If possible, find a mental health
professional with experience in treating personality disorders.

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is the main way to treat personality disorders.

Psychotherapy

During psychotherapy with a mental health professional, you can learn about your
condition and talk about your moods, feelings, thoughts and behaviors. You can learn to
cope with stress and manage your disorder.

Psychotherapy may be provided in individual sessions, group therapy, or sessions that

include family or even friends. There are several types of psychotherapy — your mental
health professional can determine which one is best for you.

You may also receive social skills training. During this training you can use the insight
and knowledge you gain to learn healthy ways to manage your symptoms and reduce
behaviors that interfere with your functioning and relationships.

Family therapy provides support and education to families dealing with a family member
who has a personality disorder.

Medications

There are no medications specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to treat personality disorders. However, several types of psychiatric medications
may help with various personality disorder symptoms.
 ● Antidepressants. Antidepressants may be useful if you have a depressed
mood, anger, impulsivity, irritability or hopelessness, which may be associated
with personality disorders.
● Mood stabilizers. As their name suggests, mood stabilizers can help even
out mood swings or reduce irritability, impulsivity and aggression.
● Antipsychotic medications. Also called neuroleptics, these may be helpful if
your symptoms include losing touch with reality (psychosis) or in some cases
if you have anxiety or anger problems.
● Anti-anxiety medications. These may help if you have anxiety, agitation or
insomnia. But in some cases, they can increase impulsive behavior, so they're
avoided in certain types of personality disorders.

Hospital and residential treatment programs

In some cases, a personality disorder may be so severe that you need to be admitted to
a hospital for psychiatric care. This is generally recommended only when you can't care
for yourself properly or when you're in immediate danger of harming yourself or
someone else.

After you become stable in the hospital, your doctor may recommend a day hospital
program, residential program or outpatient treatment.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Along with your professional treatment plan, consider these lifestyle and self-care
strategies:

● Be an active participant in your care. This can help your efforts to manage
your personality disorder. Don't skip therapy sessions, even if you don't feel
like going. Think about your goals for treatment and work toward achieving
them.
● Take your medications as directed. Even if you're feeling well, don't skip
your medications. If you stop, symptoms may come back. You could also
 experience withdrawal-like symptoms from stopping a medication too
suddenly.
● Learn about your condition. Education about your condition can empower
you and motivate you to stick to your treatment plan.
● Get active. Physical activity can help manage many symptoms, such as
depression, stress and anxiety. Activity can also counteract the effects of
some psychiatric medications that may cause weight gain. Consider walking,
jogging, swimming, gardening or taking up another form of physical activity
that you enjoy.
● Avoid drugs and alcohol. Alcohol and street drugs can worsen personality
disorder symptoms or interact with medications.
● Get routine medical care. Don't neglect checkups or skip visits to your
primary care professional, especially if you aren't feeling well. You may have
a new health problem that needs to be addressed, or you may be
experiencing side effects of medication.

Coping and support

Having a personality disorder makes it hard to engage in behavior and activities that
may help you feel better. Ask your doctor or therapist how to improve your coping skills
and get the support you need.

If your loved one has a personality disorder

If you have a loved one with a personality disorder, work with his or her mental health
professional to find out how you can most effectively offer support and encouragement.

You may also benefit from talking with a mental health professional about any distress
you experience. A mental health professional can also help you develop boundaries and
self-care strategies so that you're able to enjoy and succeed in your own life.

Preparing for your appointment

Because personality disorders often require specialized care, your primary doctor may
refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, for
evaluation and treatment. Taking a family member or friend along can help you
remember something that you missed or forgot.

What you can do

Prepare for your appointment by making a list of:

● Your symptoms, including any that seem unrelated to the reason for the
appointment
● Key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life
changes
● All medications, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbal
preparations or other supplements that you're taking, and the doses
● Questions to ask your doctor

Basic questions to ask your doctor include:

● What type of personality disorder might I have?

● How do you treat my type of personality disorder?
● Will talk therapy help?
● Are there medications that might help?
● How long will I need to take medication?
● What are the major side effects of the medication you're recommending?
● How long will treatment take?
● What can I do to help myself?
● Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can have?
● What websites do you recommend visiting?

Don't hesitate to ask any other questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

During your appointment, your doctor or mental health professional will likely ask you a
number of questions about your mood, thoughts, behavior and urges, such as:

● What symptoms have you noticed or have others said they notice in you?
● When did you or they first notice symptoms?
● How is your daily life affected by your symptoms?
● What other treatment, if any, have you had?
● What have you tried on your own to feel better or control your symptoms?
● What things make you feel worse?
● Have your family members or friends commented on your mood or behavior?
● Have any relatives had a mental illness?
● What do you hope to gain from treatment?
● What medications, vitamins, herbs or supplements do you take?

Why it's done

Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat a wide range of issues. It's often the
preferred type of psychotherapy because it can quickly help you identify and cope with
specific challenges. It generally requires fewer sessions than other types of therapy and
is done in a structured way.

CBT is a useful tool to address emotional challenges. For example, it may help you:

● Manage symptoms of mental illness

● Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms
● Treat a mental illness when medications aren't a good option
● Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations
 ● Identify ways to manage emotions
● Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate
● Cope with grief or loss
● Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence
● Cope with a medical illness
● Manage chronic physical symptoms

Mental health disorders that may improve with CBT include:

● Depression
● Anxiety disorders
● Phobias
● PTSD
● Sleep disorders
● Eating disorders
● Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
● Substance use disorders
● Bipolar disorders
● Schizophrenia
● Sexual disorders

In some cases, CBT is most effective when it's combined with other treatments, such as
antidepressants or other medications.

In general, there's little risk in getting cognitive behavioral therapy. But you may feel
emotionally uncomfortable at times. This is because CBT can cause you to explore
painful feelings, emotions and experiences. You may cry, get upset or feel angry during
a challenging session. You may also feel physically drained.

Some forms of CBT, such as exposure therapy, may require you to confront situations
you'd rather avoid — such as airplanes if you have a fear of flying. This can lead to
temporary stress or anxiety.
However, working with a skilled therapist will minimize any risks. The coping skills you
learn can help you manage and conquer negative feelings and fears.

How you prepare

You might decide on your own that you want to try cognitive behavioral therapy. Or a
doctor or someone else may suggest therapy to you. Here's how to get started:

● Find a therapist. You can get a referral from a doctor, health insurance
plan, friend or other trusted source. Many employers offer counseling
services or referrals through employee assistance programs (EAPs). Or you
can find a therapist on your own — for instance, through a local or state
psychological association or by searching the internet.
● Understand the costs. If you have health insurance, find out what
coverage it offers for psychotherapy. Some health plans cover only a certain
number of therapy sessions a year. Also, talk to your therapist about fees
and payment options.
● Review your concerns. Before your first appointment, think about what
issues you'd like to work on. While you can also sort this out with your
therapist, having some sense in advance may provide a starting point.

Check qualifications

Psychotherapist is a general term, rather than a job title or indication of education,

training or licensure. Examples of psychotherapists include psychiatrists, psychologists,
licensed professional counselors, licensed social workers, licensed marriage and family
therapists, psychiatric nurses, or other licensed professionals with mental health
training.

Before seeing a psychotherapist, check his or her:

 ● Background and education. Trained psychotherapists can have a number
of different job titles, depending on their education and role. Most have a
master's or doctoral degree with specific training in psychological
counseling. Medical doctors who specialize in mental health (psychiatrists)
can prescribe medications as well as provide psychotherapy.
● Certification and licensing. Make sure that the therapist you choose
meets state certification and licensing requirements for his or her particular
discipline.
● Area of expertise. Ask whether the therapist has expertise and experience
treating your symptoms or your area of concern, such as eating disorders or
PTSD.

The key is to find a skilled therapist who can match the type and intensity of therapy
with your needs.

What you can expect

Cognitive behavioral therapy may be done one-on-one or in groups with family

members or with people who have similar issues. Online resources are available that
may make participating in CBT possible, especially if you live in an area with few local
mental health resources.

CBT often includes:

● Learning about your mental health condition

● Learning and practicing techniques such as relaxation, coping, resilience,
stress management and assertiveness

Your first therapy session

At your first session, your therapist will typically gather information about you and ask
what concerns you'd like to work on. The therapist will likely ask you about your current
and past physical and emotional health to gain a deeper understanding of your
situation. Your therapist may discuss whether you might benefit from other treatment as
well, such as medications.

The first session is also an opportunity for you to interview your therapist to see if he or
she will be a good match for you. Make sure you understand:

● His or her approach

● What type of therapy is appropriate for you
● The goals of your treatment
● The length of each session
● How many therapy sessions you may need

It might take a few sessions for your therapist to fully understand your situation and
concerns, and to determine the best course of action. If you don't feel comfortable with
the first therapist you see, try someone else. Having a good "fit" with your therapist can
help you get the most benefit from CBT.

During CBT

Your therapist will encourage you to talk about your thoughts and feelings and what's
troubling you. Don't worry if you find it hard to open up about your feelings. Your
therapist can help you gain more confidence and comfort.

CBT generally focuses on specific problems, using a goal-oriented approach. As you go

through the therapy process, your therapist may ask you to do homework — activities,
reading or practices that build on what you learn during your regular therapy sessions
— and encourage you to apply what you're learning in your daily life.

Your therapist's approach will depend on your particular situation and preferences. Your
therapist may combine CBT with another therapeutic approach — for example,
interpersonal therapy, which focuses on your relationships with other people.
Steps in CBT

CBT typically includes these steps:

● Identify troubling situations or conditions in your life. These may

include such issues as a medical condition, divorce, grief, anger or
symptoms of a mental health disorder. You and your therapist may spend
some time deciding what problems and goals you want to focus on.
● Become aware of your thoughts, emotions and beliefs about these
problems. Once you've identified the problems to work on, your therapist
will encourage you to share your thoughts about them. This may include
observing what you tell yourself about an experience (self-talk), your
interpretation of the meaning of a situation, and your beliefs about yourself,
other people and events. Your therapist may suggest that you keep a
journal of your thoughts.
● Identify negative or inaccurate thinking. To help you recognize patterns
of thinking and behavior that may be contributing to your problem, your
therapist may ask you to pay attention to your physical, emotional and
behavioral responses in different situations.
● Reshape negative or inaccurate thinking. Your therapist will likely
encourage you to ask yourself whether your view of a situation is based on
fact or on an inaccurate perception of what's going on. This step can be
difficult. You may have long-standing ways of thinking about your life and
yourself. With practice, helpful thinking and behavior patterns will become a
habit and won't take as much effort.

Length of therapy

CBT is generally considered short-term therapy — ranging from about five to 20

sessions. You and your therapist can discuss how many sessions may be right for you.
Factors to consider include:

● Type of disorder or situation

 ● Severity of your symptoms
● How long you've had your symptoms or have been dealing with your
situation
● How quickly you make progress
● How much stress you're experiencing
● How much support you receive from family members and other people

Confidentiality

Except in very specific circumstances, conversations with your therapist are

confidential. However, a therapist may break confidentiality if there is an immediate
threat to safety or when required by state or federal law to report concerns to
authorities. These situations include:

● Threatening to immediately or soon (imminently) harm yourself or take your

own life
● Threatening to imminently harm or take the life of another person
● Abusing a child or a vulnerable adult ― someone over age 18 who is
hospitalized or made vulnerable by a disability
● Being unable to safely care for yourself

Results

Cognitive behavioral therapy may not cure your condition or make an unpleasant
situation go away. But it can give you the power to cope with your situation in a healthy
way and to feel better about yourself and your life.

Getting the most out of CBT

CBT isn't effective for everyone. But you can take steps to get the most out of your
therapy and help make it a success.
 ● Approach therapy as a partnership. Therapy is most effective when
you're an active participant and share in decision-making. Make sure you
and your therapist agree about the major issues and how to tackle them.
Together, you can set goals and assess progress over time.
● Be open and honest. Success with therapy depends on your willingness to
share your thoughts, feelings and experiences, and on being open to new
insights and ways of doing things. If you're reluctant to talk about certain
things because of painful emotions, embarrassment or fears about your
therapist's reaction, let your therapist know about your reservations.
● Stick to your treatment plan. If you feel down or lack motivation, it may be
tempting to skip therapy sessions. Doing so can disrupt your progress.
Attend all sessions and give some thought to what you want to discuss.
● Don't expect instant results. Working on emotional issues can be painful
and often requires hard work. It's not uncommon to feel worse during the
initial part of therapy as you begin to confront past and current conflicts. You
may need several sessions before you begin to see improvement.
● Do your homework between sessions. If your therapist asks you to read,
keep a journal or do other activities outside of your regular therapy
sessions, follow through. Doing these homework assignments will help you
apply what you've learned in the therapy sessions.
● If therapy isn't helping, talk to your therapist. If you don't feel that you're
benefiting from CBT after several sessions, talk to your therapist about it.
You and your therapist may decide to make some changes or try a different
approach.
●

Symptoms

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue
to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, the main features
of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Many adults with ADHD aren't aware they have it — they just know that everyday tasks
can be a challenge. Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading
to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control
impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings
and outbursts of anger.

Adult ADHD symptoms may include:

● Impulsiveness
● Disorganization and problems prioritizing
● Poor time management skills
● Problems focusing on a task
● Trouble multitasking
● Excessive activity or restlessness
● Poor planning
● Low frustration tolerance
● Frequent mood swings
● Problems following through and completing tasks
● Hot temper
● Trouble coping with stress

What's typical behavior and what's ADHD?

Almost everyone has some symptoms similar to ADHD at some point in their lives. If
your difficulties are recent or occurred only occasionally in the past, you probably don't
have ADHD. ADHD is diagnosed only when symptoms are severe enough to cause
ongoing problems in more than one area of your life. These persistent and disruptive
symptoms can be traced back to early childhood.
Diagnosis of ADHD in adults can be difficult because certain ADHD symptoms are
similar to those caused by other conditions, such as anxiety or mood disorders. And
many adults with ADHD also have at least one other mental health condition, such as
depression or anxiety.

When to see a doctor

If any of the symptoms listed above continually disrupt your life, talk to your doctor
about whether you might have ADHD.

Different types of health care professionals may diagnose and supervise treatment for
ADHD. Seek a provider who has training and experience in caring for adults with ADHD.

Causes

While the exact cause of ADHD is not clear, research efforts continue. Factors that may
be involved in the development of ADHD include:

● Genetics. ADHD can run in families, and studies indicate that genes may
play a role.
● Environment. Certain environmental factors also may increase risk, such
as lead exposure as a child.
● Problems during development. Problems with the central nervous system
at key moments in development may play a role.

Risk factors

Risk of ADHD may increase if:

● You have blood relatives, such as a parent or sibling, with ADHD or another
mental health disorder
● Your mother smoked, drank alcohol or used drugs during pregnancy
 ● As a child, you were exposed to environmental toxins — such as lead,
found mainly in paint and pipes in older buildings
● You were born prematurely

Complications

ADHD can make life difficult for you. ADHD has been linked to:

● Poor school or work performance

● Unemployment
● Financial problems
● Trouble with the law
● Alcohol or other substance misuse
● Frequent car accidents or other accidents
● Unstable relationships
● Poor physical and mental health
● Poor self-image
● Suicide attempts

Coexisting conditions

Although ADHD doesn't cause other psychological or developmental problems, other

disorders often occur along with ADHD and make treatment more challenging. These
include:

● Mood disorders. Many adults with ADHD also have depression, bipolar
disorder or another mood disorder. While mood problems aren't necessarily
due directly to ADHD, a repeated pattern of failures and frustrations due to
ADHD can worsen depression.
● Anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders occur fairly often in adults with ADHD.
Anxiety disorders may cause overwhelming worry, nervousness and other
symptoms. Anxiety can be made worse by the challenges and setbacks
caused by ADHD.
 ● Other psychiatric disorders. Adults with ADHD are at increased risk of
other psychiatric disorders, such as personality disorders, intermittent
explosive disorder and substance use disorders.
● Learning disabilities. Adults with ADHD may score lower on academic
testing than would be expected for their age, intelligence and education.
Learning disabilities can include problems with understanding and
communicating.
●

Overview

Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling (psychotherapy) that can help

family members improve communication and resolve conflicts.

Family therapy is usually provided by a psychologist, clinical social worker or licensed

therapist. These therapists have graduate or postgraduate degrees and may be
credentialed by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Family therapy is often short term. It may include all family members or just those able
or willing to participate. Your specific treatment plan will depend on your family's
situation. Family therapy sessions can teach you skills to deepen family connections
and get through stressful times, even after you're done going to therapy sessions.

Why it's done

Family therapy can help you improve troubled relationships with your partner, children
or other family members. You may address specific issues such as marital or financial
problems, conflict between parents and children, or the impact of substance abuse or a
mental illness on the entire family.
Your family may pursue family therapy along with other types of mental health
treatment, especially if one of you has a mental illness or addiction that also requires
additional therapy or rehabilitation treatment. For example:

● Family therapy can help family members cope if a relative has a serious
mental illness such as schizophrenia — but the person who has
schizophrenia should continue with his or her individualized treatment plan,
which may include medications, one-on-one therapy or other treatment.
● In the case of addiction, the family can attend family therapy while the
person who has an addiction participates in residential treatment.
Sometimes the family may participate in family therapy even if the person
with an addiction hasn't sought out his or her own treatment.

Family therapy can be useful in any family situation that causes stress, grief, anger or
conflict. It can help you and your family members understand one another better and
learn coping skills to bring you closer together.

How you prepare

You can ask your doctor or other primary care provider for a referral to a therapist.
Family members or friends may give recommendations based on their experiences. You
also can ask your employee assistance program, clergy, or state or local mental health
agencies for suggestions for therapists.

Before scheduling sessions with a therapist, consider whether the therapist would be a
good fit for your family. Here are some factors to consider and questions to ask:

● Education and experience. What is your educational and training

background? Are you licensed by the state? Are you accredited by the
AAMFT or other professional organizations? Do you have specialty training
in family psychotherapy? What is your experience with my family's type of
problem?
 ● Location and availability. Where is your office? What are your office
hours? Are you available in case of emergency?
● Length and number of sessions. How long is each session? How often
are sessions scheduled? How many sessions should I expect to have?
● Fees and insurance. How much do you charge for each session? Are your
services covered by my health insurance plan? Will I need to pay the full fee
upfront? What is your policy on canceled sessions?

What you can expect

Family therapy typically brings several family members together for therapy sessions.
However, a family member may also see a family therapist individually.

Sessions typically take about 50 minutes to an hour. Family therapy is often short term
— generally about 12 sessions. However, how often you meet and the number of
sessions you'll need will depend on your family's particular situation and the therapist's
recommendation.

During family therapy, you can:

● Examine your family's ability to solve problems and express thoughts and
emotions in a productive manner
● Explore family roles, rules and behavior patterns to identify issues that
contribute to conflict — and ways to work through these issues
● Identify your family's strengths, such as caring for one another, and
weaknesses, such as difficulty confiding in one another

Example: Depression

Say that your adult son has depression. Your family doesn't understand his depression
or how best to offer support. Although you're worried about your son's well-being,
conversations with your son or other family members erupt into arguments and you feel
frustrated and angry. Communication diminishes, decisions go unmade, family members
avoid each other and the rift grows wider.

In such a situation, family therapy can help you:

● Pinpoint your specific challenges and how your family is handling them
● Learn new ways to interact and overcome unhealthy patterns of relating to
each other
● Set individual and family goals and work on ways to achieve them

Results

Family therapy doesn't automatically solve family conflicts or make an unpleasant

situation go away. But it can help you and your family members understand one another
better, and it can provide skills to cope with challenging situations in a more effective
way. It may also help the family achieve a sense of togetherness.

Overview

Adjustment disorders are stress-related conditions. You experience more stress than
would normally be expected in response to a stressful or unexpected event, and the
stress causes significant problems in your relationships, at work or at school.

Work problems, going away to school, an illness, death of a close family member or any
number of life changes can cause stress. Most of the time, people adjust to such
changes within a few months. But if you have an adjustment disorder, you continue to
have emotional or behavioral reactions that can contribute to feeling anxious or
depressed.

You don't have to tough it out on your own, though. Treatment can be brief and it's likely
to help you regain your emotional footing.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms depend on the type of adjustment disorder and can vary from
person to person. You experience more stress than would normally be expected in
response to a stressful event, and the stress causes significant problems in your life.

Adjustment disorders affect how you feel and think about yourself and the world and
may also affect your actions or behavior. Some examples include:

● Feeling sad, hopeless or not enjoying things you used to enjoy

● Frequent crying
● Worrying or feeling anxious, nervous, jittery or stressed out
● Trouble sleeping
● Lack of appetite
● Difficulty concentrating
● Feeling overwhelmed
● Difficulty functioning in daily activities
● Withdrawing from social supports
● Avoiding important things such as going to work or paying bills
 ● Suicidal thoughts or behavior

Symptoms of an adjustment disorder start within three months of a stressful event and
last no longer than 6 months after the end of the stressful event. However, persistent or
chronic adjustment disorders can continue for more than 6 months, especially if the
stressor is ongoing, such as unemployment.

When to see a doctor

Usually stressors are temporary, and we learn to cope with them over time. Symptoms
of adjustment disorder get better because the stress has eased. But sometimes the
stressful event remains a part of your life. Or a new stressful situation comes up, and
you face the same emotional struggles all over again.

Talk to your doctor if you continue to struggle or if you're having trouble getting through
each day. You can get treatment to help you cope better with stressful events and feel
better about life again.

If you have concerns about your child's adjustment or behavior, talk with your child's
pediatrician.

Suicidal thoughts or behavior

If you have thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, call 911 or your local
emergency number immediately, go to an emergency room, or confide in a trusted
relative or friend. Or call a suicide hotline number — in the United States, call the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to reach a
trained counselor.

Causes

Adjustment disorders are caused by significant changes or stressors in your life.

Genetics, your life experiences, and your temperament may increase your likelihood of
developing an adjustment disorder.

Risk factors

Some things may make you more likely to have an adjustment disorder.

Stressful events

Stressful life events — both positive and negative — may put you at risk of developing
an adjustment disorder. For example:

● Divorce or marital problems

 ● Relationship or interpersonal problems
● Changes in situation, such as retirement, having a baby or going away to
school
● Adverse situations, such as losing a job, loss of a loved one or having
financial issues
● Problems in school or at work
● Life-threatening experiences, such as physical assault, combat or natural
disaster
● Ongoing stressors, such as having a medical illness or living in a crime-ridden
neighborhood

Your life experiences

Life experiences can impact how you cope with stress. For example, your risk of
developing an adjustment disorder may be increased if you:

● Experienced significant stress in childhood

● Have other mental health problems
● Have a number of difficult life circumstances happening at the same time

Complications
If adjustment disorders do not resolve, they can eventually lead to more serious mental
health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression or substance abuse.

Prevention

There are no guaranteed ways to prevent adjustment disorders. But developing healthy
coping skills and learning to be resilient may help you during times of high stress.

If you know that a stressful situation is coming up — such as a move or retirement —

call on your inner strength, increase your healthy habits and rally your social supports in
advance. Remind yourself that this is usually time-limited and that you can get through
it. Also consider checking in with your doctor or mental health professional to review
healthy ways to manage your stress.

Comparison Chart

BASIS OF
PERSONALITY CHARACTER
COMPARISON

Meaning Personality refers to the A character refers to a set

range of distinctive of morals and beliefs that
personal qualities and defines how we treat or
traits of an individual. behave with others and
ourselves.
 Represents Who we seem to be? Who we actually are?

Traits Personal and physical Mental and moral

What is it? It is the identity It is a learned behavior

Nature Subjective Objective

Expression Outer appearance and Traits of a person that are

behavior of a person. abstract.

Change May change over time. Remains same.

Validation of Not required Required

Society

Definition of Personality

Personality can be defined as a combination of mental behaviour and traits

or qualities like thinking pattern, feeling and acting. It is a range of enduring
tendencies of an individual to think, feel and behave in a specific manner in
diverse situations. It refers to the systematic arrangement of all your
dispositions like attitude, thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc.

Definition of Character
By the term character, we mean an enduring and distinguishing mental and
moral characteristics in an individual. It is the only factor which determines
our reaction or response to the given event or situation. It defines a
person’s behaviour pattern, thinking style, controls feelings. It is based on
the environment that surrounds us, mental ability, moral principles and
similar other factors. It is the most precious thing possessed by a person,
evidenced by the limits he/she never crossed.

Key Differences Between Personality and

Character

The significant differences between personality and character are

discussed in the following points:

1. Personality refers to the combination of qualities, attitude and

behaviour, that makes a person distinct from others. Character refers
to a set of moral and mental qualities and beliefs, that makes a
person different from others.
2. Personality implies Who we seem to be? On the other hand, the
character represents Who we actually are?
3. Personality is a set of personal qualities whereas character is a
collection of mental and moral characteristics of an individual.
4. The personality is the mask or the identity of a person. Conversely,
the character is the learned behaviour.
5. Personality is subjective, but the character is objective.
6. Personality is the outer appearance and behaviour of a person. At the
same time, character indicates the traits of a person which are hidden
from sight.
7. The personality of an individual may change with time. However, the
character lasts longer.
8. Character requires validation and support of society. In contrast, the
personality, does not need validation and support of the society.
Conclusion

After reviewing the above points, it is clear that personality is different from
a character in a sense that personality reflects the outer shell, whereas the
character, shows the inner self. If you combine your personality and your
character, the result will be who you are in reality.