CharacterWho are you anyway?

CHARACTER DISTURBANCEIn industrialized free societies, modern western culture has produced increasing numbers of individuals who aren’t concerned enough about the things they let themselves do.

EPIDEMIC of Character Disturbance… Most people today experience just enough apprehension and internal turmoil when it comes to simply acting on their primal urges, that they don’t in fact “just do it.”

… They experience enough anticipatory guilt or shame to restrain their impulses and conform their conduct to more socially acceptable standards.

It is LARGELYwhat makes society work.

Mental Health

Mental Health Clinicians in all disciplines

increasingly find themselves intervening with individuals whose problems are related to their dysfunctional attitudes and thinking patterns

Disturbed individual’s shallow, self-centered relationships, their moral immaturity and social irresponsibility, and their habitual, dysfunctional behavior patterns.

All of these stem from an UNDERDEVELOPED CONSCIENCE and reflect significant

deficiencies or disturbances of CHARACTER

You can make some preliminary judgements about the kind of person you are probably dealing with.

CHARACTER disturbanceIf this person chronically displays egocentric thinking and other thinking errors, reveals attitudes of entitlement, uses various tactics of responsibility avoidance, routinely exploits others, persists in the behavior pattern despite adverse consequences, already shows a high level of insight, and -- despite bringing repeated pain into the lives of others is completely comfortable with the kind of person he or she is -- you can bet you are dealing with a character disturbed narcissist.

CHARACTER DISTURBED

their thinking reflects deeply-rooted but erroneous and dysfunctional beliefs about the nature of the world, their place in society, and requirements for conducting healthy human relationships

Disturbed Characters… will often scream loudly how sorry they are; but their behavior patterns rarely reflect any genuine remorse.

… give few indications that they either appreciate or feel badly about the impact of their irresponsible conduct on others.

It’s so easy to say you’re sorry

It’s another thing to act like you’re sorry and be willing to make amends.

AMENDSWhen people have true contrition, their greatest pain is for the injury they caused someone else; and their actions reflect a sincere effort, not only to repair the damage, but also to change their ways.

Disturbed Characters … have chosen to define themselves as being comfortable with their negative behavior patterns, at peace with their antisocial attitudes, and unashamed of their repeated abdications of responsibility.

… Not only that, but they also choose to define themselves as retaining an unwarrantedly high opinion of themselves (ego inflation) despite the big mess these patterns have created.

Because they lack inhibitory control, Aggressive

characters

Act first and

think or reflect later

They Lackthe squeamishness or apprehension a person should ideally have when contemplating doing something they probably shouldn’t.

The Aggressive Personalities… are among the most frequently and severely character disordered individuals.

BULLIES

… they’re merely brutes with outrageously inflated egos and a huge sense of entitlement.

Antisocial Characters(Specifically psychopaths) over-represent their degree of being victimized by others, and under-represent how seriously they have intentionally and wantonly victimized others.

CHARACTER building

is the lifelong process by which we instill self-discipline and develop capacities to live responsibly among others.

The Human Will

like any other natural endowment , can be developed and strengthened.

OUR ENTIRESOCIAL

ENVIRONMENT

would take on a marvelous, productive character if more of us were willing to risk sincerity, and to engage in honest, open communication and debate.

BEFORE people can really correct Patterns of Behavior,

they have to humbly admit they have the

problem

DISTURBED Characters… habitual ways of thinking and behaving engenders a pervasive attitude of disrespect for the value of work and effort

… take pride in their determination to keep doing things as they prefer to do them, no matter what happens as a result.

if a relationship falls apart

they simply blame the other person and move on

DISORDERED Characters

think they shouldn’t have to do anything they don’t want to do. They want to make their own rules.

WORK

It is much easier to simply tell yourself lies, deceive others, manage impressions, and stay the same as you are as opposed to solidly confronting your defects of character and developing yourself into a more respect-worthy human being.

As long as the disturbed character evades important issues, they will never honestly reckon with attitudes or behavior patterns they really need to change.

THEY REALLY NEED TO CHANGE

1. Erroneous and self-deceptive thinking patterns.

2. Problematic attitudes and beliefs.

3. Habitual behaviors that block internalization of standards/ controls and manipulate others.

The disturbed character always wants something for nothing

FIN

Simon, G. (2011). Character disturbance: The phenomenon of our age. Little Rock [Ark.: Parkhurst Brothers.

Citations