Could we are not only be multiple beings but also have multiple personalities

Out of the 10 personality disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or (DSM) 5, I believe that we all suffer from 1 or more of 7 of these from time to time.  The largest difference between those who display them often and those who displays them lesser is the level and degree of control that each individual can exercise over their own demons.  I call them demons just for the shock effect to get many of us thinking but they are really not a demon at all and simply a very large part of what makes us who we are and it must be made clear that the clinical definition of a disorder is “when these traits are so inflexible and maladaptive across a wide range of situations that they cause significant distress and impairment of social, occupational, and role function and the thinking, displays of emotion, impulsivity, and interpersonal behavior of the individual must deviate markedly from the expectation of the individual’s culture in order to qualify as a personality disorder”.  Basically, just because you exhibit some of these characteristics do not mean that you are suffering from a disorder; it may only mean that you are human. Now before I continue and try to make my case, it must be remembered that I do not possess any kind of major degree of any kind except my unquenchable desire to listen, watch and learn as much about the human being, the mind and our actions and interactions as possible.  Let’s continue.

The 7 that I referenced earlier are Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Dependent, Avoidant, and Obsessive-compulsive.  Antisocial is defined as “disregard for and violating the rights of others, lying, stealing, defaulting on debts, neglect of children and other dependents”, now this definition should explain itself and I am sure that many of us know someone at some time that has displayed this characteristic.  Some of us know that person really well because that person is us and a few may know of a person who is still currently displaying this action.  Borderline is defined as instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affects, and control over impulses” raised in a family and feeling abandoned could be a cause of an unstable relationship.  If you were raised in home that saw violence as the only way to get your point across or your voice heard, you would think this is normal and therefore display that same action and reaction which could also lead to unstable relationships.  When it comes to control over impulses, many often think of the bad examples but what about the desire to jump out of a perfectly good plane or attempt death-defying circus acts, could not these also be considered impulses?  Histrionic is defined as excessive emotionality and attention seeking and some may immediately harken toward Munchausen or Munchausen syndrome by proxy but it could always be that person who dresses the loudest or more flamboyant and keeps inserting themselves into the middle of every conversation.  Narcissistic is defined as “grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration and lack of empathy” which is often described by layman as being a legend in your own mind. Dependent is defined as “feelings of inadequacy, inability to make own decisions, submissiveness, avoidance of confrontation for fear of losing source of support” which can describe many of us at one point or another in our lives.  Perhaps we create our own reasoning for avoiding confrontations, being submissive, feeling inadequate or unable to make a decision but we display them just the same.  Avoidant is defined as “social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to negative evaluations” which I will personally attest to as one of my issues when it comes to hypersensitivity to negative evaluations.  I prefer any evaluation or even conversation about me be all good and nothing negative and when the time comes for that kind of evaluation or conversation, I become nervous with anticipation.  Obsessive-compulsive is defined as “preoccupation with perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control and orderliness at the expense of flexibility, openness and efficiency”.  This disorder is often joked about by those who believe that suffer and they simply use the initials as a way to try and explain.  Listen for those who say that they have OCD as to some of their quirks but if truly look at it, they are doing something that very few ever do and that is they are owning it before it owns them.

I invite all of us to take a decent look at these definitions of these characteristics and honestly ask ourselves if we do not display some of these things at 1 time or another.  Are we able to master these actions and not allow them to meet the definition of actually having a personality disorder or are we losing that battle slowly and surely?  Only you can answer that question and only by taking full responsibility can you even begin to master it.  Rest assured it can be mastered especially when you admit to yourself that each of these behaviors shows us that we all are more than just multiple beings, we have multiple personalities as well.