An Obsessive Personality: Four Traits
Some people are more spontaneous, outgoing and like to improvise while others are more serious, formal and organized. And then there are those who exhibit obsessive personality traits. The character of the latter is too rigid and often leads to social conflict and personal discomfort. We will discuss four characteristics of an obsessive personality below.
The word obsession has many different meanings and in some applications this term is not even correct. For example, someone who is intensely focused on an idea, activity, or relationship is often labeled as “obsessed.” However, this is far from what the term implies in the clinical setting.
The Obsessive Personality
We also know an obsessive personality as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The main characteristic is a stable and persistent pattern of thoughts, emotions and actions, characterized by rigidity, perfectionism and the need for control.
It is a personality disorder, so the above traits are reflected in every area of a person’s life, both personally and professionally. The behavior persists for years.
What are the characteristics of an obsessive personality?
An obsessive personality manifests itself in a number of recognizable traits (Spanish link). However, these attitudes are sometimes present at a lower level that does not meet the diagnostic criteria. However, they also give rise to many of the drawbacks of this condition.
1. Excessive organization is one of the obsessive personality traits
Being organized is helpful when it comes to completing tasks and duties and frees up time in your busy schedule if you do it right. However, a person with an obsessive personality goes to extremes, but at the same time is unproductive.
For example, they spend a lot of time filling calendars, creating schedules, and setting reminders, while overlooking or neglecting the main task.
2. Perfectionism
People with this personality disorder strive for perfection in everything they do and don’t allow themselves a margin of error. So it leads to them carrying out activities under great pressure.
Therefore, they tend to put off the most difficult activities. In addition, they tend to check for errors repeatedly, often making it impossible for them to meet deadlines.
3. Inflexibility
These people need clear and precise rules that they and everyone else must follow. These are technical (at work), social and moral. This makes them inflexible towards colleagues, relatives and friends.
In addition, they think that others are not able to meet their high standards and as a result, they will overload themselves with tasks. In addition, they believe that any voluntary or involuntary violation should be identified and punished.
4. Low Emotional Expression
An obsessive personality tries to be formal, serious and polite in the interactions, which decreases emotional expression. In addition, they may be uncomfortable with the spontaneous emotional expressions of others.
The development of an obsessive personality
Both genetic factors and environmental elements come together in the development of an obsessive personality. So, in addition to the inherited biological burden, it is related to various factors and experiences such as:
- the parenting style.
- childhood experiences.
- the culture in which a person grows up.
Having an authoritarian and controlling upbringing can influence the development of these traits in a person. They do this to avoid punishment, even as adults.
Overprotection also affects as parents do not allow the child to try things on their own and make their own mistakes. Thus, the child eventually internalizes the idea that it must strive for perfection. In addition, societies with strict and obligatory moral norms (eg religions) can also contribute to the emergence of such symptoms.
Overcoming an Obsessive Personality
Someone needs to be aware of his or her condition. That is, they must recognize that these patterns of thinking and behavior are harmful for the treatment of an obsessive-compulsive personality to be effective.
In addition, professional support is very important to help them understand the origin of their personality. Only then is it possible to try to change it.
Exposure therapy is one of the most effective techniques. The person in question begins to face certain situations where he would act rigidly to avoid such reactions. Relaxation techniques and problem-solving training are also effective.
Obsessive Personality vs Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
It is important to distinguish these two conditions from each other. Both conditions often occur simultaneously, but are different. First of all, the former is a personality disorder while the latter is an anxiety disorder. The main features of OCD are:
- the presence of obsessions (intrusive thoughts).
- compulsions (behaviours aimed at eliminating the discomfort of such thoughts).
However, these problems do not appear in the compulsive personality. Moreover, in OCD the thoughts are experienced as inappropriate and contrary to one’s own person. In the compulsive personality, the beliefs feel coherent and acceptable.
Imposing restrictions is not helpful
Several traits of the obsessive personality are praised and rewarded in today’s individualistic and competitive society. However, they can lead to emotional discomfort and problems in relationships with others if taken to extremes.
Therefore, seek professional guidance if you feel that your rigid attitude is limiting your growth as a person. This will help you discover if you have an obsessive personality and work to change it.
