In this episode of the Personality Couch, we discuss personality flavors and typologies from a psychodynamic lens, using ice cream as our metaphor. Unique to the psychodynamic perspective is the multi-dimensional way it captures personality. We explore psychodynamic’s three personality axes throughout the episode: the severity axis (ranging from personality style to disorder level); the organizational axis (representing movement and disintegration within personality structures); and the character axis (representing distinct personality names and characteristics). We further explore psychopathic, schizoid, depressive and manic, self-defeating, borderline/cyclophrenic, and dissociative personality structures within this framework. A note to our audience: this is a complex and deep topic, and we recommend tuning in to episodes 04 and 05 first: Personality Disorders as Ice Cream Flavors and Millon’s Personality Types (as Ice Cream flavors) first before diving in. Alternatively, you can check out our blogs with visual aides here to guide you: https://www.personalitycouch.com/blog/psychodynamic-personality-classification-as-ice-cream/

00:00 Introduction to Psychodynamic Tradition 01:46 The Multidimensional Approach to Personality 02:45 The Severity Axis: From Style to Disorder 05:17 The Organizational Axis: State Change in Personality 6:46 Neurotic as Freezer Burned Ice Cream 7:03 Psychotic as Melted Ice Cream 7:23 Borderline as Melting Ice Cream 10:40 The Character Axis: Personality Categories 11:05 Psychopathic (Antisocial) Personality 11:40 Schizoid Personality 17:36 Self-Defeating (Masochistic) Personality 18:50 Manic and Depressive Personality 20:58 Cyclophrenic/Borderline Personality 24:39 The Complexities of the Name “Borderline” 26:59 Introjective and Anaclitic Depressive Personality 29:32 Quiet Borderline 31:55 Dissociative Personality 36:32 Summary

In this episode, we continue discussing personality typologies, focusing on Dr. Theodore Millon's classifications. We explore six unique types in terms of their characteristics, behaviors, and potential co-occurring disorders. Speculating on what ice cream flavor each type would be, we use creative and humorous descriptions to bring levity to an otherwise complex topic!

Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Melancholic Personality: The Gloomy Type 07:02 - Turbulent Personality: The Energetic Type 17:09 - Sadistic Personality: The Pain Inflicting Type 21:56 - Masochistic Personality: The Willing Victim Type 27:20 - Negativistic Personality: The Grouchy and Skeptical Type 32:28 - Compulsive Personality: The Perfectionistic Type 41:14 - Conclusion

In this episode, we discuss the different types of personality disorders and compare them to flavors of ice cream. We explore the personality disorders that are always in season and the ones that come and go depending on cultural and social factors. Highlighting the “ingredients” that make up each disorder and how they manifest, we explore the DSM-5-TR classifications of: Cluster A (odd or eccentric), Cluster B (dramatic or erratic), and Cluster C (anxious or fearful). If you want to jump to a specific cluster, just use one of the timestamps/chapters below. If you’re new to personality disorders, we recommend starting at timestamp 11:17 and returning to the beginning after a more thorough explanation of each disorder.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro/Overview of the Personality Flavors 02:13 - Personality Flavors Always in Season 03:12 - Pandemic Personality Flavors 05:14 - Mid Pandemic Personality Flavors 06:18 - End of Pandemic Personality Flavors 07:15 - Personality Flavors not often in Season 11:17 - DSM Clusters ABC Overview

Cluster A 11:48 - Cluster A 12:14 - Cluster A: Paranoid PD 14:55 - Cluster A: Schizotypal PD 19:21 - Cluster A: Schizoid PD

Cluster B 22:33 - Cluster B 23:10 - Cluster B: Antisocial PD 27:39 - Cluster B: Borderline PD 29:41 - Cluster B: Histrionic PD 31:51 - Cluster B: Narcissistic PD 32:43 - Antisocial PD vs Narcissistic PD

Cluster C 36:20 - Cluster C 36:40 - Cluster C: Avoidant PD 37:34 - Schizoid PD vs Avoidant PD 38:08 - Borderline PD vs Avoidant PD 39:16 - Cluster C: Dependent PD 41:38 - Cluster C: OCPD 44:27 - Conclusion

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we discuss how to spot a personality disorder. We start with the definition of a personality disorder according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM), which includes enduring patterns of behavior that deviate from cultural expectations and cause distress/impairment. We also introduce the concept of the personality drama triangle, where individuals can take on different roles as a rescuer, persecutor, or victim. We discuss how to spot personality disorders through observations of thinking patterns, moods, relationships, and impulsivity. We emphasize the importance of trusting your intuition and paying attention to your body's reactions when interacting with someone who may have a personality disorder.

Chapters

Introduction 00:00 - Introduction 01:40 - The DSM definition of Personality Disorders

How Personality Disorders Show Up 03:41 - How Personality Disorders Show Up in Thinking 05:07 - The Drama Triangle in Personality Disorders 07:09 - How Personality Disorders Show Up in Moods

Spotting Personality Disorders 09:22 - Trusting your Gut, Intuition, and Body 13:50 - Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire 16:45 - The Axis II Hook and “Oil Spills”

Disconnecting From Personality Disorder Dynamics 31:05 - Stop Drop and Roll Out of the Drama 33:53 - The Power of Naming a Personality Disorder

Conclusions 41:02 - Empathy for Personality Disorders 45:54 - Conclusion

In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we talk a little more about our intrigue for personality, pathology, and darkness, which influence our media consumption. We discuss seeing personality everywhere - from pets to babies to our everyday relationships. Walking through history, we explore various classifications including, the Four Temperaments, Freud and Psychoanalysis, the MBTI, the Big 5, and more! We look at the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) definition and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which includes the field’s current classification of personality disorders.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Intrigue of Personality Darkness in Media 08:23 - How Did Personality Become a Thing? 20:09 - What is Personality? (APA + other definitions)

Historical Classifications of Personality 28:47 - The Four Temperaments 33:20 - The Enneagram (9 Types)

Modern Classifications of Personality 35:04 - MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) 36:02 - OCEAN (Big 5) 36:30 - Type A, B, C, D 37:37 - DSM 38:35 - What are Personality Disorders? 42:49 - Personality Disorders in Youth 50:30 - Summary

In this episode, we (Doc Bok and Doc Fish) introduce ourselves and share our personality journeys and career paths! Doc Bok talks about her windy journey to personality, which includes deciding between her doctorate or a career in the FBI. Doc Fish shares about her linear journey to personality and psychology starting in childhood and her intrigue into psychodynamic work with clients. We both discuss why personality is so important, as well as different modalities and approaches to understanding personality, all the while emphasizing the complexity and nuances involved. We express our curiosity and desire to understand people, sharing a mutual passion for the detective work needed to solve the most challenging personality puzzles!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction 00:44 - What would you be doing if you weren't a psychologist? 03:46 - Commonalities and Shared Background 09:50 - Personal Journeys and Career Paths 29:10 - Personality is like a Gobstopper 31:08 - Different Lenses for Understanding Personality 35:00 - Our Shared Curiosity and Desire to Help People 36:03 - Conclusion

We all encounter personality conflict on a regular basis, whether we know it or not. From funky, can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it dynamics with that one friend or family member, to the big blowup drama at work with the last person you’d expect, it all comes down to personality.

Join licensed clinical psychologist, Doc Bok and colleagues as they unpack the most complex topics like personality disorders and psychopathic behavior, while also making room for lighthearted discussions about personality typologies and humorous anecdotes from private practice. Whether you’re fascinated by personality darkness, a concerned friend or loved one, an “armchair psychologist,” or a licensed professional convinced there is something more going on with patients…. This channel is for you.