Please choose the best answer that describes your Ts traits/personality style. While there may be more than one correct answer, please choose the best that fits.

Psychoanalytic therapists often assign character types in psychodynamic assessments rather than use diagnoses. One of my Ts said his T said he had an Obsessive-Compulsive personality style. Funny, he did not seem like that in that his office was so messy and laid back and relaxing! Maybe it was the years of therapy he endured. But I saw traits of justice seeking, need for things to be morally correct/do the right thing, rigid conscientiousness etc., that go along with those who have the OCPD traits.

This is not meant to be mean, so I kindly ask that people please don't speak derogatory in this thread. Also don't mean to promote labels but this could interesting in terms of concepts and if done anonymously. Then again, i'm realize I'm not the best pollster, so I know there is room for improvement, especially after my last one. Practicing but also curious about personality traits of our Ts.

PTypes - Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Avoidant Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Paranoid Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Histrionic Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Sadistic Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Schizotypal Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Compensatory Narcissistic Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Narcissistic Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Antisocial Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Borderline Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Cyclothymic Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Schizoid Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Depressive Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Masochistic (Self-defeating) Personality Disorder Criteria
PTypes - Dependent Personality Disorder Criteria

The psychodynamic manual is more technically correct, but the above are better descriptions. The psychodynamic categories use level of organization (health, neurotic, borderline) to assign with each character.

https://sites.google.com/a/icdl.com/...le-of-contents

There may be more than one answer as people rarely fit into one. This is just for fun.

Enjoy a cup of coffee on me

[Amyjay]

I don't know my t well enough to make an assumption. If I chose anything i would pick "well-adjusted" because she mostly seems to be that but you don't have that option there so....

[atisketatasket]

If the poll had an other/impossible to tell option, I'd go for that.

I don't think I can learn enough about a therapist - nor would I want to - to assign them any of these types. And how do I know where they begin and their therapeutic persona ends? And at some point diagnoses become very subjective, just as theirs of us can be.

As for polls, just remember what SD says, "the pollster's lot is not an easy one."

None of the above? I don't see him as disordered in any way. I wouldn't work with a therapist who came off that way to me.

I forgot at least 2 options.

Anyway, the poll is not choices for disorders but to indicate whatever their most prominent character styles may be. The one I had mentioned his, but I wasn't thinking it might be difficult to tell otherwise.

Every T in psychoanalytic training works through whatever pattern they fall under and I wouldn't believe any person wouldn't have some of these traits. They aren't required to do 5-10 years of therapy if they have no patterns.

Now I'm experiencing the pollster's hardships. That is true-the pollster's lot is not an easy one. I may still use it for fun from time to time.

Both of my Ts definitely have strong narcissistic traits and from all I know about them, for one that definitely stands out and is dominant. The other one seems more complex, or just better at appearing more neutral/balanced. I also think that it's hard to know what their dominant issues are, for a client that only sees them working. I am more confident about the narcissistic one because he has a ton of public info online, all kinds of social media and other things, and interactions with others visible to anyone. There where I see the pattern most strongly, it would not be so obvious just judging by what he does in sessions or via emails with me, although the emails are often quite revealing.

Mine is none of these that I can tell.

[Erebos]

None of the above.

[kecanoe]

T1 has said that he has paranoid tendencies. I haven't really seen that, but I trust that he knows himself (and has done his own work).

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by kecanoe

T1 has said that he has paranoid tendencies. I haven't really seen that, but I trust that he knows himself (and has done his own work).

Well, people like me are out to get them, so...

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by stopdog

Well, people like me are out to get them, so...

And whiny complaint-making clients like me.

[junkDNA]

i would say avoidant
he has disclosed to me he has a dx of bipolar and aspergers

[Out There]

Both my T's have done their own work , but I guess we all have traits of things and histories. If I was concerned about a T I would leave.

[Salmon77]

Those aren't personality styles, they're personality disorders. I don't think my T has a personality disorder. If he does he hides it well.

I'd guess INTP if that was an option.

[AllHeart]

Pretty sure old t was on the Narcissist PD spectrum, and a few others. Current t doesn't seem to have any of the PD traits listed.

From the psychodynamic perspective, 'character' is different from personality disorders. It is more of a pattern/way of being hence 'style' than a disorder. Similar to how borderline is not a personality disorder in the psychodynamic perspective; it's a level of organization. Too out of the norm to throw this out there i suppose, but I did throw the link at the bottom and meant to expand upon it.

Everyone has patterns of these sort of traits though many don't have issues to the degree it affects one's life. Sometimes these issues only come out in times of change and stress. It's not a negative thing to look at these patterns really. Knowing and recognizing them rather than denying, can be empowering.

Didn't mean to make this into a serious thing. It's meant to be more conversation provoking about the nature of these patterns and recognizing them in Ts. In my experience, it's difficult to tell with therapists who don't discuss their own emotions, so it's interesting that some have an idea. Although I tend to pick up on patterns of personality traits, I wouldn't have identified the OC traits of my T had he not told me.

I thought the masochistic one could be more common with Ts. It was mentioned on another thread.

Cognitive Effects

Basic Belief: I need others to need me. Strategy: Submission.
The "idealized self is made up of beliefs about how we should feel, think, or act" (Tamney, pg. 32).

John M. Oldham has defined the Self-Sacrificing Personality Style in The New Personality Self-Portrait. I have rephrased many of his ideas in terms of extreme, rigid, and imperative beliefs and attitudes. According to my view, the beliefs and attitudes rationalize and reinforce the idealized image and the compulsive attachments and aversions. They are analogous to Karen Horney's "shoulds" and "neurotic claims." These are the typical beliefs that I associate with Masochistic Personality Disorder:

The purpose of life is to serve others (Oldham, 319).
My needs can always wait until others are well served (319).
To love is to give (319).
I must help others even if they haven't asked me to (319).
Being ambitious and competing with others is wrong (319).
I cannot tolerate being the center of attention (320).
I should always anticipate the desires of those I love (320).
I must do for and give to everyone I come in contact with (321).
Laboring to make others' lives better is what gives meaning to life (321).
I cannot tolerate success or pleasure (341).
The only way that I can gain inner tranquility is by losing sight of myself in helpfulness to others (321).
It's better to avoid receiving rewards, getting attention, and taking credit for good deeds (321).
I hate to appear prideful or pushy (322).
I work so hard to make others happy, but no one seems to notice or care (322).
I feel guilty when receiving special attention (322).
I don't want others to do things for me; it makes me uncomfortable (323).
Only through giving to others will I be accepted (324).
Parents should sacrifice everything for their children (324).
I can relax and indulge myself only when I am alone (325).
The world is a hard, tough place and my mission is to make things better for other people (326).
I will never be able to fulfill my obligations to others (326).
I am unworthy and undeserving of love, attention, and pleasure (327).
I must always be respectful of those in authority (327).
Advancing in my career is not important to me (328).
I hate to ask for favors (328).
I should avoid positions where I would be responsible for overseeing other people's work and behavior (329).

[growlycat]

I know that my t has struggled with depression and addiction in his past. He has his own therapist so I mostly don't worry about him. Addiction in general worries me so in the back of my mind I am vigilant if he slides at all . Not sure I understand the categories listed enough to "diagnose" him.

I chose Sadistic Personality Disorder for obvious reasons. It took me some time to realize it but I know of others who were fooled for a long time too.