Posts Tagged ‘Dependent Personality Disorder’

Liberals Are Like Bratty Kids

July 22, 2014

Liberals Are Like Bratty Kids

The following is a very interesting article by John Hawkins, that appeared on http://www.townhall.com.

Read it and you will see radical liberals in 15 ways that you never have before.

I endorse Mr. Hawkins’ perspective, but would add one important aspect to his views. I hope you will read his insightful article and then, see my psychological twist on his thesis.

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2014/07/08/15-ways-liberals-are-like-bratty-kids-n1859780/page/2

———————————————————————————————————————–

Mr. Hawkins makes some interesting observations about the behavior patterns of progressives/liberals/socialists/communists. But as a psychologist, I would like to take his thinking one step further.

Children do show many of the characteristics that  Hawkins ascribes to liberals. But there are some very important differences between children, and their behaviors, and those of radical liberals. The voters of America need to know these differences.

First of all, with the help of principled and loving parents, reasonable limits and humane discipline, children normally develop pro-social moral and ethical values and behavior patterns.  Judeo/Christian, or other similar religious teachings, can strongly reinforce these cognitive and behavioral developments in children and the citizens they become.

It is an important side-note that our Founding Father’s judged that religion was an essential part of citizen development and the preservation of a healthy American Republic. Reading their original writings will clarify this fact to anyone; no matter their political, philosophical, or religious perspective.

All of this underscores a simple truth that must be added to Mr. Hawkins’ insightful article: Under the right developmental conditions, most children are helped to grow-out of the personality characteristics of  liberals and conservatives with damaging personality flaws.

Tragically, the normally transient 15 features of childhood, noted by Hawkins, can become fixed and nearly unalterable in many adults. When this happens, these psychological flaws are often diagnosed as Personality Disorders. I do not intend to suggest that all “liberals” display personality disorders. However, the documented records of misconduct in office and private life strongly support that this is more often a trait among liberals than it is among conservatives.

However, I will assert that a great number of revolutionary progressive/liberals, such as those inspired by the thoroughly pathological Obama administration, do.

See for your self!

Antisocial Personality Disorder:

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/antisocial-personality-disorder-symptoms/

Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder-symptoms/

Now, here is another troubling perception. When the two pathological personality configurations described above come into contact with individuals suffering from Dependent Personality Disorder, or perhaps only features, the results are normally the exploitation of and damage to the dependent individuals, or populations of dependent individuals, by the narcissists and the antisocial personality disordered.

As a psychotherapist I see this dynamic among individuals on a all-to-regular basis.

Dependent Personality Disorder:

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/dependent-personality-disorder-symptoms/

Although the  diagnosis of dependent personality disorder, as well as the other two personality disorders occurs in a small percent of the population. These traits and features in our population appear to me to be on a dangerous  increase in America. See the following references.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissism-epidemic/201308/how-dare-you-say-narcissism-is-increasing

http://www.synthesizingeducation.net/2014/04/the-prevalence-of-sociopathy-in-america.html

I have not yet found data on increasing rates of dependent personality disorder, however the increase in our percent of population that have embraced dependency upon the government’s entitlement/welfare programs have increased dramatically in recent history.

http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/PA694.pdf

The welfare contingencies of positive reinforcement for people doing little, or nothing, will unquestionably shape dependent behavior patterns in recipients. I will judge that such population dependent behavior patterns are are moving along a continuum toward the full criteria for of Dependent Personality Disorder. These are therefore very bad citizen behaviors to reinforce in our increasingly socialistic America.

You may read the following article, or skip to item #4,  in order to understand some of the damages (though not all) of  socialistic contingencies of positive reinforcement a population.

http://spectator.org/articles/55875/five-reasons-reform-welfareagain

  • Can you see the results of these increasing population personality features  in an increasingly socialistic America?
  • Do you understand that the process by which this increase is a self-feeding one?
  • Do you understand that as the traditional methods by which children have been acculturated in America break-down our citizens become increasingly easy prey for unprincipled and unscrupulous power-hungry narcissists and antisocials?
  • Isn’t it clear to you that narcissist and antisocial progressive/liberal politicians (in any party) and their minions are advantaged by an increasingly dependent population?
  • Can you see this population transformation being fueled and shaped by so-called progressive politicians and citizens in key sectors of society (Political, Law, Education, Media, Religion, etc.) ?

If not, you had better look again. You had better look much closer.

V. Thomas Mawhinney, Ph.D.

Health Services Provider in Psychology, HSPP 20090171A

Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Indiana University South Bend

 

 

 

 

Behavioral Contagion: Dependent Personality Disorder

April 5, 2010

Dependent Personality Disorder

We all depend upon others. Indeed, to be socially connected to others is to be interdependent with them. But individuals diagnosed with dependent personality disorder show a near total reliance upon others who make almost all of their major and minor decisions for them, to bolster their self-esteem, and to care for their child-like needs. These individuals strongly feel that they cannot manage their own lives (though they may be capable), they are unable to assert their personal needs in a relationship, and they are desperate to hang-on to those on whom they depend—no matter what.  As a result, such individuals lack the ability to manage their own lives and behave as a fully functional adult. Such individuals dread separation from those who they let run their lives, they are often depressed, and can suffer from suicidal thinking. They will often do degrading things in order not to lose the ones they depend on.
 
All of these features can worsen if they feel they are going to be abandoned by their care-taker (parent, boyfriend/girlfriend, or spouse). As a result, these individuals often suffer emotional and physical abuse at the hands of others, and they may tolerate emotional, physical, or sexual abuse of their children by those upon whom they are pathologically dependent.

If separated from those who they depend upon, they are likely to quickly “latch-on” to another dependent relationship to avoid feelings of intense anxiety and fear.

Representative Examples

It is not hard to identify examples of dependent personality disorder. These problems are most prevalent in women, but they can and do occur in men.

I recall the shocking media pictures from several decades ago, of wife and mother who had been beaten for many years by her husband, a successful New York attorney. Her face was shockingly disfigured by the chronic beatings she had endured.

To compound this tragedy, the mother also allowed her husband to beat her young daughter. This couple was prosecuted when an autopsy of their dead child revealed broken bones dating back to her earliest years of life.

A woman with three children sought the help of a therapist to extricate her and her children from an abusive marriage. The man had beat her repeatedly in front of her children, had held them all at gun point threatening to kill them. The therapist worked diligently to get this woman to take action: providing the phone number of the local women’s shelter, prompting to call and talk to the professionals there, and to make the necessary plans to leave her home in a safe manner to gain refuge at the woman’s shelter. The woman withdrew from therapy and stayed with this man.

Possible Causes

Dependent personality disorder has traditionally been thought to result from a lack of loving care during the first year or so of life. This could lead to a desperate life-long search for care and nurturance. As with so many other personality disorders, parental separation, loss, or rejection have often been implicated.  Some theorists suggest that opposite causes of parental over-protectiveness and over-involvement in their children’s lives could yield the same excessive dependency needs in later life. Behavioral explanations suggest that parents may actually reward (reinforce) extreme dependence in their children and punish their efforts at independence by withdrawing their love and support. It is also possible that some parents show their own dependency problems and their children come to imitate their dependent behaviors.

V. Thomas Mawhinney, Ph.D.   4/5/10


%d bloggers like this: