Classification using DSM and ICD criteria is a more common and practical method of defining personality. The reason for the small number of studies in which dimensional evaluations are made is the difficulty of the evaluation process. Therefore, dealing with personality historically and examining its psychoanalytic definitions will enlighten us more.
Historically, the personality dictionary "persona" takes its name from the name given to the masks used by actors in ancient Greek theaters. At that time, Persona was trying to represent the persona he played, not the real personality of the person behind the mask. Over time, it began to be used to describe or express the whole of the person's attitudes and behaviors that he actually reflects. Personality today describes the patterns of perception, learning, thinking, coping and behavior that emerge from internal variables and commonly dominate a person's behavior, covering biological nature and experimental learning.
The concepts that make up personality are personality, temperament, character. The terms are often used interchangeably. These uses can also lead to confusion in meaning. If a distinction is made, temperament includes biological, character includes social and cultural contributions. Intelligence is a factor that has both structural, learned and social characteristics and can affect personality. The basic function of personality is to perceive, feel, think and integrate all these into purposeful behavior. Temperament can be defined as a person's nature that structurally affects his actions and emotions. It is accepted as the rough biological ground on which personality develops. Personality is the result of the dynamic interaction of temperament and character.
“Character” means carving and shaping in Greek. This expression describes the structure carved on the habit. It is a word used to describe the distinctive characteristics of a person. The use of the word character is more preferred by psychoanalysts
Personality is the behavioral characteristics that distinguish a person from others and show continuity. Each of these features is an expression of a possible way of living. Personality defines the motivation of behavior and the psychological adaptation of the organism to the environment and the organism's It is defined as an internal dynamic organization consisting of psychophysiological systems that determine the individual's unique adaptation to the environment (Quoted by Million 1996).
If the personality organization is a continuous pattern of behavior and inner life that clearly deviates from the expectations of the culture in which the person lives, it is considered a personality disorder. is done. It begins in adolescence or young adulthood, persists over time, and causes distress or impairment in functionality. In order for personality traits, which can be seen in various forms in everyone, to be considered a personality disorder, they must be inflexible and maladaptive and cause a significant impairment in functionality or personal distress. Personality disorders have become an important area of social, biological and psychological research. In studies examining the prevalence of personality disorders in society, rates ranging from 11-23% have been reported (Watson et al. 1998, Fosatti et al. 2000). These people often experience ongoing problems in the work environment and in their emotional relationships (DSM IV TR).
A few of the common characteristics of personality disorders are that the behavioral patterns established in the self are not flexible in adapting. Secondly, it is in cognition, affect and anti-social behavior, and our last criterion is the presence of significant deteriorations in society and business life.
Personality disorders generally occur in those with low education levels, those who live alone, those who have difficulties in their marriages, drug addicts, and rape crimes. It was reported more in prisoners and those who committed violent or non-violent crimes. However, research has not found a relationship with socio-economic status and place of residence (Watson 1998). In the psychoiatric patient population, approximately 50% of patients have a comorbid personality disorder.
In many cases, the presence of a personality disorder worsens the course of the disease. The presence of a personality disorder is a predisposing factor for many psychiatric disorders. People with personality disorders are often perceived by those around them as persistent people who escalate and worsen events. Few clinicians have sufficient practice for the long and demanding treatment of personality disorders. It has a high level of skill and tolerance.
Thanks to the multi-axial evaluation introduced in DSM III and the operational criteria developed, a more systematic and reliable diagnosis can be made. The field of personality disorders has thus become the subject of scientific research. With DSM III-R, a structured diagnostic interview was developed for axis I psychopathologies and axis II personality disorders. The number of research conducted in the field of personality disorders has been increasing every year since the 1980s.
The concept of psychoanalytic character should definitely be considered incomplete if there is no examination on the definition and classification of personality. Psychoanalytic schools have made great contributions in this field. Psychoanalysis initially argued that fixations that emerged at various stages of development were at the basis of character typifications. It is doubtful that the data to prove these assumptions have not been obtained scientifically (Cristoph and Barber 2004). Psychoanalysis has tried to define personality classes and explain how they are formed. It considers personality disorders as an organization that bears the characteristics of a certain period of development, and in this respect it is categorical. It emphasizes at every opportunity that the dynamics of each individual are unique, and the dynamic formulation is reshaped according to each case. It accepts that the characteristics of personality classes exist in different intensities in different cases, and in this respect it can be considered dimensional.
On the basis of Freud's Psychoanalytic Psychology, it examines the unconscious. There is a need for understanding and interpretation. It is said that each of our behaviors are actually expressions that reflect our unconscious conflicts. In the structural model, defense mechanisms are used to control the desires of the ego id and superego and to understand the appropriate reactions to stimuli from the outside world.
If the patient becomes aware of the unconscious conflicts and motivations that cause the symptoms and gains insight, he can replace his defense mechanisms with more mature ones. Neurotic, obsessive, psychotic, phobic, perverse character, hysterical, narcissistic, borderline, depressive, masochistic and schizoid typologies have been defined in psychoanalytic sources (Toton and Jacobs 2001). Anna Freud and Otto Fe Nichel character traits are classified according to the level of defense mechanisms used by the person. Normal character structure is achieved by the person's ability to postpone his/her impulses and desires for satisfaction. The ability to use mechanisms such as sublimation, altruism, and humor indicates a mature character.
Psychoanalytic theory expands the approach of psychology to unconscious processes. This theory specifically developed the concept of a 'Personality apparatus'. In this conceptual structure, called the topographic personality concept, there are three personality parts such as consciousness, subconscious or preconscious and unconscious.
Consciousness is the region of the mind that can detect perceptions coming from the outside world or inside the body. It includes bodily perceptions, thought processes and emotional states. Preconscious includes mental events and processes that can be perceived at the conscious level by straining attention. This content includes primitive processes such as dreaming, as well as advanced forms of thought such as trying to solve problems related to reality. The unconscious, in general terms, includes all mental events that remain outside of conscious perception, and therefore also includes the preconscious. In a dynamic sense, the unconscious includes mental processes that cannot reach the conscious level due to the obstacle of the censorship mechanism. This content consists of impulses that do not comply with reality and logic and that people want to satisfy as much as possible. These impulses arise from desires that contradict the moral beliefs valid in the person's conscious world and can only emerge when the person's resistance is broken in psychoanalytic treatment (Geçtan, 1984).
This theory, put forward by Freud, is a personality theory. Freud later brought a different dimension to the topographic personality theory and examined personality within a structure consisting of "id", "ego" and "superego".
The id can be explained as follows: instincts, internal reactions, wishes and desires. The stored psychic energy is the real psychic reality. The id increases the tension level in the organism as a result of an external stimulation or an impulse and activates the organism to relieve the tension. At the end of the behavior, the tension decreases. This is called the id's pleasure principle.
Psychoanalytic courtship But according to him, one of the basic functions of the ego is to use defenses to maintain the person's psychological state of balance (Freud, 1961). The ego arises from the organism's need to interact with the real objective world. The ego is under the rule of the reality principle. The purpose of the ego is to postpone the satisfaction of the need until the appropriate environment is found. It blocks the principle of liking for a while; what concerns the superego is deciding whether the individual is right or wrong and acting according to the moral standards approved by the representatives of society (Özoğlu, 1982). Values related to the concepts of good and evil are related to the superego.
In society, life and death instincts are tried to be prevented by prohibitions. The prohibition of these instincts by society causes the ego to change direction. Therefore, the ego cannot function and the drive is directed to the unconscious, and the majority of psychic energy is spent keeping these desires in the unconscious. Unconsciously blocked motivations increase over time and become a problem. These problems cause anxiety.
Anxiety: It can be defined as tension, which is seen as a motivation that drives the individual to behavior such as hunger and sex, and three types of anxiety have been defined.
Real anxiety: There is a real object of fear. The level of fear indicates the level of anxiety.
Neurotic anxiety: the object of fear is not clear. Materials pushed into the subconscious make the individual uneasy. Conflicts are observed in the person.
Moral anxiety: There is fear of punishment by the superego. Acting against social rules creates a feeling of guilt (Kuzgun, 1988).
If the id and social values conflict with each other, society punishes the person. In this case, create the conflict. If the conflict is not resolved, the person becomes uncomfortable. This discomfort is suppressed by the person, but despite this, anxiety increases. As the anxiety increases, the person becomes very uncomfortable and tries to suppress this anxiety and begins to feel the need to discharge. If anxiety is not controlled, defense mechanisms develop. Defense mechanisms serve the purpose of softening painful emotions such as anxiety, guilt, shame, sadness, humiliation and remorse experienced by the individual (Dorbat, 1987).
Denial.
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