Elements of a personality disorder are exacerbated by stress and may subside when the crisis is over . Someone with a histrionic personality disorder may flirt with you and behave in a seductive manner. Physicians who recognize their patients personality styles and coping mechanisms will be in a better position to understand and appropriately respond to their characteristic responses to illness. Personality Style is exemplified by typical behavior patterns and characteristic responses to life events and stresses. Generally when he gives this lecture every medical student thinks they have a obsessive compulsive personality disorder which generally is not the case.
Most students do have an obsessive or compulsive style to their personality.
Personality Traits are enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts. Only when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause significant functional impairment or subjective distress do they constitute personality disorders. A capacity to function autonomously and competently 2. A tendency to adjust to one's social environment effectively and efficiently 3. A subjective sense of contentment and satisfaction 4.