The term character defect refers to any challenge in personal character that may affect your way of life and interactions with others in a less than ideal manner. Defects of character can range greatly; one Cleveland-based AA group identifies 20 different points of concern to assess in the context of deficiencies.
These elements, like greed, can negatively influence how you lead your life, contributing to cycles of poor behavior. For example, acting in anger can result in unproductive responses to challenging life events, like using drugs to overcome feelings of rage toward others. Identifying evidence of defects in your own life can be clarifying, isolating where you’ve gone wrong and what kinds of actions are necessary to see personal improvements.