Table of contents:
- Characteristics of passive-aggressive personality disorder
- Causes of passive-aggressive personality disorder
- Treatment of passive-aggressive personality disorder
Passive-aggressive personality disorder is a condition that is characterized by the fact that the person who suffers from it is reluctant to fulfill their obligations, responsibilities and external requirements of their daily life. People with this disorder do not directly express their aggression or their disagreement with others, however, they make it known through their actions by refusing to comply and collaborate. The actions that they habitually take to not fulfill their obligations and commitment to others are, for example, obstruction, forgetfulness, irresponsibility, their lack of organization, among others, which makes it practically impossible to have a good coexistence with them.This type of disorder is more common than it seems and it is very difficult for people who suffer from it to ask for help because they themselves do not recognize that they have it.
In this Psychology-Online article on passive-aggressive personality disorder: characteristics and treatment, we are going to delve into this type of condition and explain the characteristics that people who suffer from it have in common, what are its possible causes and treatment that must be followed to solve it.
You may also be interested in: Passive aggressive behavior: what it is, examples and treatment Index- Characteristics of passive-aggressive personality disorder
- Causes of passive-aggressive personality disorder
- Treatment of passive-aggressive personality disorder
Characteristics of passive-aggressive personality disorder
There are a series of characteristics that identify passive-aggressive people. Among the most common characteristics are the following:
- Challenging behavior towards others. They are people who intentionally violate the expectations that others have of them. They tend to adopt attitudes of irresponsibility and even passive aggression towards others in any area of their life. For example, in the work area they tend to turn in their work late, they are not responsible for the mistakes they make and may even unfairly blame others for them, among other things that demonstrate their lack of commitment and, in this way, their aggression towards others.
- Dependence on others. They have a strong dependence on other people although they try by all means to hide it. In extreme situations, their dependency comes out by becoming quite noticeable. They really want to feel independent from others and that is why it is difficult for them to follow orders and give in to the other, however, they need all the time to be done favors.
- Negativity These people are also characterized by their great pessimism and negativity. They spend all the time complaining that their life is going badly, about the bad luck they have had, they predict that what they are going to do will go wrong, among other things.
- Lying to others. One of the attitudes that people with this type of condition adopt is to lie to others, since they do not know how to act assertively and when something does not seem right, they do not speak directly to the other, they simply decide to do everything otherwise than agreed and lie about the situation. For example, if you agreed with your partner to buy a TV in a certain way and you don't really like that model, you will go and buy the one that he (she) likes and tell your partner that you did not find the other one. in any store.
- They hold a grudge easily. They tend to hold a grudge towards others because they almost always want to express what they feel to the other.
- False regret. If they come to recognize that they have had a bad behavior with another person, which is difficult for them, despite apologizing, they continue over and over again repeating the same action that made the other angry.
- They hint at others. Because they do not know how to act assertively and express their disagreement to others in the most appropriate way, they do so by means of hints that are even more aggressive than if they did so directly. When other people ask you for an explanation about the hints thrown, they often deny that they were giving them hints and that they are wrong if they felt it.
- Ineffectiveness and lack of responsibility. As they do not know how to openly express their dissatisfaction with others, they adopt behaviors of irresponsibility and ineffectiveness in what they do. For example, if at work the boss entrusts them with a task that they must carry out, they are willing to do it, however, in the end they end up doing it wrong, at the wrong time and even choose not to do it.
- Resentment and envy. They tend to resent and envy people who seem to be doing better than them. They make negative comments about these people, criticizing them excessively due to their envy that they find themselves as he (she) would like.
Causes of passive-aggressive personality disorder
Passive-aggressive personality disorder is usually evident regularly in early adulthood, the exact cause of this disorder is unknown, however, as in almost all personality disorders, it has an environmental and genetic origin. Some of the most common causes that have been found in this type of disorder are the following:
- Having been abused in childhood by parents or guardians.
- People with very low self-esteem.
- Having had negative family dynamics in childhood and adolescence.
- The abuse of harmful substances during adolescence.
- Having had parents who have suffered from the same disorder.
- Having learned this type of passive-aggressive behavior since childhood.
It is necessary to take into account that other mental health conditions can lead to this type of passive-aggressive behavior, such as:
- Bipolar disorder.
- Stress and anxiety.
- Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.
- Depression.
- Other personality disorders.
Treatment of passive-aggressive personality disorder
When a person with passive-aggressive personality disorder seeks help to solve their problem, it is usually because their conflicts with other people have increased considerably and they do not understand what is really happening or they have the feeling of not being able avoid acting the way they do. It is necessary that people with this type of condition receive specialized help such as psychological help to identify this problem first and, once identified, to be able to carry out actions to eliminate it.
The main objective of the sessions is for the person to be able to identify the specific passive-aggressive behaviors that generate more problems in their relationship with others, then they are taught to modify them for other more positive and adaptive ones.
The person is also taught strategies to manage their emotions that generate more suffering such as anger and resentment, while working to improve their low self-esteem problem that they are suffering from.
Another important aspect that is worked on in the sessions is assertiveness, which is why the person is taught assertive behaviors so that they can express their opinions and desires in the way they want without having to hide or express them in a way aggressive and disrespectful.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Passive-aggressive personality disorder: characteristics and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical Psychology.