The Function and Dysfunction of Personality

Human condition is characterized by personality issues

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It is usually easy for us to live our lives when things are calm and easy. But how do we handle life when the going gets tough?

For this, we have a variety of capacities that help us regulate our self-esteem and emotions, set realistic goals and stick to them, manage disagreements, understand other people’s perspectives, and much more. Such vital capacities are thought to play a major role in our adaptation and survival.

For example, without an overall positive sense of self-worth, we may not value our lives and may be more likely to expose ourselves to danger or mistreatment by others. Without the capacities for goal-direction and collaboration, we cannot sustain ourselves and our families. Without stable give-and-take relationships, we end up lacking security. And without the capacity for closeness and intimacy, we may not engage in mating and reproduction, which eventually might result in population decline or human extinction.

Thus, our ability to manage ourselves in relation to others will help us survive and find meaning in the world. We may, therefore, consider these capacities as core functions in human personality. When these functions are compromised or maladaptive, the person will be in trouble, which makes it difficult to thrive in our modern “jungle” of occupational, educational, virtual, romantic, and family-related contexts and arenas. This is essentially what personality dysfunction is all about.

From General Human Condition to Mental Health Diagnosis: We Are All in the Same Boat

Interestingly, WHO’s new ICD-11 Classification of Personality Disorders, along with the DSM-5’s Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), share this focus on personality functioning and what it means to be human, psychologically speaking. It involves a so-called dimensional approach, where everyone can be considered on a spectrum of personality dysfunction rather than being healthy versus disordered. This is supported by studies in the general population showing that over 80 percent of adults recognize having at least some personality problems.

If we tune up the volume of these general human personality difficulties, it will eventually reach a point of impairment, harm, or distress that qualifies for a much rarer personality disorder diagnosis (5 to 10 percent), which can be further classified into different levels of severity (e.g., mild, moderate or severe). Despite the rarity of a full-blown personality disorder, the condition will always remain on the same continuum as anyone else’s personality problems.

As humans, we are all navigating life’s journey and its struggles together. We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea. In the words of G. K. Chesterton (1910): “Not only are we all in the same boat, but we are all seasick.” Some of us are, of course, more “seasick” than others. As a part of our shared human nature, we all struggle with personality dysfunction and human character, some of us more than others. Depending on the preferred narrative, most people have their personal issues, their thorns in the flesh, their neuroses, their inner demons, their trauma responses, or their crosses to bear.

So why does this post refer to human character and personality functioning interchangeably? Since the ICD-6 and DSM-I, terms such as “character disorder” and “character neurosis” have been used as formal descriptions of personality dysfunction. In WHO’s latest ICD-10 classification, which is still being employed in the U.S. and most other countries, a personality disorder is defined as “a severe disturbance in the characterological constitution and behavioral tendencies of the individual” (WHO, 1992, p. 157). In the new ICD-11 classification, personality functioning is defined as “an individual’s characteristic way of behaving and experiencing life, and of perceiving and interpreting themselves, other people, events and situations” (WHO, 2024, p. 553). Although one could easily argue for certain differences in meaning, the concepts of character and personality functioning are here considered as two sides of the same coin.

Human virtues and vices

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Virtues and Vices in Human Character: From Aristotle to Lord of the Rings

The traditional concepts of virtues and vices correspond to good and bad operative habits, which somewhat define the human character and vice versa. Since ancient times, human virtues such as courage, temperance, patience, friendliness, and generosity have been insightfully characterized, early by Aristotle (c. 350 B.C.) and Gregory the Great (c. 590) and later philosophically and poetically elaborated by Thomas Aquinas (c. 1273) and Dante (c. 1321). These virtuous capacities of human character may not be substantially different from the capacities of healthy personality functioning, such as self-directedness, self-esteem regulation, emotion regulation, and mutuality in relationships. In fact, the classic descriptions of vices and virtues might provide an even richer portrayal of the human condition and be even more helpful for many individuals struggling to live well with themselves and other people.

We also see aspects of character and personality functioning in Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings. Frodo would likely never have reached Mount Doom without some sense of identity, a capacity for self-direction and decision-making, and, not least of all, his ability to maintain a mutual friendship with Sam. Nevertheless, Frodo does struggle with these important capacities on his journey, as most people would under such stress and pressure.

Personality Essential Reads

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Concluding Comments

With this blog post, I have sought to uncover and reflect on some of the anticipated functions of human personality and character, the role they play in our adaptation and survival, and what it means when these functions are compromised. Relying on such an understanding of human personality functioning, the ICD-11 and AMPD diagnostic frameworks involve a paradigm shift in the classification of personality disorders.

These new approaches may offer a broader conceptualization of characterological health as an important context for understanding mental health problems in general. Their potential for a humanizing and timeless approach to personality and character seems appropriate for our present age of transhumanism and artificial intelligence, in which people strive to enhance their abilities and capacities beyond what we thought were human constraints. A takeaway message here is that at least some issues with personality functioning will probably always remain a characterizing feature of our flawed human nature, which allows all of us to be in the same boat.