>>7023> It is actually the personality itself that is the object of the diagnosis, not some abnormality of the brain it indicates.Some personality disorders have diagnosis criteria that I would not call personality traits though. Most of them have widely recognized symptoms that aren't part of the diagnosis criteria either, but are seen in pretty much every person with the disorder in question. The name personality disorder is bad I think, the definition itself is far broader than just personality.
The whole field of medical psychology looks like a circus to me though so what do I know lol. I'm no professional.
>I'm interested.I have two examples. One is from a video game and is the bulk of this text because it requires explanation. The 2nd is a character from a book that I recommend reading or listening to, it's only a few hours long and youtube has plenty of readings. The book is called The Stranger by Albert Camus, it's a good portrayal that represents SPD very well as a whole. It's from the main characters perspective so it gets you inside his mind and how he thinks and views things.
The other character is the Outsider from Dishonored. He doesn't really represent SPD as a whole, but the social/emotional aspects that people would typically see are well represented by him. He lives the perfect schizoid life.
The most obvious part I think is that the Outsider lives within The Void, a world he can shape to his will and is kind of like a dream. When he wants to interact with the real world he can without any issue. This is like the schizoid fantasy that every person with SPD has. Since people with SPD don't have superpowers though retreating into a fantasy life is an unhealthy daydream at best :). It's easy to get so lost in your fantasies you mix up real memories and fantasy ones.
The Outsider also gets to have relationships entirely on his own terms. He appears and disappears on a whim, only interacting with others when he feels like it. He chooses a few favorites to fulfill all his social needs. However, these favorites have no way to contact the Outsider in return.
This is exactly how someone with SPD wants relationships to be. A few good friends who they see when they need to be social, but only when THEY need it. It's like being hungry, once you've eaten you don't care about food anymore. It's very contradictory because of the two extremes. Schizoids need the acceptance of their friends, but at the same time they don't want to provide anything for those friends.
The Outsider hides his true self from the people he interacts with, to the point where there are no cracks in his persona until the final game that is focused entirely on seeing who he really is. This fits into the idea of having 'overt' and 'covert' personality traits. He presents himself as impersonal, self-sufficient, and stoic. In reality this is to cover up his jealousy of regular people, his reliance on others, and his lack of any strong feelings towards anything. The overt personality is common and diverts attention away from the schizoid because it leaves very little for people to think about.
I'm tired of writing.