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Why do some people efficiently deal with problems while others fail miserably? What is the root of the differences witnessed in problem solving approaches within different individuals? Do personal disorders play any roles in an individual’s problem solving orientation? These are among the questions that led to the study The Relationships between Personality Disorders and Social Problem Solving in Adults. This paper will therefore examine the major arguments, findings and discussions within this study. Then, the paper will examine the relevance of these findings to the general understanding of personality disorders and how this can be applied to counseling practices.
One clear argument brought out in this study is that an individual’s behavioral pattern is greatly determined by his innate traits. With the possession of certain negative traits, an individual is likely to develop impediments in his information processing. Consequently, this implicates greatly on his skills of problem solving and hence malfunctioning in everyday’s activities. Further still, this malfunctioning leads to stress that later calls for stress relieving mechanisms like drug abuse. Involvement in drug abuse leads to the beginning of the cycle which is social and interpersonal malfunctioning. The writers of this article therefore wanted to point out that the innate traits of an individual could be the provenance of most of the problem solving skills within an individual (McMurran et al, 2005, p. 146).
Secondly, this article seeks to identify the role of personal disorders on an individual’s problem solving abilities. In their study, they argue that personality disorders tend to impair an individual’s problem solving skills. Accordingly, a study that involved offenders who were diagnosed to have personal disorders, as examined against the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) showed that individuals with personal disorders were characterized with impulsive decision making, negative approaches to problems, great chances of avoidance and above al, they showed the least characteristics of a rational decision making. In addition, neuroticism (N) was identified to be one of the causes of impulsive and careless decision making coupled up with avoidance (McMurran et al, 2005, p. 146).
Specifically, this study identified the specific personal disorders and their effect on social problem solving. To facilitate this, they clustered the personal disorders in three different groups classified as group A, group B and group C. according to the results, the study found out that the disorders found in group A, which included paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal had very little implication on an individual’s problem solving skills. They also pointed out that these were disorders that were rarely diagnosed within the population. Secondly, group B which included disorders like antisocial, borderline, histrionic and narcissistic disorders had significant implications on an individual. For instance, the study indicates that borderline was greatly characterized by a problem solving method that was impulsive and careless. However, avoidance was not found to exist within this cluster of disorders. Impulsive and careless approach to problem solving was also witnessed in the patients diagnosed with Histrionic disorders. On its part, narcissistic personal disorder was highly characterized by a combination of both impulsive and careless problem solving approach and a degree of positivism. Accordingly, this cluster was found to have a common characteristic which is impulsive and careless approach to problem solving. However, antisocial personality disorder was not identified to possess this characteristic of impulsive and careless problem solving approach. It is therefore important to address impulsive problem solving because it has negative implications on it. On its part, poor problem solving negatively affects an individual’s personal growth, autonomy, living a purposeful life, interpersonal relationship, and also accepting one self (McMurran et al, 2005, p. 147).
Finally, the study used cluster C which included personal disorders like avoidant personal disorder, dependent personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personal disorder and any other group that was not put under any specified disorders. Similarly, this group had significant impacts on an individual’s problem solving approach. To begin with, negative problem orientation was highly exhibited by patients of avoidant personal disorders. However, these people did possess a low rate of impulsive and negative approach to problem solving. In addition, they surprisingly had no characteristics of avoidant when measured on the SPSI-R. Similarly, the dependent personal disorder complication was characterized by problem orientation that is negative. On its part, the obsessive-compulsive personal disorder had no implication on the scales of SPSI-R (McMurran et al, 2005, p. 147).
These arguments and findings are very significant in the field of psychology and counseling. Firstly, the article gives the counselors a basis upon which they can identify an individual’s likelihood of social problem solving difficulties. This is to say, the counselor will learn to associate certain behaviors with a given cluster of personal disorders. Therefore, when a patient is identified to possess a given disorder, the best approach to handle his situation will be identified easily. For instance, if a patient will be diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder, the counselor will realize that this patient is likely to have an impulsive and careless problem solving approach. On the other hand, this study will assist psychologists to give an explanation to a given individual’s behavior. It will be easier for a psychologist to hypothesize that Mr. X has a problem with interpersonal relationships because of his impulsive and careless problem solving style. He however developed this style as a result of his suffering from histrionic personality disorder.
Furthermore, developing an appropriate approach to a given personal disorder has been eased. With the disorders being classified into three classes that tend to have a similar characteristic or a common identifier, it will be easy for a counselor to know that cluster B patients tend to have impulsive and careless problem solving approach. Therefore, the counselor will develop his intervention program with emphasis on ways through which impulsive and careless problem solving can be controlled. However, the study has also pointed out a very important aspect of approach to interventions to personal disorders. Although a certain disorder might be classified under a certain group, it is not obligatory that it will posses similar characteristics. For instance, anti social personality disorder is clustered among group B whose members are very likely to possess impulsive and careless problem solving approach. However, this antisocial personal disorder does not possess this characteristic. This study, therefore, helps a counselor to identify certain personal disorders that require special approaches as opposed to generic group approach.
This article is very important as it gives insight on the complexities that a future counselor or psychologist must expect within the field. For instance, while it is easy to realize that personal disorders affect an individual’s problem solving style, this article gives the exact personal disorder and the way through which it affects the problem solving approach of the individual. The article further points out the complexity in the field in that an aspiring counselor will not expect straightforward explanations to certain circumstances. For instance, given the fact that an individual is diagnosed with avoidant personal disorder does not straight away indicate that he will have avoidant characteristics in his problem solving style. According to this article, people with avoidant personality disorders rarely showed characteristics of avoidance in problem solving.
This study is very important to psychologists and counselors because it offers an avenue through which these two fields can be able to attain their fundamental goals. According to the article, poor problem solving skills could lead to stress which manifests itself through depression, anger and anxiety. With stress, one’s problem solving skills are further impaired. Eventually, one could resort to drug use and abuse as a form of relieving stress. However, this further pushes him into poorer problem solving ability and hence further stress. The cycle continues. It is therefore the role of counselors and psychologists to ensure that this cycle is broken. Subsequently, this article offers the tool by which a counselor and a psychologist can develop self-efficacy in the breaking of this cycle.
A good counselor must therefore put the findings and discussions of this article in consideration as they have great impacts in understanding the relationship between personal disorders and problem solving skills. In addition, this study is reliable based on the fact that the people involved in it are reliable and can offer it validity. Furthermore, the methodology and samples are good and reliable and could, to some extent, offer reliable findings. The most important thing, however, is the relevance of the topic in the field of counseling and psychology. This topic contributes greatly because it touches on interpersonal relationships and adaptability to the environment.
Reference List
McMurran, M., Duggan, C., Christopher, G. and Husband, N. (2005). The relationships between personality disorders and social problem solving in adults. Personality and Individual Differences. 42: 145-155
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