Merged: INTPs with Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD)

[Anhedonia]

I think that all of you (and yes, I will generalize here by saying this) place far too much emphasis on finding specific traits or details to contrast one personality disorder from another, when in reality they overlap and co-occur all the time. In fact, there are far more people who meet the diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder that exhibit behaviors that could be considered consistent with a variety of different disorder "labels"- than those who could strictly be considered one or the other in concrete terms.


This black and white thinking is typical for those with diagnosable PD's, and I believe that it is very important to remember that everything (yes, everything ) lies on a spectrum or continuum without rigid , concrete lines to distinguish one set of ideas from another. No black or white... Just shades of grey.

If your goal is to differentiate yourself from those " others" and stay set in your maladaptive ways, then by all means, continue defining yourselves in terms of black and white. But if you are interested in healing and changing your ways of thinking and your patterns of behavior, open your minds a little, and remember that overanalysis and labeling can be incredibly counterproductive to the healing process.


-note: I am an unemployed 24 year old homeless, drug addict with zero clinical education or experience. Feel free to assume that you know better. You probably do.

 

[ZenRaiden]

Ill put a fun twist on this from my own point view. I figured that I am schizoid, because officially according the psychiatrist I am seeing I have these traits. I read about schizoid pd and I have to say I dont find any specific criteria or theory valid in my case, but....
there is a but, because I kind of prefer recluse life. My mother used to joke that she doesnt even know she has a son.

In my younger years I was always motivated to interact with people however I never liked the interactions and got quickly bored. Main reason to interact with people was curiosity not the need to connect. I just always felt that people are doing something interesting. Overtime I kind of figured out a pattern and learned most people are boring as they seem on the oustide. I got tired interacting and now the need to interact is low.

One criteria that are true I was way over imaginative. I dont fantasize about romantic relationships though. I imagine all kinds of things. 99 percent of what I imagine has nothing to do with people.

When it comes to people I lack motivation to deal with people stuff. Some rare times I get along with people, otherwise I get annoyed.

I like talking with my self. Did it since childhood, but I never had imaginary friend or some such nonsense.

Self talk in my case is focused on figuring stuff out. Reviewing facts, or just stuff that I hear that was recorded and I rewind in my head. Its just about anything including psychology since I like psychology, but has little to do with people as such in main relationship with me. I rarely think of my self as person relating to other people and I often fail to know how people relate to me or I relate to them. Formal settings are kind of easy to get, otherwise no.

I typed my self INTP mainly, because I fit criteria of INTP best and other types less, though I dont think of my self INTP. I may refer to my self INTP on this forum, but I doupt anyone here is even remotely similar to me.

I dont miss people. I dont crave connection on any level. I connect with people superficially.

Only one reason I connect with people is, because I happen to be surrounded by people and I have needs as a person one of which is to cooperate to do my work or function as social creature. I prefer comfort of a domestic enviroment and prefer civilized life over living in some cave like a mad hermit and that is about only reason I surround my self with people.

I dont hate people, infact I like people on idealistic level, but I am rather misanthropic when it comes to interactions. Reason I get along with people is I try to get along to get little friction as possible and just get by with as little turbulance.

I talk to people on forums mainly for simple social stimulation and thats about it. I tend to go inward more and more with age.

My social mind has probably athrophied a lot over the past decade and I have to work hard to go through the social hoops everyday, but its a kind of necessity for me.

Some sources even use the word narcissist with the term schizoid, which is kind of true. Its not the way I think they explain it, but it is true to some degree. Schizoid are narcissistic in sense they rarely think out side of themselves and they rarely care about what others feel. It also happens to be true that schizoids prefer their own needs.

I am sort of schizoid, but even if I am not because of the criteria and theories, I do present the typical traits of schizoids. So for lack of better word I use the term schizoid, though I am pretty sure a simple term recluse is better. I prefer independent acitvities and I have hard time explaining my self. I dont like human interactions, and I prefer solituded. When I do interact with people I rarely get any joy from it.

Normally I function best alone doing things my way since I am more efficient in that manner. In fact through out life I have always been efficient doing things solo, outside of things that simply cant be done alone.