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Histrionic personality disorder is one of the personality disorders. It consists in the fact that a person with a histrionic personality behaves in a theatrical manner, trying by all means to attract attention and be visible to others. Such behavior can cause many problems in interpersonal relations, both close, intimate and social.
What is the histrionic personality?
The name of the disorder comes from the Latin word histrio, meaning actor. A man with a histrionic personality behaves theatrically, like an actor playing a role – in his own life. He likes to tell a lot about himself and his experiences often and a lot, and he does it in a dramatic way – he exaggerates, colors and consciously attracts the attention of the audience.
How is the histrionic personality manifested?
The basic symptoms in the case of the histrionic personality are emotional volatility and lability, and – above all – over-expression of emotions. A person with this disorder has no inhibitions in the theatrical presentation of his own dilemmas and life “dramas”. He wants to attract the attention of the environment at all costs, impress the audience and gain their acceptance. To this end, it may go so far as not only to colorize its own experiences, but also to present situations that do not actually take place. At the same time, a person with a histrionic personality has a tendency to fall into depressive states, which he wants to compensate for by behavior aimed at gaining the sympathy of the environment. He can be flirtatious, but also capricious. Above all, he is theatrical and exaggerated in how he talks and behaves.
The emotionality of the histrionic personality, despite its vigorous manifestation, is, however, shallow, which usually makes a negative impression on the environment – after some time such a person is not taken seriously.
The histrionic person may also react inadequately to the situation (for example, laugh out loud in sad circumstances) and use emotional blackmail as a form of manipulation. It is characterized by a lack of authenticity in experiencing theatrically demonstrated emotions, hypersensitivity to criticism and self-centeredness. For example, such a person may present his health in a dramatic way, hoping to evoke sympathy and attention from the audience, and ignoring the fact that the truth is quite different and that sooner or later it will come to light. People with a histronic personality often feel the fear of imaginary diseases, which they tell with exaggerated expression to outsiders. Narcissistic features are often observed in such people.
What are the causes of the histrionic personality?
The reasons for the development of histrionic personality traits in a given person are usually complex and have a psychological basis, as well as those related to improper upbringing and disturbed relationships in the family home. This type of personality usually develops in people who were often punished and criticized in childhood, treated with indifference by their parents or caregivers (they had to strive for their attention and attention in various ways) and in people with low self-esteem. Also, the lack of consistency in bringing up a child may result in the development of a histronic personality.
Other factors determining the development of this disorder are inherited and individual character traits, biological conditions (the structure of the neurotransmitter system and abnormalities in the structure of the brain) and genetic conditions.
How to deal with the histrionic personality?
In the case of histrionic personality psychotherapy is the most effective form of treatment. Not every case of histrionic personality requires the intervention of a psychologist, but if a person has problems in the environment due to their disorder and is unable to establish lasting relationships with other people, a visit to a psychological clinic is recommended. The psychologist’s help consists in enabling the patient to understand the basis, causes and mechanisms of his behavior and to try to modify it. In some cases, pharmacological treatment is also necessary (in addition to psychotherapy), especially if the histronic personality is accompanied by episodes of depression, symptoms of hypochondria and loss of memory of certain facts, anxiety and hypomania.
In the treatment of symptoms of histronic personality, the most commonly used therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy, which consists in helping the patient to understand the causes and consequences of his actions, and then learn to modify his own behavior in certain situations so that it does not create problems in interactions with other people. However, people with histrionic disorders rarely come to therapy, and its success depends largely on the involvement of the patient. Sometimes a person with histrionic disorders is referred to a psychologist by a doctor of another specialty, to whom a patient with histrionic personality disorder reports with alleged somatic complaints.