Anankastic Personality Disorder

return to A index

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), or anankastic personality disorder, is a personality disorder that is characterized by a general psychological inflexibility, rigid conformity to rules and procedures, perfectionism, moral code, and/or excessive orderliness.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is often confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is ego-dystonic where OCPD is ego-syntonic. This is to say, those with OCD know their behaviour is problematic where the symptoms of OCPD are part of a person's personality and are generally unaware of problematic behaviours.

Those who are suffering from OCPD do not generally feel the need to repeatedly perform ritualistic actions (such as excessive hand-washing), while this is a common symptom of OCD. Instead, people with OCPD tend to stress perfectionism above all else, and feel anxious when they perceive that things are not "right."

People with OCPD may hoard money for future use, keep their home perfectly organized, or be anxious about delegating tasks for fear that they won't be completed correctly. There are four primary areas that cause anxiety for OCPD personalities: time, relationship, dirt (uncleanliness) and money. There are few moral gray areas for a person with OCPD; actions and beliefs are either completely right, or absolutely wrong. As might be expected, interpersonal relationships are difficult because of the excessive demands placed on friends, romantic partners, and children.

People suffering from OCPD have well-developed rules and procedures for conducting many aspects of their everyday lives. Their goal is to accomplish things in a careful, orderly manner however their desire for perfection and insistence on going "by the book" often overrides their ability to complete a task.

People with OCPD are known for being highly controlling and bossy toward other people, especially subordinates. They will often insist that there is one and only one right way (their way) to fold laundry, cut grass, drive a car, or write a report. In addition, they are so insistent on following rules that they cannot allow for what most people would consider legitimate exceptions. Their attitudes toward their own superiors or supervisors depend on whether they respect these authorities. People with OCPD are often unusually courteous to superiors that they respect, but resistant to or contemptuous of those they do not respect.

Personality Disorders can be caused by things like head injury or epilepsy. However, it is more common that it is not really known why some people develop personality disorders. There are a number of theories around, although none of them really seem to adequately explain what happens. One factor that is consistently important though, is that it has been around since the person has been an adolescent .

There are quite a few types of personality disorder, they are wide-ranging and are listed below:

PARANOID We've probably all heared of the word paranoid. It means that a person is overly worried or suspicious of other people. People with a Paranoid Peronality Disorder tend to think that other people are deliberately putting them down or are out to get them. They react really badly when they have setbacks in their lives and often bear grudges, or believe in conspiracies against them that are clearly not backed up in fact.

DISSOCIAL (ANTISOCIAL) These people don't have any regard or compassion for other people. They seem to have no idea of responsibility or the proper way to behave. Their behaviour is usually very antisocial and they tend to get very frustrated and very angry quickly. They can and do set up relationships with other people but they cannot keep them going, and they do not seem able to feel guilt or learn from any punishment (from the law or otherwise) that they might receive.
SCHIZOID People with a Schizoid Personality Disorder do not seem to care about relationships with other people. They are unable to feel or to show the normal range of emotions that most of us are able to. They come across as emotionally flat or cold, and do not express feelings of warmth or even anger directly. They prefer to do things on their own, although very few, if any, of the things that they do give them pleasure. Sometimes they tend to be in their 'own world' often daydreaming and fantasising rather than living in the real world.

HISTRIONIC If a person is consistantly over-emotional and constantly seeking to be the centre of attention, then they may have a Histrionic Personality Disorder. They come across as alway putting on an act, in other words, being a bit of a drama queen. They are usually shallow, massively over-concerned with how attractive they look, and need excitement all the time. This excitement can be both good or bad. The person may lurch from crisis to crisis in order to get the attention they crave.

EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE These people are very impulsive (do things without thinking about the consequences first) and seem to change emotions at a drop of a hat. There are two major types:
(i)Impusive Type

These people are hugely impulsive and often become violent in response to any criticism that they think is directed at them.

(ii)Borderline Type
This is an increasingly common type of Personality Disorder. Sufferers often speak of feeling empty, and have very unstable relationships. They are impulsive, sometimes becoming engaged in things like shoplifting and casual sex. Their image of themselves can be wrong, and the things that they want for themselves may seem very strange or unrealistic.

ANANKASTIC (OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE) These people are perfectionists and not fexible at all in their attitudes. They may be overly concerned with rules and regulations and insistant on other people doing things the same way as they would. However, they tend to put off making decisions and may get thoughts or feelings that are upsetting to them and seem to them to come out of nowhere.

ANXIOUS (AVOIDANT) These people feel really uncomfortable in social situations (for example being in a group of people). They fear being thought of badly by others, and may well believe that they are useless with other people, or in some way, inferior to them. As a result of these beliefs and feelings, they tend to avoid activities and social gatherings, often being overly concerned that they will be criticised or rejected.

DEPENDENT These people tend to be very passive and act as if other people are much better or more intelligent or skillful than them. They let other people make important decisions for them and are unwilling to ask for anything from other people other than that they are around them. They really hate being alone because they feel helpless, and have great difficulty starting things.

Click here for resources for Mental Health Professionals.