Schizoid personality disorder
Overview
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder
characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and sometimes (sexual) apathy
, with a simultaneous rich, elaborate, and exclusively internal fantasy world
. SPD is not the same as schizophrenia, although they share some similar characteristics such as detachment or blunted affect
; there is increased prevalence of the disorder in families with schizophrenia
.
Some psychologists argue that the definition of SPD is flawed due to cultural bias
: "One reason schizoid people are pathologized
is because they are comparatively rare.
Personality disorder
Personality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...
characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and sometimes (sexual) apathy
Apathy
Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical or physical life.They may lack a sense of purpose or meaning in...
, with a simultaneous rich, elaborate, and exclusively internal fantasy world
Fantasy (psychology)
Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled "phantasy".-Conscious fantasy:...
. SPD is not the same as schizophrenia, although they share some similar characteristics such as detachment or blunted affect
Blunted affect
Blunted affect is the scientific term describing a lack of emotional reactivity on the part of an individual. It is manifest as a failure to express feelings either verbally or non-verbally, even when talking about issues that would normally be expected to engage the emotions...
; there is increased prevalence of the disorder in families with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
Some psychologists argue that the definition of SPD is flawed due to cultural bias
Cultural bias
Cultural bias is the phenomenon of interpreting and judging phenomena by standards inherent to one's own culture. The phenomenon is sometimes considered a problem central to social and human sciences, such as economics, psychology, anthropology, and sociology...
: "One reason schizoid people are pathologized
Medicalization
Medicalization is the process by which human conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as medical conditions and problems, and thus come under the authority of doctors and other health professionals to study, diagnose, prevent or treat...
is because they are comparatively rare.
