ABSTRACT
Personality disorders tend to self-perpetuation. A series of dysfunctional processes lead sufferers to remain trapped in forms of subjective experience and behaviours that cause symptoms and social dysfunctions. Maladaptive coping mechanisms are how people manage their distress in a way that contributes to its maintenance. Avoidance, perfectionism, compulsive self-care and so on are core to persistence of suffering. Patients propose theories about their way of being, how they function in society, and how the world ought to be functioning. But of most use to therapist for extracting useful information are self-narratives, one’s stories about one’s own life. A patient might treasure the memory of a superb basketball goal performed as boy, which was accompanied by applause from his father. This memory becomes emblematic, symbol of self-confidence that can be used as a springboard for future decisions requiring confidence in his skills. Relationship quality in early development stages automatically shapes relational expectations and the attribution of meaning to current interpersonal events.
