Amanda Budenhagen April 18th, 2014 English 1102-079 Steele Academic Inquiry In the movie Donnie Darko, the

main character Donnie appears to be a normal teenager in a normal family going through the typical motions of life. However, as the movie progresses, we meet Frank, a demonic bunny that only Donnie can see. Frank tells Donnie that he must perform all these horrific tasks in order to survive the end of the world that was coming in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. At a therapy session of Donnies, his therapist reveals that Donnie appears to have many symptoms that fall under the Cluster A of personality disorders. Personality disorders are conditions where a person shows patterns of certain behavior or ways of thinking or emotion over a long period of time. These characteristics appear to be very different from what is considered a cultural norm to others. Because of these differences in how the person acts it can cause severe interference with how a person interacts with other people, like family, friends, classmates, coworkers and so on (A.D.A.M). There are four MAIN ways a person with personality disorders can be defined: warped ways of thinking, unusual responses to different emotions, hard time controlling their impulses, and difficulties interacting with other people (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). Personality disorders are categorized into three different parts called Clusters. Cluster A is what psychologists call the odd, abnormal, eccentric thinking disorders.

Cluster B is where all the over-dramatic and emotional disorders fall under. Finally Cluster C is the anxious and fearful personality disorders. Disorders that fall under Cluster A are paranoid, schizotypal, and schizoid personality disorders. Ones that fall under Cluster B are borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic personality disorders. The Cluster C personality disorders are dependent, avoidant, and obsessivecompulsive (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). The different personality disorders can have serious effects on everyones day-today functioning. Cluster A personality disorders tend to affect the social aspects of peoples personalities. People who have the paranoid personality disorder tend to be less trusting of others and are always suspicious when it comes to meeting new people. Those with schizoid personality disorder tend to isolate themselves from others and arent very emotionally responsive, or dont react the way they should in certain situations. Persons with Schizotypal personalities tend to have smaller social circles and are very distant. They come off as very boring and like they are not paying attention to what all is going on around them (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). All of these personality disorders can affect people in school, the workplace, and when they are just socializing with friends and family. Most jobs are those in which a person must interact with others, and with these personality types, it makes it difficult for those who suffer from them to fully engage and fulfill their job needs. In school, it would be harder for people to make friends with these people, or to talk with a teacher if they are having issues in classes. When it comes to socializing with friends and family, it makes it hard for them to really engage with people they are supposed to be close to and have nice relationships with.

As mentioned before, Cluster B personality types are those where people are overly dramatic and emotional. These people have difficulties controlling impulses and emotional responses in normal situations. Antisocial personality disorder is when a person is manipulative (A.D.A.M), they have little to no regard for the feelings of others, and they tend to be aggressive (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). They tend to manipulate others for their own personal satisfaction (Personality Disorders). Those with Narcissistic personality disorders tend to think very highly of themselves. They are extremely sensitive to criticism or judgment from others and dont take very lightly to those who dont think as highly of them as they do (Personality Disorders). Histrionic disorder is similar to the narcissistic disorder, however people with this tend to seek the approval of others and go out of their way to do so. They are overdramatic and overly emotional when they seek the attention that they desire. Finally, Borderline personality disorder is one someones views of him or herself tend to fluctuate constantly. Their moods are always changing as well and they just cant seem to be fully satisfied with who they are. They also feel as though they did not get brought up by their caregivers as they were supposed to and are always looking to others to give them the treatment they feel that they deserve (Personality Disorders). These personality disorders tend to affect a persons lifestyle because they create unhealthy relationships with others, or they cannot maintain relationships and end up losing people due to their impulsive actions. Many people who suffer from antisocial personality disorders actually they hurt others and feel absolutely no remorse for doing so. Many people with antisocial personality types are criminals because of their lack of remorse for crimes they commit. Last but not least, Cluster C is categorized as those who are fearful and anxious.

Dependent personality disorders cause people to rely on others to take care of them or to make them feel good about themselves (Personality Disorders). They arent comfortable with the thought of being alone. They often have hard times thinking for themselves and making their own decisions (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). This can be extremely problematic when it comes to relationships, especially romantic ones. People tend to become so reliant on their partners that when they arent around anymore for one reason or another, they wont know what to do with themselves. ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder (or OCD) is when a person is obsessed with orderliness, organization, and routine. They are often so obsessed with everything being perfect that they tend to forget about other more important things. They are scared of change. (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). This can be hard for changing schools or workplaces because, as stated previously, they arent used to change or they dont like change. With schoolwork, a person could be so set on an assignment being perfect or their performance being perfect, that it can have a negative impact on their self-esteem when they arent able to live up to their fullest potential. People with Avoidant personality disorders tend to avoid any sort of social interaction because theyre afraid that people wont accept them for who they are. This results in them not being able to develop normal skills that it takes to be around others (Hoermann; Zupanick; Dombeck). This can be an issue when a person is too afraid to look for jobs because they think they might not get the position they want. They could have a hard time meeting new people or talking to strangers because they are always thinking of how the new person might not like him or her. Nobody really knows for sure how personality disorders are caused, but many studies have found that how a person is raised can play a huge role in whatever condition

the person may have. Psychologists also think genetics might play a role in a persons personality as well. Many children who have been abused grow up to have psychological problems, studies have found. Studies have also shown that men are more susceptible to having personality disorders than women are (A.D.A.M.). Depending on the disorder and the severity of it, symptoms will vary. But, for just a general personality disorder, basically if a person has an odd or unusual pattern of thinking, feelings, or behavior styles chances are they might have a personality disorder. Most peoples disorders dont show up until late adolescence and early adulthood (A.D.A.M.). Treatment varies with the types of personality disorders and the severity of each. Some people might not even know they have a disorder until something extreme happens to them at some point in their lives and they have to go get tested. Once they have been tested positive for some type of disorder, they can be given professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist. Others might need medication to help with their treatment. Some people improve dramatically without any treatment, some improve dramatically with treatment, and some may not improve at all with treatment or without treatment. Every person is different (A.D.A.M.). Personality disorders affect everyone who has them in one way or another, and it makes an impact on how they function daily, no matter how mild or severe. Its part of the personality, clearly, and what makes a person who they are. Some people might need help, others wont. They may not make an appearance until later on in life, but regardless, they may be there. If a person thinks they might have a personality disorder of any kind, he or she should seek help immediately so they can get treated and hopefully be able to have great relationships with others around them.

Works Cited A.D.A.M. "Personality Disorders." Personality disorders. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001935/>. Simone, Hoermann, Corinne E. Zupanick, and Mark Dombeck. "DSM-5: The Ten Personality Disorders." . Seven Counties Services, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. <http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=479&cn=8>. "Personality Disorders." Johns Hopkins Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/mental_health_disord ers/personality_disorders_85,P00760/>.