'You Look Marvelous': Histrionic Personality Disorder

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03cdedc2ddualp.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U><B>FAQs</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Dr. Silverman"><U><B>About Dr. Silverman</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great links"><U><B>Great links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mind Reader© archive"><U><B>The Mind Reader© archive</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03d64643.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> 'You Look Marvelous': Histrionic Personality Disorder</div> <div> <B>You Look Marvelous: The Histrionic Personality Disorder</B></div> <div> <U>By Wade H. Silverman, Ph.D.</U></div> <div> <U>- November 1998</U></div> <div>      A friend walks into your house wearing a heavy gold chain around his neck and a Rolex watch.  He tells you he is the mayor's closest friend.  He has come to your house because he has heard that you belong to the best country club in the city.  Chances are that you have encountered the classic histrionic personality disorder.  This person exhibits a chronic pattern of attention seeking and excessive emotionality consisting of at least five of the following: 1) discomfort when not the center of attention; 2) exhibition of seductive or provocative behavior; 3) shallow expression of emotions; 4) the drawing of attention to self through physical appearance; 5) speech that is excessively impressionistic, and lacking in detail; 6) overly dramatic presentation; 7) easily influenced; and 8) relatively shallow relationships.</div> <div>      These individuals may be described as requiring "high maintenance."  This person will often change their mind.  They require flattery.  They may be swayed by the latest fad or the last person to whom they've talked.  They can embarrass you with their mode of dress or immature behavior.  They are fickle and shallow.  If they are your friend, you will frequently have to calm them down.  </div> <bR> <div> These individuals are too insecure to carry through in an adult relationship.  You will need to instruct them in how to display appropriate behavior and keep them calm.  </div> <div> Based on news reports, Monica Lewinsky can be cited as another example of a histrionic personality.  She changed lawyers twice, maybe more times.  During the period in which she was being interrogated for possible charges of perjury and described as a lover of the President, she posed for Vanity Fair.  She informed over a dozen people of intimate details of her sexual activities with the President. </div> <div> In the short run the behavior of a histrionic personality disorder may be entertaining or flattering.  In the long run, it is self-defeating. You may want to refer them to a psychologist. </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>