Psychological Traits in Shades of Gray

Film and fiction are so adept at portraying dramatic extremes in psychological disorders that we might overlook people who mostly do okay—with some symptoms, but not all. Call them shades of grey. Some examples occur in anxiety, depression, and high-functioning autistic spectrum traits.

Anxiety

For example, take a college student who is finding her required science classes harder than she expected, leading her to feel doubtful about her plans for a medical career. At the same time, she is also negotiating relationships with potential romantic partners for the first time. This leads her to experience a period of anxiety and an unexpected panic attack. Maybe it is a limited panic episode, with feeling a rapid heart rate and difficulty catching her breath. She might recover within a short time, talk about it with her roommate, or even seek treatment at the counseling center, and continue feeling stressed but go on to meet her academic and social challenges.

As Dr. David Rettew writes in his PT blog, some people are "on the anxious side while others are so anxious they qualify for terms such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Social Anxiety Disorder." That is, psychological problems can vary along a continuum, rather than be either absent or diagnosed as a definite disorder.

He goes on to cite a study of psychological factors and DNA from well over 10,000 twins from Sweden and the United Kingdom that found overlapping genes between people with some psychological traits and those with a corresponding but more pronounced disorder. Other genes and environmental factors also appear to play a role.

Source: Gino Crescoli/Pixabay

High Functioning ASD

Imagine someone in a high-tech field who finds it awkward to relate to others and therefore limits interactions to factual discussions with a few acquaintances. They might have trouble recognizing other people’s feelings from their tone of voice or facial expression, or find it hard to look others in the eye.

However, they may be making an effort to improve in speaking skills by participating in Toastmasters and finding a psychotherapist who can guide practice in overcoming social anxiety. A questionnaire from autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen (yes, a relative of the actor Sasha Baron-Cohen) at the University of Cambridge might place them at the milder end of the condition once known as Asperger’s Syndrome or High-Functioning ASD; this might suggest ways to compensate by guided practice, often with professional coaching or psychological help.

Narcissism

Narcissism as a personality disorder is a widely used term, but some of its characteristics may show up in the larger population as milder traits or factors. It can often show up in certain occupations, like politicians or entertainers, at levels from mild to severe. It can have harmful consequences as a full-fledged disorder.

Introversion

Another example is introversion, a widely-known personality trait that can change depending on a situation: for example, you might be more outgoing with family or a few friends than elsewhere. In milder forms, it can be a habitual pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving which might not affect all of your life, and might be open to change. But more severe and all-encompassing forms can lead to a personality disorder, which affects functioning in many parts of life and can be long-lasting.

Take-Home Message

Of course, there are more extreme conditions that impair everyday functioning and require more intense treatment. Inability to travel due to anxiety or difficulty functioning at work due to an extremely introverted personality are some examples.

But the examples of less-severe conditions can assuage people’s fear of identifying with more extreme disorders and to understand that many others share their symptoms. They may be encouraged to work on their problems, often with the support of competent professional help. There is even growing evidence that treatment, practice, and improvement in certain conditions may be reflected in improved connections between nerve cells in the brain.