Final answer:
To have a personality disorder, an individual must show enduring deviations from cultural expectations in areas such as self-identity, interpersonal relationships, emotional regulation, and behavioral control. These are not occasional deviations, but stable patterns causing significant distress or impairment. Personality traits from the 'Big Five' model differ from disorders as they reflect normal variations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to meet the criteria for having a personality disorder, an individual must exhibit a deviation from expected norms in multiple areas of psychological functioning. This deviation typically includes two or more of the following four core areas: a) Self-identity, b) Interpersonal relationships, c) Emotional regulation, and d) Behavioral control. To highlight, self-identity refers to a person's experience of themselves as unique, with clear boundaries between themselves and others, while interpersonal relationships pertain to the capacity for intimacy and empathy. Emotional regulation involves the ability to respond with a range of emotions in a measured manner, and behavioral control is the ability to restrain or control one's behavior. It is important to note that having a personality disorder is not about occasional deviations from cultural norms but rather an enduring and inflexible pattern that is pervasive and stable over time, leading to significant distress or impairment. These disorders are not the result of substance use or a medical condition. The American Psychological Association outlines these disorders and their criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is a widely accepted guideline in mental health.By contrast, personality traits such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, which are part of the 'Big Five' personality model, represent variations in normal personality characteristics rather than disorders. These are assessed as part of the continuum of normal-to-high function rather than the presence or absence of disorder.