Passive Aggressive Disorder Essay, Research Paper

Passive Aggressive Disorder

Passive-aggressive behavior is universal and is a common way of registering

opposing attitudes, especially when they are unequal. A person whose behavior is

dominated by this mode of behavior is said to have a passive-aggressive

personality.

Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder is known as a present pattern of

negative attitudes and passive resistance to conditions for adequate

performance. This disorder usually begins by early adulthood and present in a

variety of conditions, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

continually resists routine of social and occupational tasks; complains of being

misunderstood and unappreciated by others; is irritable and argumentative;

unreasonably criticizes and scorns authority; expresses envy and resentment

toward those apparently more fortunate; voices exaggerated and persistent

complaints of personal misfortune; alternates between hostile defiance and

remorse.

A good example of passive-aggressive could be when, let’s say some workers go

on a by-the-book slowdown (passive-aggressive), where everything is done

precisely by the rules: garbage cans are neatly placed in front of houses; every

stray scrap of paper is picked up; the truck is inspected frequently for safe

operation. The route doesn’t get completed because of this "care."

The term passive-aggressive, when used to describe a defense mechanism,

refers to indirect resistance to authority, responsibility and obligations.

Associated symptoms include complaining, irritability when faced with demands,

and general discontent. Anger is usually expressed indirectly through

resistance, delays, losing things; delaying and sabotaging one’s own efforts or

those of others. The individual does not intentionally mean to irritate others

to oppose authority, like a rebellious teenager would do. Rather, the P-A

individual unconsciously acts out his or her anger unintentionally.

The treatment of any of the personality disorders is quite difficult, since

there is usually little motivation on the patient’s part. For details, you can

look up Treating Personality Disorders, edited by David Adler, New Directions

for Mental Health, 1990.