Are Personality Disorders Really Just Interpersonal Disorders by Another Name?

Understanding the Origins of 'Disordered Personalities'

The fascination with human personality and its potential to cause difficulties is not a modern phenomenon. Early thinkers like Confucius and Theophrastus explored the idea of human nature, each in their own way categorizing personalities into types—some virtuous, others less so. Ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers recognized that certain traits could lead to social and personal struggles, often framing these within a context of moral failings or social dysfunction.

Interestingly, the term "character"—the root of our modern understanding of personality—comes from the Greek word "kharakter," which referred to a tool used to stamp or engrave, much like a coin or seal. This metaphor suggests that early thinkers viewed personality traits as something "inscribed in the fabric of a person"—permanent, fixed, and deeply ingrained.

This view of personality as an enduring, almost indelible part of a person continued into the 18th and 19th centuries. Figures like Philippe Pinel and Emil Kraepelin began to formalize the concept of "personality disorders" in psychiatric nosology. Kraepelin’s "psychopathic personalities" were described as inborn defects, further cementing the idea that certain traits could be permanently pathological. These early formulations of personality disorders were often tied to explanations for criminality or moral failings, portraying individuals with these traits as "defective" in ways that couldn’t be changed.

Fast forward to today, and the term "personality disorder" persists in our psychiatric classification systems, as seen in the DSM-5-TR, which includes ten specific types of personality disorders. However, as our understanding of mental health has grown more nuanced, so too has our awareness of the limitations and potential harms of this label.

Reframing Personality Disorders as Interpersonal Disorders 

The term "personality disorder" can feel heavy and stigmatizing, implying something fundamentally wrong or "disordered" about someone's personality—the core of who they are.

This perspective has been around for thousands of years, but is it accurate?

A growing number of psychologists, including Dr. Aidan Wright and his colleagues, believe it’s time to change how we think and talk about these issues. In their 2022 article in American Psychologist, they argued that the label "personality disorder" is misleading and, at times, harmful.

Instead, they proposed adopting the term "interpersonal disorders"—a shift that more accurately reflects the challenges these individuals face and reduces the stigma associated with locating the source of one’s difficulty in their personality.

Why Interpersonal Disorders Make Sense

Wright et al. (2022) highlight several reasons why focusing on "interpersonal disorders" is beneficial.

First, personality isn’t inherently the problem. Everyone has personality traits—some healthy and adaptive, some less so. Research shows that even people with mood disorders, anxiety, and other psychological conditions often score high on scales measuring "maladaptive" personality traits. These traits aren't unique to what we currently call personality disorders. In fact, they’re widespread across various forms of mental health struggles.

As Hopwood (2024) argued, if we relied solely on traits, we would be forced to conclude that either all forms of psychopathology were personality disorders, or there is no such thing as a personality disorder. Traits alone don’t meaningfully distinguish people diagnosed with personality disorders from other common mental disorders.

So, what does?

Wright et al. (2022) emphasize that what distinguishes individuals with these struggles isn’t just their traits, but the specific problems these traits cause in relationships. People who meet criteria for a personality disorder generally experience considerable difficulty forming or maintaining healthy connections with others. They may face frequent misunderstandings or conflicts in their personal or professional lives and feel unstable in their identity or direction. As Hopwood (2024) explains, these struggles are less about the traits themselves and more about how these traits affect interpersonal dynamics and self-understanding.

Finally, the language we use matters. The label "personality disorder" carries a weight that can feel like a judgment of who someone is. Historically, this seems to have been the intent. But this framing is also prone to making people feel ashamed, broken, or unchangeable. By shifting the focus to "interpersonal disorders," the emphasis moves from "What’s wrong with you?" to "What’s causing this pattern of challenges you face in your relationships and self-understanding?" Besides reducing shame, this shift widens the avenues toward healing and likely lessens prognostic pessimism among clients and clinicians alike.

A Kinder Approach to Diagnosis

Wright and colleagues propose this change not only because it’s more scientifically accurate – although that’s the driver of their argument – but also because it’s kinder. It aligns with what clinicians see in therapy every day: people who are not "broken" or inscribed with inherent flaws, but struggling with interpersonal difficulties that are often deeply rooted in pain, trauma, or unmet needs.

This reframing also offers clinicians clearer guidance. When someone is diagnosed with an "interpersonal disorder," it signals the therapist to pay attention to potential relational difficulties in the treatment process, such as challenges in forming a therapeutic alliance, vulnerability to feelings of rejection or abandonment, a tendency to oscillate between feelings of admiration and disillusionment, and the risk for behaviors like self-harm or impulsivity when relational tensions arise. By focusing on these challenges, therapy becomes a space to untangle the knots of interpersonal pain.

Understanding as a First Step

Addressing interpersonal challenges starts with gaining a clearer understanding of yourself and your life. At our Carmel, Indiana-based practice, we specialize in therapeutic assessment, a collaborative process where we work together to explore puzzling, troubling, or stuck aspects of your experience. This collaborative process aims to provide you with clarity and direction, allowing us to co-create a more accurate and compassionate understanding of your personal experiences.

Through this process, you gain more than just self-awareness; you develop actionable steps toward recovery and lasting change. We provide a supportive environment where you can explore relational challenges and begin to develop new ways of connecting with yourself and others.

Curious about how therapeutic assessment can help? Reach out to us by phone at 317-960-4899 or email us at contact@SycamoreCAPS.com to schedule a consultation.