# The OCPD Conundrum



## Giga Blender (May 22, 2012)

As my username implies I have obsessive compulsive personality disorder and frequently test as an ISTJ, though if I am particularly relaxed I have been known to test INTJ (relaxation for me is akin to winning the lottery, extremely rare and short lived, often ending in tears). The thing with OCPD is it is a disorder which the majority of sufferers simply never realize they have until they change careers late in life, or lose their job for some reason, and are incapable of finding a new one because of rigid standards they've set for themselves. 

The reason for this sometimes decades long lapse in diagnosis is because of the thought process of those with OCPD. At a very young age we begin to develop a preoccupation with controlling the world around us to the point that everything is statistically predictable and we can control how we react because we know with a very small margin of error what to expect at all times, we're just going through the motions. This intense study of reality and assumptions made with very well researched bases are taken for granted and we begin at an early age forming an idealized perception of the world with incredibly complex detail, and often make several small oversights and errors which inevitably will break that perception, but the process can take several decades. The longer it lasts the more devastating the break will be. 

You can see this process in my cognitive functions in fact; thinking came first, followed by introverted sensing (the majority of OCPDers were loners as children). Then with my wealth of knowledge I stopped having to think and sense my environment and began intuitively understanding things through a very well formed perception of the world which worked in 99% of all circumstances. My feelings and lastly extroverted sensing are very poorly developed and really I've only begun to understand those functions in the past three years.

I'm a lucky OCPDer, I broke my world when I was 19. I've been working for the past three years to understand all that OCPD is and identifying the parts of me that are rooted in these irrational fears that developed in my childhood in an effort to stop and take life a little less seriously.

I'm tired of the stress and anxiety and can't begin to fathom just how jaded it would make me in my 40s since mentally I've felt like I was 36 since I was 15. I'm not even complaining about all that this disorder makes me capable of, I am much more intelligent than the vast majority of people I've met with a very wide interest in topics. 

What I am complaining about is I don't know for certain what my personality type is. Obviously I test ISTJ with the MBTI, and yes I am answering all of the questions with complete honesty, that is the principle of my life along with respect and I simply cannot bring myself to do otherwise. The conundrum is when I'm relaxed as I mentioned I test INTJ, and while I share a large portion of ISTJ characteristics, I equally share portions of INTJ. It is important to me to be able to try and identify what characteristics OCPD shares with which personality type to try and untangle who I am from who I am with OCPD. 

Here are some of the common symptoms of OCPD;



Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost  
Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)  
Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)  
Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)  
Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value  
Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things  
Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes  
Shows significant rigidity and stubbornness 
 

I would like your opinion on the matter of where OCPD lies in the spectrum of personality types. I am also a member of an OCPD support group (which in itself is highly unusual, we are exceedingly reclusive) and we've discussed personality types before to an extent but can't reach a conclusion. I don't mean to suggest that OCPD is a result of any one personality type but I believe that at its core it is an amplified representation of one. I am working under the idea that by figuring this out I may more accurately understand both my disorder, and who I am. 

I've made great strides in the last three years by turning my attention to detail inward and becoming introspective but I value the second opinion. I once thought I could see everything and that world shattered pretty spectacularly.


Thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?
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## Bast (Mar 23, 2011)

I think that typing becomes infinitely more complicated when personality disorders or other mental disorders come into play. I've had to deal with something similar when typing myself. I don't really have any conclusive tips to give you, but I'm sure you will come to your own conclusions eventually.


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## Finagle (Jun 4, 2011)

I'm a ISTP, and I have a generalized anxiety disorder with some ocpd tendencies.
I can relate to your post.
OCPD behaviors do look like what a very stereotypical unhealthy IxTJ would do.
I don't think the result of your test can help you further. They aren't generally very accurate.
What might be interesting would be to look at Se/Ne. On of those two should be your inferior. Sometime, it's easier to find your dominant by finding your inferior first.


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