These three problematic thinking patterns tend to co-occur and lead to considerable problems with the disturbed character developing any sense of personal responsibility and accountability.

Disturbed characters have no sense of balance, fairness or compromise. The demandingness they bring to a relationship is a most frequent source of conflict and relationship distress.

Disordered characters place a premium on the pursuit of pleasure. They tend to crave stimulation and excitement and have an inordinate distaste for anything they might regard as boring, tedious or mundane. They’re committed to their comfort and hate being inconvenienced or burdened.

Disturbed characters think there’s nothing worse than admitting a mistake, backing down in a conflict, or giving in to someone else — because it makes them look inadequate or “weak.”

Disturbed characters often think they’re so smart, so clever, or so “special” that they can do what most others wouldn’t dream of trying and somehow get away with it. They see themselves as “legends in their own minds.”

Most of the time, the disordered character will act first and think about what they’ve done later.

Disordered characters often live in a world of their own fantasy, adhering to the belief that “thinking makes it so.”