Personality in Psych

Started by postbacpremed87
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postbacpremed87

postbacpremed87

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Is there any room in Psychiatry for introverted (I just like observing), yet no non-sense type of people? I am very empathetic but no non-sense in that I am very straightforward with what I tell you. My clinical OSCE preps state that , "postbacpremed87 is very direct and to the point..."....some patients like this more than others.
 
You have to be no-nonsense to help patients in any field. In Psych you will see a good number of personality disorders that may take offense to your direct style. Learning how to communicate with each individual effectively is an art form. It is helpful if you take the time to understand the patient's perspective and pick up on nonverbal cues, so they feel understood and cared for while you build rapport and establish appropriate boundaries.


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F0nzie said:
You have to be no-nonsense to help patients in any field. In Psych you will see a good number of personality disorders that may take offense to your direct style. Learning how to communicate with each individual effectively is an art form. It is helpful if you take the time to understand the patient's perspective and pick up on nonverbal cues, so they feel understood and cared for while you build rapport and establish appropriate boundaries.


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Click to expand...

basically, no, you can't be total dick all the time

lol, the direct translation of the psychiatrist code above
 
Plenty of introverts wind up in psych. I consider myself one and it has never been a problem since many patients really do want someone to listen to them rather than tell them
what to do.

I'm an inpatient psychiatrist and I definitely think that in inpatient settings it helps to be comfortable with confrontation *at times*, which I'd expect a no-nonsense type to be good at. You do need to have some good judgement about when it's appropriate though. If you go all Albert Ellis on the wrong person you might end up getting assaulted.
 
I see lots of different personality types do well in psychiatry, it's all about figuring out your style and how to make it work for you.
If you are really concerned about this, do the Meyers Briggs and read up your personality type; I don't find this test very useful clinically but it's pretty good for the workplace.
 
I wish I had a psych that would tell me like it is and stop beating around the bush. If I'm being an Ahole, or stupid, let me know about it. You should probably be a psych that specializes in helping people who really want honest opinions.
 
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