Geek Personality Disorder (GPD) is a cluster A personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in real life social relationships, compulsive adiction for the last technological gadgets, a computer based lifestyle. Such individuals can possess an excessive self-assurance and a tendency toward an exaggerated self-reference. GPD is reasonably rare compared with others personalities disorders although its diagnostic is raising among technology related professionals and/or students. Its prevalence is estimated at less than 1% of general population (and raising).
Diagnostic criteria
Acording to the XXX, geek personality disorder is characterized by at least three of the following criteria:
Lack of interest in real life social relationships replaced by a sense of openess throug electronic devices.Limited capacity to express physical emotions.Very few (if any) close relationships with "real" friends.Knows people by their nicks and not by real names.Extreme anxiety every time a new gadget is launched.Trends to check one or more times a day slashdot.orgLack of desire for sexual experiences with another person (although replaced by other activities as hacking, coding or gaming). Others may show extreme desire for sexual experiences but a big inhability to achieve this.
Dificulties to separate the real world from massive multiplayer role playing games.Taking pleasure in few (if any) physical activities.Compulsive adiction to rss.Is above or below the optimus weight.Feels of being more productive by night.
Status of GPD as a mental disorder
It is disputed wherther GPD should be considered a "disorder" at all, since it does not necessarily involve any suffering either for the affected individual or for others. Many people are critical of society's tendency to pathologise certain personality styles simply because they are unconventional. In their opinion, such a tendency is incompatible with the idea that an individual may choose any lifestyle that he or she desires, as long as it does not disrupt the social order. Others think that, in some cases, strong GPD symptoms may result in an affected person living a dull and unfulfilling life. They think that this is a sufficient argument for maintaining GPD as a personality disorder. Some argue that a strong differentiation should be made between Geek Personality Type and GeekPersonality Disorder, the former being merely a pattern of or trend toward elective real life solitude, and the latter being a genuine and literal lack of ability to become socially engaged exept in computer networks, the degree of which would ordinarily indicate a developmental disorder if the accompanying social skills were also retarded in that way.
Self Image
People with GPD are seen as aloof, cold and indifferent, which causes some social problems. Most individuals diagnosed with GPD have difficulty establishing personal relationships or expressing their feelings in a meaningful way, and may remain passive in the face of unfavourable situations, although they run to their blogs to express themselves. Because their lack of physical communications with others, those who are diagnosed with GPD are not able to have a reflection of themselves and how well they get along with others.
People with GPD are sometimes sexually apathetic, though they do not normally suffer from anorgasmia. Many schizoids have a normal sex drive and prefer to masturbate using pornography rather than deal with the social aspects of finding a sexual partner. Therefore, their need for sex may appear less than for those who do not have GPD, as the individuals with GPD prefer remaining alone and detached. When having sex, individuals with GPD often feel that their personal space is being violated, and they commonly feel that masturbation or abstinence is preferable to the closeness they must tolerate when having sex. Is important to note that the opposite is also posible, and the may feel extreme anxiety to get some sexual experiences but a big inhability to achieve this goals which leads to a sense of frustration.
Other Issues
Althoug their complicated ways of speech may be seen as funny for close friends, other people considers a cryptic and strange way of speech.
They feel that night makes them more productive, so is not rare to find patients with geek personality disorder who also get an sleep disorder.
GPD and other disorders
GPD is far more common among males than among females, although this could be due in part to the fact that geek symptoms are far less socially acceptable in women.
GPD shares several aspects with schizoid personality disorder, depression, avoidant personality disorder, Asperger's Syndromeand in less amount, paranoid personality disorder, and can be difficult to distinguish from these other disorders. However, there are some important differentiating features:
While people who have GPD can also suffer from clinical depression, this is certainly not always the case. Unlike depressed people, persons with GPD generally do not consider themselves inferior to others, and certainly can have a fulfilling life in a virtual world, although they will probably recognise that they are different.Unlike avoidant personality disorder, those affected with GPD do not avoid social interactions due to anxiety or feelings of incompetence, but because they are genuinely indifferent to flesh and bone social relationships.Treatment
Treatment is usually not necessary, and people with this personality type don't really care if they are seen as having a mental disorder, so they generally do not seek psychological treatment, except when they are compelled to enter therapy to solve another problem, such as an addiction. They may benefit from social skills training, although it can be argued that an improvement in social skills does not address the personality disorder itself.
Aknowledgments
The author would like to thank azul for the idea of this parody. wikipedia because the structure of the text (and even some copy paste parragraphs, I'm covered by the sense this is a parody and their license). Alfabravo for his encouragment and netcrow for their valuable colaboration and ideas.
