Age 52 My Best Compliment

Andy,I am a Freshman in college and love your blog BUT:I had my teacher read a many of your articles and responses and he said, Andy is a....Poster Boy for HPD : Histrionic personality disorderMales with HPD usually present problems of identity crisis, disturbed relationships, and lack of impulse control. They have antisocial tendencies and are inclined to exploit physical symptoms as a method of false control. These men are emotionally immature (although they tend to believe the exact opposite), dramatic (although many are adept at covering it up), and shallow (although they tend to believe their feelings are so deep that no other single person could ever understand). Men with HPD may dwell on their own emotions and create a false sense of reality, effectively convincing themselves of whatever they need to believe to feel comfortable in their relationships. HPD males with antisocial tendencies shift between periods of isolation and those of extreme social conquest (each shift can last a matter of days to periods lasting several years). They may require isolated retreats in order to obtain a comfortable level of understanding and acceptable functioning. HPD antisocial males are dependent upon no one in particular, but crave the dependence of others. Although males often have chameleon-like social skills (similar to HPD females), they tend to have trouble keeping lengthy friendships afloat as their paranoia (real and imagined) may eventually lead to a near complete and permanent disposal of all interpersonal relationships at a given time, effectively eliminating any emotional responsibility and accountability. They tend to genuinely search for intimacy (many believe in "the one") while remaining unable to regulate their perceived level of intimacy for any given interpersonal relationship, making it very difficult to build anything other than turbulent relations. Males with HPD may believe in the supernatural, such as fortune telling or telepathy, including the belief that there are many hidden messages and notions in public works that are specifically meant for them. When HPD antisocial males believe they are being manipulated, they may morph into sociopathic relations with their perceived enemies, yet remain overtly loyal to perceived friends. HPD men are oftentimes intensely driven by their quest to conquer life, despite having no real sense of direction or control, resulting in frequent changes of overly passionate interests. [2] Both men and women with HPD engage in disinhibited behavior, such as promiscuity and frequent nomadic travel.I tend to believe him,but want your side. I am not trying to be mean just trying to understand you.

Interesting stuff, it appears that you copied and pasted that from somewhere... I would appreciate if you would site the source to be polite and credit the person. Thanks.I read the HPD thing a couple of times and reading my own post, I said,"What we think of ourselves is never as important as the interpretations of others, what we think of ourselves is our desires, how another person looks at us is who we are"Therefore, according to your teacher I guess I would say I am have "Histrionic personality disorder."On the other hand, you need to make your own decisions. I of course could self-analize myself for days. It is possible he is a professor that I have truly pissed off personally in real life.Tell him thanks for reading the blogs and comments on the blog to the class. I guess I am getting another compliment today.Labels are very difficult to debate, I am sure I am on scale of 1 to 10 having all these characteristis, however not really important. Self-worth and Self-Esteem is measured often by the mastery of something, maybe I have a mastery a blogging or travel, therefore I feel confident doing these activities.I am sorry I can not answer your question better, to defend myself would be dysfuntional.hehehe...If he has some good terms to label people, I would love to understand why many readers wish to prove me incompetant or wrong.Enjoy your life, do what you want, make your own decisions and accept that it is ok to be different, and it is ok to be insane. Even if a person is insane, they are not doing it to hurt other people.If by chance you feel I am have bad intentions than please stop reading this blog for your own peace of mind.Say Hi to your class.

Andy, I hope you don't take comments like that too seriously. That description of HPD is about as generic as the average chinese fortune cookie. Could describe most any male on the planet to some extent. Some of its impossible to refute "emotionally immature (although they believe the exact opposite)"; talk about damned if do, damned if you don't. You can be a little mean at times, so I guess you have to expect such comments occasionally. Anyhow get out and enjoy Korea. Walk in the hills and visit the hotsprings. A very safe, beautiful country. Have fun.

Do not worry, although I am 100 percent intrigued with the "Fans" or "Anti-Fan" type of comments. There is some 1 or 0, on-off, yes-no aspect to comments.Comments are either Hot or Cold and some are truly great, I enjoy the balanced comment. I think the student was trying to learn, so I was trying my best to help him to learn.However, anyway I do it, if a professor in some college is reading my post and comments this is an advertisment, so ok.

I was all set to mention "fortune cookies" and how generic the post was when I read I was not the first. I have been "psychoanalyzed" a number of times by people who think they learned something in psyc class. Alwayts different, always generic and no opening to refute. What they claim you are is an absolute and any arguing just reinforces the diagnosis.Yes, I am guilty of being male.The Man's Prayer: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess....." --Red GreenBob L

Hi Mr. Andy, The ramblings of our modern liberals and self described scholars just tickle me to no end. "Males with HPD usually present problems of identity crisis, disturbed relationships, and lack of impulse control."Hellfire!, I dont know about you, but at first I took offense wondering if he called you a bed wetter or something. The rest that followed is typical uppity liberal nonsense trying to prop up the first statement. Its what we call going the long way around your butt, to get to your elbow. They do it alot. Basically just foot stomping that their cookie cutter universe doesnt exist anywhere except their scribblings. You know, the universe where lions are downright socialable to lambs. When I hear such things, I think of calluses. I mean literally and metaphorically. YOu being a old farmboy and world traveler know both. IN a word its called ..experience. I doubt as much with the Boston prof.Frankly, it appears to me that the learned prof might be a smidgeon jealous Mr, Andy. Maybe even his ego a bit bruised. The thought of a world traveling farmboy possibly knowing a thing or two...ooh Lordy!

There are many readers who do these insults by,"going the long way around your butt, to get to your elbow."They are caught in their own lack of willpower problems.

Hi Andy, I have just discovered your site and Im very impressed at the amount of information available and inspired by the way you live your life.I am a doctor in the UK and have always wanted to travel more. However, my work can be a barrier so maybe I need to do something different!EnjoyPaul

Andrew,I was a psychologist for a few years until I couldn't listen anymore to people who where basically normal, but made good use of their companies medical insurance. They would never had come to me if they had to actually pay full price for my service. I would say only 25 percent of people in therapy actually need it.Andy your fine. Your thoughts and ideas are clear and are not illusionary.The HPD diagnosis is a joke. I would be more worried about a STD diagnosis. ha ha :) Your living a life many envy and you know it. That you don't try to rub it in is what gets some people too complain that your "this or that label" If anything you may have a touch of OCD disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder with that perfect backpack compulsion you drone on about. You would simply want to contact major backpack companies that would surly listen to you should you have good ideas. You do not trust these companies with your ideas and want to do it on your own. This is not 1932. You can simply file a patient on line (cheaper than traveling to 3rd world seamstresses) and correspond with companies that may want to work with you. I would not call it paranoid just "over protective of your experiences" like a older first-time parent.Try L.L. Bean in Maine. They have a great prototype department in taking ideas and turning them into working products, plus I believe they are as honest of a company as you can get. I am sure there are others. Best deal with a American or Canadian,UK,Aussie company as they play fair as you well know.Good LuckDoc Charles

I am positive I can be obsessive compulsive and have given up many additions. Alcohol, Food, Work, etc, I have an obsessive mind.LL Bean and other companies are of course good idea if the goal is to make money.I do not wish to live in the USA therefore a little difficult to deal with USA companies.As an example of business problems when you do not live with a phone next to your head, I will write emails to LL Bean, and call them also and see if I can get to step one where maybe they would co-brand the product.Now, I am not trying to make money in any way where I need to compromise my lifestyle, and this is different.