What do personality disorders typically exhibit?

Personality disorders are characterized by inflexible, maladaptive, or inappropriate traits that significantly deviate from the expectations of an individual's culture. These traits lead to distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Individuals with personality disorders struggle with interpersonal relationships, exhibit rigid thinking patterns, and often have difficulty adapting their behavior to different situations, which can result in ongoing dysfunction and challenges in their ability to relate to others.

In contrast, traits that are flexible and adaptive, or the capacity to thrive in various situations, are indicative of healthy personality functioning. Similarly, strong social skills and relationships are generally associated with well-adjusted individuals, rather than those struggling with a personality disorder. Thus, the defining features of personality disorders are their maladaptive nature and the lack of flexibility in behavior, making inflexible and maladaptive traits the correct response to the question.