Millon's Personality Types (As Ice Cream Flavors)

As with all conceptualizations and theories, none are fully complete. So, here we discuss additional personality “flavors” established by the great Theodore Millon. Millon’s work greatly influenced the DSM-III, and he was involved in updating more recent editions of this diagnostic guidebook. The following personality typologies are not diagnoses, but they are still extremely helpful in understanding personality, and we frequently use them in psychological testing! Millon’s theory includes a continuum of severity, ranging from Style to Type to Disorder level. Millon’s expansive understanding of personality is absolutely invaluable both clinically and personally. And of course, we continue with the ice cream theme because – well, why not? #FunAndNerdy

Melancholic

If you know what the word melancholy means, you can probably guess the overall features of this personality flavor. I like to call it the Eeyore personality, though in the DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR it was listed in the appendix (aka further study needed) as Depressive Personality Disorder. And previous to that, it was dysthymic disorder, and now persistent depressive disorder. If major depression was a storm overhead, and persistent depression a fog, this type of depressiveness is a constant gray cloud that is intertwined with the entire self, and it stays put even if you’re sitting in glittery rainbows with an adorable puppy on your lap. Like Eeyore, melancholic types have a passive defeatist or giving up character that sits in the pain of life and rejects life’s pleasure.

So if Melancholic Personality was an ice cream, it would be Burnt Marshmallow – a gray flavor that wants to be sweet but is tainted by the burning pain of life. There is no joy in this ice cream. It doesn’t even look appetizing, but it’s non-threatening and just stays in its own untouched corner of the ice cream shop.

Turbulent

In contrast to Eeyore, Turbulent Personality is Tigger. It’s all about energy. They bounce from activity to activity, looking for stimulation and new things, as they are easily bored. They are enthusiastic toward life, actively seeking pleasure in life (opposite of Melancholic), and coming off as overly animated, joyful, passionate, and optimistic. They have a ton of energy, but they are still human, so they sometimes spend so much energy, they crash into a depressive recovery period before bouncing back up and going full speed again. It’s like a roller coaster of energy and emotions. It can sometimes look similar to hypomania, but instead of being an organic biological event, Turbulence is an ingrained temperament. It’s like, Turbulent Personalities are wired to view life as a rollercoaster and enjoy it, though it naturally comes with lows, while those with hypomania might feel someone cast them on a rollercoaster for a little bit without consent.

If Turbulent Personality was an ice cream, it would be “Everything and the Kitchen Sink” – a coffee based ice cream with sprinkles, Fruit Loops, fudge, cookies, icing, gummy bears, M&Ms, etc. It’s a toddler’s dreamland that is sickeningly sweet and results in an intense sugar crash. Or it could even be a “flavor flight” with little cups of all the flavors because it is imperative to try them all. All the experiences are needed.

Sadistic

Sadistic Personality Disorder was included in the appendix of the DSM-III-R (1987) as a condition for further study, but was taken out in the DSM-IV. This proposal was due to observation of patients, often in forensic settings, who were cruel, aggressive, demeaning, and lacking in empathy, who did not fit into other DSM personality categories – including Antisocial. Remember, Antisocial is going against society and actively putting themselves first. While Sadistic Personalities inherently can go against society, the main difference is that they find pleasure in imposing pain (cruelty, stress, fear) on others. They revel in the satisfaction of tearing others down, humiliating others, watching others suffer, and hurting others. Of note: Sadistic Personality does not necessarily mean sexual sadism and vice versa.

If Sadistic Personality was an ice cream, it would be something that looks just like ice cream but is actually glue and arsenic. The individual with a Sadistic Personality is then going to sit in the corner of the ice cream shop and find immense pleasure in watching others eat their poisonous trickery.

Masochistic (Self-Defeating)

Just like Sadistic Personality, Masochistic Personality Disorder (changed to Self-Defeating) was proposed for further study in the DSM-III-R (1987) and dismissed in the DSM-IV. In both Sadistic and Masochistic Personalities, experiences that would usually be pleasurable are actually painful, and experiences that are normally painful are felt as pleasurable - a reversal of pleasure-pain dynamics. Similar to how Sadistic Personality types would find pleasure in actively imposing pain onto their partner, a Masochistic Personality type would find pleasure in passively accepting the pain received. Because of this, Sadistic and Masochistic Personality types often gravitate toward each other. The Masochistic Personality type tends to unconsciously set themselves up for pain, failure, or difficulty. They self-sabotage, not necessarily enjoying suffering, but needing to suffer to feel like they exist. We could use Ariel from the Little Mermaid to demonstrate the choice to suffer without a voice so that she can exist in the world she desires. In this story, Ursula would be the Sadistic personality type.

In keeping with the ice cream theme, an individual with a Masochistic Personality would not even make it to the ice cream shop due to self-sabotage. Maybe they didn’t make the trip or unconsciously timed the trip to arrive just after the store closed. If they did arrive in time, they would offer to lick up the leftover ice cream with their tears mixed in, believing they didn’t deserve ice cream anyway. They are positioning themselves to do without or to suffer.

Negativistic (Passive-Aggressive)

Negativistic Personality has a very interesting history. It showed up in the first edition of the DSM (1952) as passive-aggressive personality disorder, passive-aggressive subtype. (There was also a dependent subtype and aggressive subtype). Then in the DSM-IV (1994) it was moved to the appendix for further research and renamed Negativistic Personality Disorder. It was removed and excluded from the DSM-V.

The main struggle of those with a Negativistic Personality is the conflict between acting on their own behalf versus acting for others. They actively shift back and forth between people-pleasing and putting themselves first. Similarly, they also shift between being irritated that they are not addressing their own needs and feeling guilty and fearing the loss of support from others. They alternate between compliance and defiance, leading them to be grouchy, mistrusting, skeptical, and pessimistic. They tend to feel like life isn’t fair, and it’s everyone else’s fault, not their own.

As an ice cream flavor, Negativistic Personality would be all the bitter things. Perhaps an apple cider vinegar ice cream with grapefruit, kale, and sardines. The sardines would still have the bones in them because of the prickle-y-ness of this personality type. And to capture the grumpiness and antagonism, it would be dyed green like Oscar the Grouch.

Compulsive

(Obsessive-Compulsive Personality)

Like Negativistic Personalities, Compulsive Personalities also have a conflict between acting for themselves or others; however, the Compulsive individual stuffs all their own needs down and devotes themselves to meeting others’ needs. But to make sure that their needs stay stuffed down, and to avoid criticism, they can be overly and passively people-pleasing and indecisive. They are extremely socially compliant and respectful of others, but they tend to have un/subconscious desires to rebel.

Compulsive Personality Disorder actually showed up in the DSM-I (1952) and DSM-III (1980), changing to Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder in the DSM-II (1968) and DSM-III-R (1987). It has remained Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder since then. While there is considerable overlap between Millon’s Compulsive Personality and the DSM’s Obsessive-Compulsive Personality, they are different in that Millon’s understanding is more about pleasing others while stuffing down all their own needs, resulting in a desire to rebel. The DSM’s definition focuses on the perfectionistic rigidity that is placed onto others in this condition.

The Compulsive Personality would be an espresso ice cream with 2.2 grams of sugar, and would be gluten free, keto-friendly, paleo-friendly, and somehow vegan. It’s perfectly symmetrical and does not drip. Meanwhile, an individual with a Compulsive Personality would be eating their perfect ice cream, while silently judging the sloppy, melting waffle cones around them. They might flip a biscuit if someone’s drip hits the floor they just spent 5 hours cleaning for no compensation.