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BBC radio Berkshire hosts Dr David Purves talking about personality

BBC radio Berkshire hosts Dr David Purves talking about personality

 

I spend the morning at the BBC radio studio in Reading talking about the role of personality tests in modern life, but I also got to talk a bit more about the ability of psychotherapy to change unhelpful aspects of your personality.

The BBC radio interview is available here for 28 days

Sarah Walker of BBC Radio Berkshire with Dr David Purves of Berkshire Psychology Service.

Sarah Walker of BBC Radio Berkshire with Dr David Purves of Berkshire Psychology Service.

There are vast forests of research papers showing several important things about personality that it’s useful to be aware of. The first is that conscientiousness is a personality characteristic consistent with better health and a longer life. And the second is that neuroticism is a personality characteristic that is predictive of poorer health, psychological problems and shorter life.

It is thought that the link between neuroticism and poorer life experiences is this. If you are anxious, a worrier or pessimistic then you are more prone to catastrophise. This really means that as well as being a glass half empty kind of person, you are also prone to extending your anxieties and worries out before you like a carpet of potential woes upon which to walk as you journey through life; making every step a bit harder than it needs be.

The research I wrote about last week illustrated that the damaging personality trait of neuroticism is something that can be changed through psychotherapy. In the Berkshire Psychology Service I emphasize that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a focused way of uncovering the damaging beliefs that create and maintain anxiety and low mood. While also providing tools to challenge and change them into more useful and adaptive beliefs.  Hence the negative carpet gets rolled up and put away. Making it easier walking through life.

If you don’t have access to face to face CBT and you do want to change your anxiety, worry or low mood. Then take advantage of the Panic Pit Stop Course 7 day free offer.