The website, among other things, lists 100 common traits of personality disordered individuals. It is an eye-opening read.
Here is a very small sampling of them:
Avoidance – The practice of withdrawing from relationships with other people as a defensive measure to reduce the risk of rejection, accountability, criticism or exposure.
That might explain why some people cannot commit despite being set up with “top” boys or girls or they work at low-level jobs that they are over-qualified for. They reject the date or the responsibility of a challenging job because of deep-rooted feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy.
Blaming – The practice of identifying a person or people responsible for creating a problem, rather than identifying ways of dealing with the problem.
It is so much easier to fault someone else than admit your shortcomings and take responsibility. As individuals and as Jews – we know all too well the horrific situation of being the scapegoat.
Triggering -Small, insignificant, or minor actions, statements or events that produce a dramatic or inappropriate response.
For example, a husband goes ballistic because his wife baked the potatoes instead of frying them.
Tunnel Vision – A tendency to focus on a single concern, while neglecting or ignoring other important priorities.
Dependency – An inappropriate and chronic reliance by an adult individual on another individual for their health, subsistence, decision making or personal and emotional well-being.
Invalidation – The creation or promotion of an environment that encourages an individual to believe that their thoughts, beliefs, values or physical presence are inferior, flawed, problematic or worthless.
The website strongly makes clear that anyone exhibiting certain behaviors and traits does not necessarily have a personality disorder, however, I urge that those in the parsha not to summarily dismiss or rationalize behavior they find problematic – no matter how badly they want the shidduch to take place.
All of Yisrael is responsible for one another. To all people involved in shidduchim – know that you are halachically forbidden to “put a stumbling block in front of a blind person.” If you are aware that the young man or woman being suggested has mental health issues (that are not being treated – as there are therapies and medications that can help) do not try to fob a personality-disordered individual onto a normal person in the hopes that marriage will straighten him or her out.
What it will likely do is place an innocent neshama in Gehennom, and generate new neshamot who will suffer terribly from the day they are born.