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5 Personality Domains: ICD-11 Diagnosis & Test Guide
Dmytro Telushko
Dmytro Telushko
Practical psychologist (analytical psychology, TA) and founder of MriyaRun. Creates books, workbooks, metaphorical cards, and games for self-therapy. As a professional designer, he combines in-depth psychology with flawless visual aesthetics.
ICD-11 personality diagnosis explained. Discover the 5 character domains instead of labels. Take the checklist and find balance with MriyaRun.

5 Dimensions of Personality: A Complete Guide to Diagnosis (ICD-11)

A Revolution in Understanding Personality

Psychiatry is moving away from old labels. In the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), specific personality disorders (such as "Histrionic", "Schizoid" or "Narcissistic") have been abolished.
Instead of attaching a single diagnosis, specialists now assess a personality profile. This allows seeing a unique map of the person rather than just labeling them. Personality is viewed as a spectrum: traits from 5 main domains exist in all people, but their severity can vary from normal to pathological.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the 5 domains with real-life examples, reflection questions, and checklists for assessment.

DOMAIN 1. Negative Affectivity

Essence: The tendency to view the world in gloomy tones and react to it with pain, fear, or anger. This is the "exposed nerve" of the personality.
What it looks like in real life:
  • The "Criticism" Situation: A boss makes a minor comment on a report. A person with this trait doesn't just get upset; they fall into despair ("I'm worthless, I'll get fired") or rage ("How dare he!").
  • The "Waiting" Situation: A partner is 15 minutes late. The person doesn't think about traffic; they are certain: "There was an accident" or "He abandoned me." This is chronic pessimism.
  • Internal State: The person constantly feels vulnerable, "on edge," even when everything is objectively fine.
Diagnostic Questions (Ask yourself or the observed person):
  1. Is your reaction to a problem often stronger and longer-lasting than the problem itself?
  2. Do you tend to get stuck in resentment, anxiety, or guilt when others have already forgotten the situation?
  3. Do you feel that the world is a dangerous place where you must constantly be on guard?
Checklist (Point System) Instruction: Score 1 point for each "Yes".
  • [ ] Intensity: Reactions to stress are excessively strong, frequent, and disproportionate to the situation.
  • [ ] Lability: Mood changes frequently, emotions are hard to regulate.
  • [ ] Pessimism: Outlook on the future and the world is predominantly negative.
  • [ ] Low Self-Esteem: Presence of self-doubt, feelings of worthlessness, or self-disgust.
  • [ ] Mistrust: A tendency to suspect others and expect betrayal.
Interpretation: A high score indicates a propensity for anxiety, depressive states, anger, and vulnerability even under minor stress.

DOMAIN 2. Detachment

Essence: Emotional and social distance. This is not a fear of communication (as in social phobia), but a lack of need for it and an inability to derive pleasure from it.
What it looks like in real life:
  • The "Party" Situation: A person is invited to a party. They refuse not out of shyness, but because they genuinely don't understand why they should waste energy on empty talk. They are more comfortable with a book or computer.
  • The "Empathy" Situation: A friend talks about a tragedy. The person with detachment understands the facts ("this is bad") but feels no emotional response. They appear cold or robotic.
  • Pleasure: It is hard for them to name things that bring them intense joy (anhedonia).
Diagnostic Questions:
  1. Do you prefer solitary activities, even if there is an opportunity to be in a group?
  2. Do others tell you that you are cold, indifferent, or "hard to reach"?
  3. Does it seem to you that other people's emotions are exaggerated or incomprehensible?
Checklist (Point System) Instruction: Score 1 point for each "Yes".
  • [ ] Social Isolation: Avoidance of contacts, lack of need for friendly or close ties.
  • [ ] Coldness: Restraint in expressing feelings; emotions seem scarce or absent.
  • [ ] Anhedonia: Reduced ability to experience pleasure, joy, or interest.
  • [ ] Passivity: Lack of initiative in communication, indifferent attitude toward people.
  • [ ] Distance: Preference for solitude even in the presence of others.
Interpretation: A high score suggests a low level of extraversion, alienation, and a reluctance to maintain not only intimate but also friendly relationships.

DOMAIN 3. Dissociality

Essence: Disregard for the rights and feelings of others. The "Self" is at the center of the world, and others are merely means to achieve goals.
What it looks like in real life:
  • The "Queue" Situation: A person cuts in line or takes a handicapped parking spot, believing they "need it more" or that rules are for "ordinary people" while they are an exception (grandiosity).
  • The "Conflict" Situation: If their actions hurt someone, they feel no guilt. They say: "It's his fault for being weak" or "He shouldn't have provoked me" (lack of empathy).
  • Manipulation: They can be charming to get what they want but instantly become cruel if refused.
Diagnostic Questions:
  1. Do you believe you possess special rights that others do not?
  2. Are you prone to using lies or cunning to get your way without feeling remorse?
  3. Does other people's weakness or sentimentality irritate you?
Checklist (Point System) Instruction: Score 1 point for each "Yes".
  • [ ] Egocentrism: Certainty of priority rights, expectation of admiration, concern only for one's own comfort at the expense of others.
  • [ ] Lack of Empathy: Indifference to others' feelings, callousness in response to others' suffering.
  • [ ] Manipulativeness: Using other people, deceit, and meanness to achieve one's goals.
  • [ ] Hostility: Aggressive behavior (physical or psychological), cruelty.
  • [ ] Social Irresponsibility: Disregard for laws, rules, and social obligations.
Interpretation: A high score is characteristic of people prone to exploiting others, with inflated self-esteem ("grandiosity") and an inability to empathize.

DOMAIN 4. Disinhibition

Essence: Living "here and now" without brakes. Action happens faster than the thought of consequences.
What it looks like in real life:
  • The "Money" Situation: Upon receiving a paycheck, a person might blow it all in one night on a party or spontaneous purchase, not thinking about how to pay rent tomorrow.
  • The "Work" Situation: They find routine tasks boring. They abandon projects halfway or quit "to nowhere" due to a momentary conflict.
  • Risk: Dangerous driving, unprotected sex, substance use — because they "felt like it" right now.
Diagnostic Questions:
  1. Have you ever done things under the influence of emotions that you regretted an hour later?
  2. Is it hard for you to stick to long-term plans and fulfill boring obligations?
  3. Do people say you are unreliable or unpredictable?
Checklist (Point System) Instruction: Score 1 point for each "Yes".
  • [ ] Impulsivity: Actions occur instantly under the influence of emotions or external stimuli.
  • [ ] Recklessness: Ignoring risks and potential danger to oneself or others.
  • [ ] Irresponsibility: Inability to plan or account for long-term consequences.
  • [ ] Distractibility: Inability to focus, chaotic behavior in affairs.
  • [ ] Unpredictability: Behavior that cannot be logically predicted.
Interpretation: A high score indicates a deficit in impulse control, a tendency toward risky behavior, and living "in the moment."

DOMAIN 5. Anankastia

Essence: Hyper-control, perfectionism, and rigidity. This is the exact opposite of disinhibition.
What it looks like in real life:
  • The "Order" Situation: A person spends hours aligning books on a shelf or re-checking a report. If someone moves an item, they feel almost physical pain or anger.
  • The "Rules" Situation: They insist that everyone (family, colleagues) do everything "correctly" (meaning, as they said). They cannot relax and delegate tasks.
  • Emotions: They consider showing emotions a weakness, always restrained, rational, and often moralizing ("things must be done properly").
Diagnostic Questions:
  1. Do you spend so much time on details that you sometimes fail to get the main thing done?
  2. Does it irritate you when others do things not up to your standards or break rules?
  3. Is it hard for you to throw away old things or change a habitual route?
Checklist (Point System) Instruction: Score 1 point for each "Yes".
  • [ ] Perfectionism: Striving for the ideal, scrupulous attention to details at the expense of the essence.
  • [ ] Rigid Control: The need to control oneself, other people, and situations.
  • [ ] Rigidity: Stubbornness, inflexibility, strict adherence to rules and schedules, inability to adapt.
  • [ ] Emotional Constriction: Suppression of emotions, excessive rationality.
  • [ ] Moralizing: Preoccupation with "what is good and bad," rigid standards of behavior.
Interpretation: A high score is typical for conservative, orderly people who experience stress if something goes off plan or violates their "ideal."

How Classic Diagnoses Look Through the ICD-11 Prism

Below describes how familiar archetypes break down into constituent elements (domains) in the new system:
1. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: The leading domain is Dissociality. Sometimes Negative Affectivity is added (vulnerable narcissism).
  • Characteristic Behavior: A feeling that "everyone owes me." The person might arrive late and get angry that they weren't waited for. Using people as functions to achieve goals.
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: Pure Detachment.
  • Characteristic Behavior: Working remotely without a camera not out of fear, but out of a lack of interest in people. Spending weekends in total isolation.
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: Anankastia.
  • Characteristic Behavior: A scandal over a cup standing the wrong way. Severe stress from a violation of established order.
4. Antisocial Disorder / Psychopathy (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: A combination of Dissociality and Disinhibition.
  • Characteristic Behavior: Taking a loan without intending to repay (irresponsibility) and threatening collectors with physical violence (hostility).
5. Avoidant Personality Disorder (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: Negative Affectivity plus Detachment.
  • Characteristic Behavior: The person wants to go to a party but is afraid. Avoidance of contacts occurs due to fear of criticism and low self-esteem, not emotional coldness.
6. Borderline Personality Disorder / BPD (Old Diagnosis)
  • ICD-11 Profile: Retained as a special specifier "Borderline Pattern".
  • Characteristic Behavior: Total instability. "Love-Hate" fluctuations. Self-harm. Intolerance of loneliness.

Important Diagnostic Concepts

1. Severity Spectrum: Where is the Line? Scoring points in one of the domains is not yet a diagnosis, but a description of character. A "Personality Disorder" diagnosis is made only if three conditions are met:
  1. Pervasiveness: Manifests everywhere (at home, work, on vacation).
  2. Stability: Observed for years (usually since youth, minimum 2 years).
  3. Maladaptation: Leads to suffering for the person themselves or destroys their social life and work.
Severity Scale :
  • No Disorder: Traits exist, but the person is flexible.
  • Personality Difficulty: Traits interfere, but life is not ruined.
  • Mild Disorder: Problems in some spheres, but others are preserved (e.g., a bad employee but a good family man).
  • Moderate Disorder: Problems in most spheres, conflicts, relationship breakups.
  • Severe Disorder: Total impairment, harm to self/others, loss of understanding "Who am I?".
2. Why Don't They Seek Treatment? (Ego-Syntony) This is a key point for understanding :
  • A person with neurosis understands that something is wrong with them (Ego-dystony). Anxiety bothers them; they want to get rid of it.
  • A person with a personality disorder believes everything is fine with them (Ego-syntony). "I'm not aggressive, everyone else is an idiot," "I'm not greedy, I'm thrifty." They perceive their traits as part of their "Self."
Goal: People with personality disorders rarely come to a psychologist on their own. They come when their life collapses. The task of diagnosis using these 5 domains is to show the person the link between their traits (patterns) and the collapse in their life, shifting the problem from "external" (the world is bad) to "internal" (I need to change my reactions).

From MriyaRun: The Journey to Yourself

Understanding your profile through the 5-domain system is not a verdict; it is a map of your terrain. When we know where our "sharp corners" are (Negative Affectivity) or where we build walls (Detachment), we regain control.
The MriyaRun project was created specifically to turn this clinical knowledge into real-life changes. We believe that mental health rests on three pillars:
  1. Deep Self-Discovery: Our tools (metaphorical cards and diaries) help you safely look into your subconscious and understand: "Why do I react this way?"
  2. Building Boundaries: This is crucial if you have identified a tendency towards Dissociality or Disinhibition in yourself or others. The "Mistress of Her Own Borders" diary helps you learn to say "no" to destructive scenarios and protect your "Self."
  3. Emotional Intelligence and Support: Understanding your emotions reduces anxiety and provides the resources to move forward.
Do not face these discoveries alone. Equip yourself with tools that will help you become the author of your life, rather than a hostage to your character.
Know yourself and find your ground here: https://mriya.run/catalog
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About Mriya.run

Mriya.run is a motivational media platform for conscious living. We have developed unique self-discovery tools: a free web diary and an interactive online version of Metaphorical Associative Cards (MAC). Beyond digital services, we create our own original products — the "Steps of Gratitude" workbook series and unique MAC decks like "My Myth: The Hero's Journey." All of this complements our expert blog on self-esteem, boundaries, and mental health.

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