Chapter 12 Personality Disorders abnormal psych

Disorders are a reflection of a ‘pervasive pattern of
"inner experience and behavior" that is

deviant from a person's cultural norms’

PD usually involves what?

problems relating to others

Number of people diagnosed with PD that are diagnosed with a second PD

2/3

OCD –

ego dystonic (behavior not part of identity)

OCPD –

ego syntonic (behavior part of identity)

The essential features of a personality disorder are impairments in personality (self and interpersonal) functioning and the presence of…

pathological personality traits

To diagnose a personality disorder, the following criteria must be met; The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are… across time and consistent across situations

relatively stable

The PD category has long been criticized as lacking _ _, a function of its legacy from _nots

scientific rigor; Freudia

Personality functioning

Impairment in personality functioning as rated along a continuum; elements of self-direction, empathy, and intimacy

Pathological personality traits: 25 trait facets within
five broad domains:

Negative affectivity (vs. emotional stability), Detachment (vs. extraversion), Antagonism (vs. agreeableness), Disinhibition (vs. conscientiousness), Psychoticism (vs. lucidity)

HiTop; Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology

__ is a proposed dimensional alternative to the
DSM / ICD approach to classification

Antisocial PD

Lack of guilt and remorse

Since the age of __ there has been a disregard for and violation of the rights of others, those rights considered normal by the local culture, as indicated by at least three of the following

15

Antisocial PD (DSM)

at least 18 years of age, evidence of a conduct disorder, with its onset before the age of 15

Antisocial PD; Downward drift

hypothesis suggests their APD makes it harder to move up classes

Avoidant PD

Avoids social relationships due to fear of rejection

Obsessive compulsive PD

Rigid ways of relating to others, perfectionist tendencies, lack of spontaneity, excessive attention
to detail and order

Borderline PD

Controversial because of loose diagnostic criteria,
possible overdiagnosis

Narcissistic PD

Inflated self-image and demands for
attention and admiration; Difficulty taking criticism

Traits in Combination: the “Dark Triad”; Narcissism

Correlated with higher salaries

Traits in Combination: the “Dark Triad”; Machiavellianism

manipulative, unprincipled; Correlated with positions of leadership

Traits in Combination: the “Dark Triad”; Psychopathy

lacking empathy, often aggressive; Absent other characteristics may be maladaptive, but in combination with others may be adaptive

Hans Kohut’s Self Psychology

Following childhood period of healthy narcissism,
adults mount a façade of narcissism to cover feelings of inadequacy

Otto Kernberg

– Borderline PD reflects a splitting of the self after early failure to develop a holistic sense of self (Erikson)

Margaret Mahler

After early symbiotic relationship with mothers,
process of separation-individuation fails, leading to
borderline PD

Problem-solving therapy;

Train antisocial adolescents to view negative social interactions as problems to be solved rather than threats to manhood

Dialectical-behavior therapy;

Analysis of behaviors and responses, and exploration of what might have been done better; Attempts to synthesize thoughts and ideal actions to come to a middle ground of more adaptive behavior

Biological Perspective; Many personality traits have a __ basis, according to twin and adoption studies

genetic

Biological lack of emotional response in antisocial PD;

Low epinephrine levels lead to lack of anxiety