Week 11 - Personality Disorders (PSYC3026)

Chapter 17

Personality disorders

Disorders which are stable, social, and ego-syntonic.

Ego-syntonic

An attribute of disorders in which a person believes their symptoms are desirable, valuable, or normal aspects of their own self.

Ego-dystonic

An attribute of disorders in which a person believes their symptoms are undesirable, and would like to be cured.

Schizotypal personality disorder

A personality disorder characterised by extreme patterns of:

- Odd thoughts

- Unconventional behaviour

- Strange ideas

- Superstitious beliefs

- Odd or unkempt clothing

- Unique ideologies

- Discomfort relating to other people

- Difficulty in close relationships

- Potentially off-putting behaviour

Narcissistic personality disorder

A personality disorder characterised by extreme ego-syntonic patterns of:

- Beliefs of self-exceptionalism

- Expectation of and need for flattery and admiration

- First impressions of extraversion, confidence, or charisma

- Manipulative, exploitative, or damaging tendencies

- Expectation of special treatment

- Feelings of being justified in taking advantage of others

- Arrogance

- Lack of empathy, generally being inconsiderate

- Vulnerability to disappointment, ego threat, and sense of personal victimhood

Antisocial personality disorder

A personality disorder* characterised by patterns of:

- Socially unacceptable behaviours (e.g. vandalism, harassment, theft, burglary, illegal drug dealing)

- Impulsivity

- Engagement in risky behaviours (e.g. reckless driving, drug abuse, dangerous sexual practices)

- Irritability

- Aggression

- Irrisponsibility

- Lack of concern for harm done to others

- Domestic or social abuse

- Rationalisation that the world is cruel and unfair, and such cruelty and unfairness must be met in kind

- Particularly dangerous when combined with psychopathy, which increases risk of choosing victims based on calculated traits

*May be maladaptive coping mechanism to deal with stressors of low SES in urban settings.

Borderline personality disorder

A personality disorder characterised be extreme patterns of:

- Unstable and confused behaviour

- Poor sense of identity

- Patterns of self-harm or suicide attempts

- Chaotic or erratic thoughts, emotions, and behaviours

- Difficulty in having other people read them

- Emotional instability

- "Emotional hemophilia" - once an emotion gains momentum, it will consume the person and cause immense suffering until there is no more emotion to give

- "Emotional cascades" - "vicious cycles of intense rumination and negative affect" which lead to extreme suffering

- Oversimplifying reality into binary extremes (e.g. all good or all bad)

Avoidant personality disorder

A personality disorder characterised be extreme patterns of:

- Fear of failure, rejection, ridicule, or criticism

- Avoid normal school, work, or social interactions

- Need reassurance of uncritical acceptance

- Active inhibition of emotional expression

- Constricted social world

- Deep cravings for affection and social acceptance

- Fantasies about positive social interaction

- Difficulty in the workplace

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

A personality disorder characterised be extreme patterns of:

- Need for order and structure

- Ritual and rule-following

- Strong belief that their way of doing things is the only right way

- Extreme neatness OR hoarding

- Stereotypical workaholic, but seldom accomplish much

- Ego-syntonic OR ego-dystonic behaviours

- Anxiety if events do not go as planned

The Bad Five

Negative, maladaptive traits which are the opposite of the Big Five.

1. Negative affectivity

2. Detachment

3. Antagonism

4. Disinhibition

5. Psychoticism

Negative affectivity

A tendency to feel negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and suspicion. One of the Bad Five traits, the opposite of Emotional Stability.

Detachment

A tendency to withdraw from and to avoid emotional contacts with other people. One of the Bad Five traits, the opposite of Extraversion.

Antagonism

Socially harmful tendencies including deceitfulness, grandiosity, callousness, and manipulativeness. One of the Bad Five traits, the opposite of Agreeableness.

Disinhibition

Tendencies characterised by careless and impulsive behaviour. The functional opposite of this trait - compulsivity - involves rigid overcontrol and perfectionism, which can be equally maladaptive. One of the Bad Five traits, the opposite of Conscientiousness.

Psychoticism

A tendency to have bizarre thoughts or experiences, and to exhibit eccentric behaviour. One of the Bad Five traits, the opposite of Lucidity.

Cluster A

A group of disorders characterised by odd or eccentric patterns of thinking. Includes:

- Schizotypal

- Schizoid

- Paranoid

Cluster C

A group of disorders characterised by anxious and avoidant emotional styles. Includes:

- Dependent

- Avoidant

- Obsessive-compulsive (OCPD)

Cluster B

A group of disorders characterised by impulsive and erratic patterns of behaviour. These tend to be the most stable over time. Includes:

- Histrionic

- Narcissistic

- Antisocial

- Borderline