Personality Disorders: Types & Characteristics

2. Personality Disorder • Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of important social and personal contexts, and are inflexible and maladaptive, and cause either significant functional impairment or subjective distress

3. Types of Personality Disorders • A) Disorders of unhappiness and anxiety • B) Disorders in relating with others • C) Disorders in thinking and lack of contact with reality • All disorders have some of these characteristics

4. Score • 7 = T • 13 = T • 14 = T • 17 = T • 21 = T • 38 = T • 41 = T • 52 = T • 53 = T

5. Antisocial Personality Disorder • A pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others • Poor control of impulses, low tolerance of frustration • Psychopath and sociopath are sometimes used to refer to those with antisocial personality disorder • Have a lack of conscience, coldness and callousness • Prone to violent criminal behavior, believing that their victims are weak and deserving of being taken advantage of • They are often aggressive and are much more concerned with their own needs than the needs of others • Although they can be gracious and cheerful until they get what they want e.g. Hannibal Lecter • Little anxiety

6. Score • 5 = T • 21 = T • 26 = T • 31 = T • 38 = T • 40 = F • 57 = T • 67 = T • 69 = F • 80 = T

7. Narcissistic Personality Disorder • A pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a sense of self-importance

8. Narcissistic Personality Disorder • Five of the following • 1) Grandiose sense of self-importance • 2) Preoccupation with fantasies of ultimate attainment • 3) Belief he or she should only associate with others who are “special.”

9. Narcissistic Personality Disorder • 4) Requirement for excessive admiration. • 5) Sense of entitlement • 6) Exploitation of others

10. Narcissistic Personality Disorder • 7) Lack of empathy • 8) Enviousness • 9) Arrogant behavior and attitudes

11. Disorders of thinking and lack of contact with reality

12. Score • 4 = T • 10 = T • 27 = T • 32 = F • 38 = T • 46 = T • 48 = T • 57 = F

13. Schizoid Personality Disorder • A pattern of detachment from social relationships and restricted range of emotional expression • Indifferent to relationships • Limited social range (some are hermits) • Aloof, detached, called loners • No apparent need of friends, sex • Solitary activities

14. Score • 8 = T • 48 = T • 69 = T • 71 = T • 76 = T

15. Schizotypal Personality Disorder • A pattern of acute discomfort in close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions, and eccentricities of behavior • They generally engage in eccentric behavior and have difficulty concentrating for long periods of time. • Like people with schizoid PD, those with shizotypal PD tend to be socially isolated, be uncomfortable in interpersonal relationships and have a restricted range of emotions

16. Schizotypal Personality Disorder • Their speech is often over elaborate and difficult to follow i.e. tangential, vague. • May have inappropriate emotional responses (or none at all) • May be easily distracted, become fixated, or lost in fantasy • Many believe that schizotypal personality disorder represents mild schizophrenia, but SPDs maintain basic contact with reality

17. Score • 7 = T • 22 = T • 30 = T • 41 = T • 72 = T

18. Borderline Personality Disorder • A pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity • Instability • Mood instability with bouts of severe depression, anxiety or anger • Unstable self concept with periods of extreme self-doubt and others of grandiose importance • Unstable interpersonal relationships – from idealizing to despising (and promiscuity)

19. Borderline Personality Disorder • A tendency towards impulsive and self-destructive behaviors, and out of control emotions

20. Borderline Personality Disorder • Five of the following: • 1) Rapid mood shifts • 2) Uncontrollable anger • 3) Self-destructive acts

21. Borderline Personality Disorder • 4) Self-damaging behaviors • 5) Identity disturbance • 6) Chronic emptiness

22. Borderline Personality Disorder • 7) Unstable relationships • View people as all good or all bad • 8) Fear of abandonment • 9) Confusion and feelings of unreality

23. How is a diagnosis made?

24. DSM- Categorical Approach • Based on the medical model • Disorder is present or absent

25. Advantages of Categorical System • Ease in conceptualization and communication • Familiarity • Consistency with clinical decision making

26. Assumptions of the DSM • Personality pathology is suited to be classified into discrete types or disorders • These disorders group themselves into three clusters • The diagnostic criteria naturally fall into the particular personality disorders to which they have been assigned Empirical Evidence doesn’t support these assumptions!!!

27. Disadvantages of the Categorical Approach • Arbitrary cut-off points • Loss of important information

28. Alternative conceptualisations of Personality Disorders • Personality disorders can also be considered within the context of personality • Provides a better understanding of each PD • Five Factor Model • Interpersonal Circumplex

31. Interpersonal Circumplex Model • Posits that all personality can be captured by two primary dimensions: • Nurturance versus cold-heartedness • Dominance versus submission

32. The plan….. • Monday – Modern research in Personality • Tuesday – No class – study day! • Wednesday – More modern research in Personality • Final Exam – Thursday May 10th 2:30-3:30 (note: you must be here during this time)