Unit 10, Personality Disorders
Describe the general features of personality disorders. - answer• People with
personality disorders have inflexible and maladaptive traits that are pervasive and
stable. Their ways of perceiving, thinking, and behaving compromise their ability to
function effectively and relate to other people and the environment. They experience
chronic interpersonal difficulties, problems with identity or sense of self, and are unable
to function in an adaptive manner.
• People with mild personality disorders may function adequately but would be
described by others as difficult, eccentric, or hard to get to know. At the other end of the
severity spectrum, many people with antisocial personality disorder end up in prison.
• Three general clusters of personality disorders (Clusters A, B, and C) have been
described in the DSM, although researchers have increasingly questioned the validity of
these clusters.
•Somewhere between 10 and 12 percent of people in the general population likely meet
criteria for at least one personality disorder.
Personality disorder - answerGradual development of inflexible and distorted personality
and behavioural patterns that result in persistently maladaptive ways of perceiving,
thinking about, and relating to the world.
Cluster A - answerIncludes paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.
People with these disor- ders often seem odd or eccentric, with unusual behavior
ranging from distrust and suspiciousness to social detachment.
Cluster B - answerIncludes histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline personality
disorders.
Cluster C - answerIncludes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive- compulsive
personality disorders
Epidemiological studies - answerAttempts to establish the pattern of occurrence of
certain (mental) disorders in different times, places, and groups of people.
What is the definition of a personality disorder? - answerGradual development of
inflexible and distorted personality and behavioural patterns that result in persistently
maladaptive ways of perceiving, thinking about, and relating to the world.
What are the general DSM criteria for diagnosing personality
disorders? - answer
, What is the approximate prevalence of personality disorders in
the general population? - answer
Summarize the challenges of doing research on personality disorders. - answer• Even
with structured interviews, the reliability of diagnosing personality disorders typically is
less than ideal. This is because many of the symptoms of spe- cific personality
disorders are not very precisely defined. A great deal of judgment is needed to know if a
person's behavior meets the standard in each case.
• Many different interviews and self-report measures can be used to assess personality
and personality disorders. There is not always high agreement between the diagnoses
made with one instrument versus another.
• Classifying personality disorders in a categorical manner may not be the best
approach. Most researchers today agree that a dimensional approach for assessing
personality disorders has many advantages and would be preferable.
• It is difficult to determine the causes of personality disorders because most studies to
date are retrospective.
• Most people with one personality disorder have at least one more personality disorder
as well. This complicates research.
What are three reasons for the high frequency of misdiagnoses of personality
disorders? - answer
What are two reasons why it is difficult to conduct research on personality disorders? -
answer
List the three Cluster A personality disorders and describe the key clinical features of
each. - answer• The Cluster A personality disorders are paranoid, schizoid, and
schizotypal personality disorder. Indi- viduals with Cluster A disorders seem odd or
eccentric.
• Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by sus- piciousness and mistrust. It is
equally common in men and women and has a prevalence of around 1 to 2 percent.
Little is known about the causes of paranoid personality disorder although people with
this disorder are at increased risk for schizophrenia
.
• People with schizoid personality disorder have little interest in developing social
relationships. They are not emotionally expressive. They are viewed by others as being
cold and aloof. The lifetime prevalence of schizoid personality disorder is around 1
percent and the disorder is more common in men than women. Not much is known
about the causes of schizoid per- sonality disorder, in part because such people have
little interest in taking part in research.
Describe the general features of personality disorders. - answer• People with
personality disorders have inflexible and maladaptive traits that are pervasive and
stable. Their ways of perceiving, thinking, and behaving compromise their ability to
function effectively and relate to other people and the environment. They experience
chronic interpersonal difficulties, problems with identity or sense of self, and are unable
to function in an adaptive manner.
• People with mild personality disorders may function adequately but would be
described by others as difficult, eccentric, or hard to get to know. At the other end of the
severity spectrum, many people with antisocial personality disorder end up in prison.
• Three general clusters of personality disorders (Clusters A, B, and C) have been
described in the DSM, although researchers have increasingly questioned the validity of
these clusters.
•Somewhere between 10 and 12 percent of people in the general population likely meet
criteria for at least one personality disorder.
Personality disorder - answerGradual development of inflexible and distorted personality
and behavioural patterns that result in persistently maladaptive ways of perceiving,
thinking about, and relating to the world.
Cluster A - answerIncludes paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.
People with these disor- ders often seem odd or eccentric, with unusual behavior
ranging from distrust and suspiciousness to social detachment.
Cluster B - answerIncludes histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline personality
disorders.
Cluster C - answerIncludes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive- compulsive
personality disorders
Epidemiological studies - answerAttempts to establish the pattern of occurrence of
certain (mental) disorders in different times, places, and groups of people.
What is the definition of a personality disorder? - answerGradual development of
inflexible and distorted personality and behavioural patterns that result in persistently
maladaptive ways of perceiving, thinking about, and relating to the world.
What are the general DSM criteria for diagnosing personality
disorders? - answer
, What is the approximate prevalence of personality disorders in
the general population? - answer
Summarize the challenges of doing research on personality disorders. - answer• Even
with structured interviews, the reliability of diagnosing personality disorders typically is
less than ideal. This is because many of the symptoms of spe- cific personality
disorders are not very precisely defined. A great deal of judgment is needed to know if a
person's behavior meets the standard in each case.
• Many different interviews and self-report measures can be used to assess personality
and personality disorders. There is not always high agreement between the diagnoses
made with one instrument versus another.
• Classifying personality disorders in a categorical manner may not be the best
approach. Most researchers today agree that a dimensional approach for assessing
personality disorders has many advantages and would be preferable.
• It is difficult to determine the causes of personality disorders because most studies to
date are retrospective.
• Most people with one personality disorder have at least one more personality disorder
as well. This complicates research.
What are three reasons for the high frequency of misdiagnoses of personality
disorders? - answer
What are two reasons why it is difficult to conduct research on personality disorders? -
answer
List the three Cluster A personality disorders and describe the key clinical features of
each. - answer• The Cluster A personality disorders are paranoid, schizoid, and
schizotypal personality disorder. Indi- viduals with Cluster A disorders seem odd or
eccentric.
• Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by sus- piciousness and mistrust. It is
equally common in men and women and has a prevalence of around 1 to 2 percent.
Little is known about the causes of paranoid personality disorder although people with
this disorder are at increased risk for schizophrenia
.
• People with schizoid personality disorder have little interest in developing social
relationships. They are not emotionally expressive. They are viewed by others as being
cold and aloof. The lifetime prevalence of schizoid personality disorder is around 1
percent and the disorder is more common in men than women. Not much is known
about the causes of schizoid per- sonality disorder, in part because such people have
little interest in taking part in research.
