Chapter 11 Flashcards
What characteristics do personality disorders all have in common?
o Long-standing and ingrained ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that can cause significant distress. Extremes. They are chronic and affect a personal life
Why they are listed on Axis II?
o Those listed on axis II are required by the clinician to consider each symptom to determine whether the person has a personality disorder. The traits are more ingrained and inflexible in people who have a personality disorder and the disorders are less likely to be successfully modified.
Describe the system of clusters used to organize various personality disorders into groups.
o Clusters divide personality disorders
o Cluster A – odd, eccentric cluster (includes paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal)
o Cluster B – dramatic, emotional, or erratic (includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic)
o Cluster C – anxious and fearful (avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder)
Describe the difference between the dimensional approach and the categorical approach in diagnosing personality disorders. What are the arguments for using the dimensional approach?
- Dimensions – the distinction between problems of degree and problems of kind.
- Categorical you do or do not have the disorder
- Arguments – whether personality disorders are extreme versions of normal personality variations or ways of relating that are different from psychologically healthy behavior.
Why are personality disorders difficult to treat?
Personality disorders are difficult to treat because person is not aware they have a disorder
personality is very fixed and difficult to change, “permanent”
What are some of the characteristics of borderline personality disorder described in the video, “Should I Live, Should I Die?”?
o Extreme emotions, erratic and unstable
o Manipulative in relationships
o Self-harm, react to emotions differently, sense of hopelessness, feel unloved
Describe the goals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
Exposing the client to stressors in a controlled situation as well as helping the client regulate emotions and cope with stressors that might trigger suicidal behavior.
