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Individual Differences > Lecture 6 Dark Side of Personality > Flashcards

Lecture 6 Dark Side of Personality Flashcards

Personality and Behaviour ii

1
Q

What is Psychopathology?

A

”…The study of psychological and behavioural
dysfunction occurring in mental disorder or in social disorganization [or such dysfunction per se…]. “

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2
Q

DSM-5: What is a personality disorder?

A
  • Lasting pattern of behaviour/ internal experience
  • Differentiated from individual’s culture

Impact on:
* Affect
* Cognition
* Impulse control
* Relationships

Diagnostic caveats: The 4 Ds
* Duration? (NB onset)
* Diffuse contexts
* Distress/Disability
* Differential Diagnosis

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3
Q

How were personality disorders previously defined?

A
  • Previously defined by clusters
    Useful way to conceptualize these…
  • Cluster A
    ->Withdrawn/cold/suspicious/irrational
  • Cluster B
    ->Theatrical/emotional/
    attention-seeking/shallow
  • Cluster C
    ->Anxious/tense/ over-controlled
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4
Q

What are the Cluster A Personality Disorders?

A

Schizotypal, Paranoid, Schizoid

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5
Q

Schizotypal personality disorder

A
  • Difficult relationships
  • Odd or strange
    behaviour
  • Uncomfortable in
    social contexts
  • Suspicious
  • Unusual perceptions
    & thinking
  • Eccentric speech
  • Inappropriate affect
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6
Q

Paranoid personality disorder

A
  • Suspicious
  • Quick to take offence
  • Few close friends
  • Quick to assume
    hidden meaning
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7
Q

Schizoid personality disorder

A
  • Little interest in
    relationships
  • Restricted
    emotional range
  • Solitary-avoiding
    relationships
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8
Q

What are the Cluster B Personality Disorders?

A

Histrionic, Narcissistic, Antisocial, Borderline

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9
Q

Histrionic personality disorder

A
  • Overly emotional
  • Vague
  • Desperate for attention
  • Need constant reassurance- often
    re appearance
  • Self-centred
  • Sexually seductive
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10
Q

Narcissistic personality disorder

A
  • Self-important & manipulative
  • Preoccupied with envy, fantasy
    and rumination
  • Sense of
    entitlement/uniqueness
  • Lack of compassion
  • Need constant admiration
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11
Q

Antisocial personality disorder

A
  • Irresponsible, often criminal
    behaviour
  • Starts- childhood/early adolescence
  • Behavioural markers of truancy,
    absconding, cruelty, violence, lying
    & theft
  • Adult behaviour marked by
    impulsivity & lack of remorse
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12
Q

Borderline personality disorder

A
  • Impulsive
  • Self-harming behaviour
  • Unstable affect
  • Intense inappropriate anger
  • Feel empty & bored
  • Frantic avoidance of
    abandonment
  • Uncertainty about self & others
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13
Q

What are the Cluster C Personality Disorders?

A

Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive/Compulsive

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14
Q

Avoidant personality disorder

A
  • Timid
  • Easily offended
    or wounded
  • Fear embarrassment
    & appearing foolish
  • No or few close
    friends
  • Exaggerate risks of
    deviating from
    routine
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15
Q

Dependent personality type

A
  • Overwhelming need for
    approval
  • Paralyses independent
    decisions/actions
  • Indiscriminate
    agreement
  • Fear
    abandonment/isolation
    / end of r’ships
  • Easily hurt by criticism
  • Actions to ‘curry favour’
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16
Q

Obsessive/Compulsive personality disorder

A

Perfectionism
* Rigidity in
approach
* Workaholic
* Indecisive
* Over-meticulous
* Insistent method
* Poor at emotion
expression

17
Q

How can we define dysfunction in personality types?

A
  • Inherent value judgement?
    – Societal?
    – Cultural?
    – Individual?
  • Specific example
    (The Authoritarian Personality)
    – Historical/contextual emergence
    – Components of typology
    – Evaluation…
18
Q

The Authoritarian Personality Type (Adorno et al., 1950) Emerged…

A

Emerged from Berkeley studies in 1940s…
* Are some individuals more
susceptible to extremist ideology?
* How does this explain
subsequent behaviour?

19
Q

What is the Authoritarian Personality Type?

A
  • Obedience to authority
  • Belief in own authority
  • Rigid or oppressive treatment
    of subordinates
  • Strict adherence to rules
  • Hostility/aggression towards the ‘different other’
  • Conventional norms
  • Cynical views of human nature
  • Opposition to subjective/intraceptive tendencies
  • Superstition
  • Exaggerated moral stance
20
Q

Links with earlier personality theory? - Authoritarian personality type

A
  • Coined from earlier work by Fromm (1941,1942, 1944)
  • Role of early experience
    – Parent-child relationship
    – Parent attitudes- directed
    towards child
    – Resentment builds in child…
    Psychoanalytic Perspective
    – Strict Superego Weak ego
    – Protection from Id
    – Insecurity arises from conflict
    – Projective defence mechanism
    Modified by Adler
    Central neurotic trait – the will to power over others
21
Q

How was the Authoritarian personality measured?

A

Four self-report questionnaire measures
Interviews
AS (Anti-Semitism) Scale
E (Ethnocentrism) Scale
PEC (Politico-Economic Conservatism) Scale
F (Potential for Fascism) Scale

22
Q

Rokeach (1960)’s revision to the Authoritarian personality

A

– Potential for Fascism -> Dogmatism
– Rejection of psychoanalytic approach
– Cognitive style…
– Less able to evaluate new or
contradictory information

23
Q

Altermeyer (1981)’s revisions for Authoritarian personality

A

– Original concept overly broad?
– Based on social learning theory
– Simplified into 3 factors
* Authoritarian Submission
* Authoritarian Aggression
* Conventionalism

24
Q

What is the Dark Triad?

A

Narcissism, Machiavellianism, & Psychopathy

25
Q

Overview of The Dark Triad

A
  • Series of studies from 1998-2002
  • Hoskey et al. (1998a,b)
  • Paulus & Williams (2002)
  • Replication in Jakobwitz et al.(2006)
  • Clustering of 3 personality traits
    M + P N
    Characterized by…
    – Social malevolence
    – Self-promotion
    – Emotional Coldness
    – Duplicity
    – Aggression
26
Q

So, why does the ‘Dark Triadic’ individual succeed?

A
  • Often studied in the context
    of organizational behaviour
    (Jonsason et al., 2010)
  • Related to individuals
    AND organizations
  • Are they always the
    ‘bad guys’…? (James Bond)
27
Q

Psychopath concept in culture

A

Terminology?
In cultural ‘consciousness’ ?
– Literature & film/tv
– Popular psychology writing
Prevalence in population
(James, 2013)
- 1% of population
- Equates to 600k UK, 3 Mill. US citizens
- 25% of UK prison population
- But…
Which means…?

28
Q

Psychopathy- The Other as ‘Object’

A

Overlap with Machiavellianism
– Clinical vs subclinical?
– Triad as a continuum?

-> Three Main Components

Immune to anxiety
– Absence of stress
– Impact of punishment?

Absence of empathy
– Evidence from neural ‘circuitry’

Adept at social cognition
– Superficial charm and glibness
– ‘Pushing the right buttons’

29
Q

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R; Hare; 1991)

A

*Emerged from forensic work in the 1970s
*20 Item inventory
– ‘Observable’ personality traits
– Peripheral records
– Semi-structured interview
*2 Factors -> 2 facets
– Intrapersonal/ affective
– Antisocial behaviour
*2 additional items
– Relationships /sexual behaviour

30
Q

Narcissism Overview

A

Terminology from literature
Classical mythology…
Inflated self-estimation
Often charming, extrovert
Attention seeking
‘Stealing’ credit
Chasing status & acclaim
Self-deceptive & risky behaviours
Uncomfortable in relationships
– Warmth/intimacy/commitment ☒

31
Q

Cultural & Contemporary Effects of Narcissism

A

Twenge et al., (2008)
– 85 studies from 1979- 2006
– Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)
(Raskin, Robert & Hall, 1979)
– Increases in NPI scores

– 15 % of US students (1979)
– 24 % (2006)
– Mysterious case of UC…?
– Protective factors of culture/heritage
– Some groups score lower!

Average US undergrad scored at same
levels as media/entertainment figure…

32
Q

Can Narcissism be Healthy? (Twenge, 2010)

A

Extension of childlike egocentrism
– ‘Centre of the universe’
– Matures into positive self regard
– Confidence proportional to talent
(Often absent with less self-confidence)

Higher levels of life satisfaction
Rated likeable on first impression
Good performance in social situations
Winners in brief competitive task
But… Are differences in empathy key..?

33
Q

Machiavellianism - ‘The Mach’

A

Concept emerges from literature
– The Prince (1532)
– Innovative philosophical view
of politics & ethics
– Conflict with contemporaneous
religious/ academic views
Seizing and holding power,
via cunning manipulation…
Assumption that own
interests are central
Consideration of others?

34
Q

What defines The Mach?

A

Game playing
Resistance to social influences
Convincing, without showing personal
convictions
Ready to change position/strategy
Prefers fluid environment
Exploitative (in degrees..)
Suspicious of others’ motives
No reciprocity/sensitivity to appeals
Always malignant (triadic)? (Nelson Mandela, Ghandi)
(James, 2013)

35
Q

Contrast with Psychopaths & Narcissists

A

Shares many traits with other dimensions in the Dark Triad…
Socially disagreeable & selfishness
But connection with reality…
Self & others…
More effective exploitation
Adaptive purpose?

Individual Differences (10 decks)

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