Lecture 6 Dark Side of Personality Flashcards
Personality and Behaviour ii
What is Psychopathology?
”…The study of psychological and behavioural
dysfunction occurring in mental disorder or in social disorganization [or such dysfunction per se…]. “
DSM-5: What is a personality disorder?
- 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
How were personality disorders previously defined?
- 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Withdrawn/cold/suspicious/irrational - Cluster B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
What are the Cluster A Personality Disorders?
Schizotypal, Paranoid, Schizoid
Schizotypal personality disorder
- Difficult relationships
- Odd or strange
behaviour - Uncomfortable in
social contexts - Suspicious
- Unusual perceptions
& thinking - Eccentric speech
- Inappropriate affect
Paranoid personality disorder
- Suspicious
- Quick to take offence
- Few close friends
- Quick to assume
hidden meaning
Schizoid personality disorder
- Little interest in
relationships - Restricted
emotional range - Solitary-avoiding
relationships
What are the Cluster B Personality Disorders?
Histrionic, Narcissistic, Antisocial, Borderline
Histrionic personality disorder
- Overly emotional
- Vague
- Desperate for attention
- Need constant reassurance- often
re appearance - Self-centred
- Sexually seductive
Narcissistic personality disorder
- Self-important & manipulative
- Preoccupied with envy, fantasy
and rumination - Sense of
entitlement/uniqueness - Lack of compassion
- Need constant admiration
Antisocial personality disorder
- 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
Borderline personality disorder
- Impulsive
- Self-harming behaviour
- Unstable affect
- Intense inappropriate anger
- Feel empty & bored
- Frantic avoidance of
abandonment - Uncertainty about self & others
What are the Cluster C Personality Disorders?
Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive/Compulsive
Avoidant personality disorder
- Timid
- Easily offended
or wounded - Fear embarrassment
& appearing foolish - No or few close
friends - Exaggerate risks of
deviating from
routine
Dependent personality type
- 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’
Obsessive/Compulsive personality disorder
Perfectionism
* Rigidity in
approach
* Workaholic
* Indecisive
* Over-meticulous
* Insistent method
* Poor at emotion
expression
How can we define dysfunction in personality types?
- Inherent value judgement?
– Societal?
– Cultural?
– Individual? - Specific example
(The Authoritarian Personality)
– Historical/contextual emergence
– Components of typology
– Evaluation…
The Authoritarian Personality Type (Adorno et al., 1950) Emerged…
Emerged from Berkeley studies in 1940s…
* Are some individuals more
susceptible to extremist ideology?
* How does this explain
subsequent behaviour?
What is the Authoritarian Personality Type?
- 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
Links with earlier personality theory? - Authoritarian personality type
- 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
How was the Authoritarian personality measured?
Four self-report questionnaire measures
Interviews
AS (Anti-Semitism) Scale
E (Ethnocentrism) Scale
PEC (Politico-Economic Conservatism) Scale
F (Potential for Fascism) Scale
Rokeach (1960)’s revision to the Authoritarian personality
– Potential for Fascism -> Dogmatism
– Rejection of psychoanalytic approach
– Cognitive style…
– Less able to evaluate new or
contradictory information
Altermeyer (1981)’s revisions for Authoritarian personality
– Original concept overly broad?
– Based on social learning theory
– Simplified into 3 factors
* Authoritarian Submission
* Authoritarian Aggression
* Conventionalism
What is the Dark Triad?
Narcissism, Machiavellianism, & Psychopathy
Overview of The Dark Triad
- 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
So, why does the ‘Dark Triadic’ individual succeed?
- 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)
Psychopath concept in culture
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…?
Psychopathy- The Other as ‘Object’
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’
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R; Hare; 1991)
*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
Narcissism Overview
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 ☒
Cultural & Contemporary Effects of Narcissism
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…
Can Narcissism be Healthy? (Twenge, 2010)
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..?
Machiavellianism - ‘The Mach’
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?
What defines The Mach?
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)
Contrast with Psychopaths & Narcissists
Shares many traits with other dimensions in the Dark Triad…
Socially disagreeable & selfishness
But connection with reality…
Self & others…
More effective exploitation
Adaptive purpose?
