Lecture 9- Personality Disorders Flashcards
What is Personality?
Characteristic pattern of behavior across multiple situations
Big 5 Factors of Personality
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Openness
Extraversion
Conscientiousness
High- Disciplined and structured
Low- Spontanteous
Agreeableness
High- Empathetic, eager to please
Low- Oppositional
Neuroticism
High- Anxious, moody, easily stressed
Low- Unflappable, good under pressure, level-headed
Openness
High- Imaginative and creative
Low- Practical, concrete, mathematically oriented
Extraversion
High- Outgoing, enthusiastic
Low- Reserved
Determinants of Personality
Neurobiological Bases
Genetics
Environmental factors
Neurobiological aspects of personality
Based on structures within the brain
Supporting evidence- Phineas Gage, personality changed after brain injury
Genetic basis of personality
20-50% heritability score depending on factors analyzed
Environmental basis of personality
Cognitive and behavioral
Attachment theories
Childhood experiences and upbringing
Personality Disorders Definition
Personality Characteristics that are inflexible and maladaptive, cause functional impairment, and/or subjective distress
Personality Disorders Diagnostic Criteria
Enduring pattern of behavior that is inflexible and pervasive
Stable condition with onset in childhood or adolescence
Functional impairments
Subjective distress- Not requred
Personality Disorder Epidemiology
0.5-2% of population
Men- Most common is ASPD
Women- Histrionic and Borderline are most common
Provider bias is common in diagnosing men vs women
Personality Disorder Clusters
A- Odd or eccentric-
Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal
B- Dramatic, emotional, and erratic
ASPD, Borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic
C- Fearful or anxious
Avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others
Bears grudges and is reluctant to confide in others
Caused by trauma and learning that people are malevolent or deceptive; related to schizophrenia
Treated by CBT with focus on trust, poor prognosis and unlikely to seek help
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Lack of desire for close relationships with limited range of emotion; little or no distress with being alone
Caused by childhood shyness and low dopamine content
Treated with social skills therapy
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Schizophrenia-like symptoms
Discomfort with close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions with odd beliefs and eccentric behaviors
Genetic and environmental causes like schizophrenia
Treatment similar to schizophrenia- Social skills, antipsychotics, and community treatment
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) Description
A pervasive pattern of disregard and violation of others’ rights; lack of remorse and failure to conform to social rules
Usually followed by conduct disorder in adolescence and childhood
More common in men
ASPD Causes and Treatment
Underarousal and fearlessness hypotheses
Treated with incarceration, interventions, and parent education
Rarely seek treatment on their own
Psychopathy
Less overt condition marked by lack of fear and concern
Can be acquired by damage to the frontal cortex- Phineas gage
Histrionic Personality Disorder
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking
Shifting emotions, impressionistic, dramatic, and suggestible
Causes problems in interpersonal relationships
Female alternative for ASPD
Borderline Personality Disorder Description
A Pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affect, and impulse control
Issues with abandonment
Impulsive and self-destructive
Lack of self-esteem and self-worth
All-or-none thinking
1-2% of population; highly comorbid with other disorders
Borderline Causes
Genetic and biological vulnerabilities
Invalidating social environments:
Abuse or neglect in childhood
Chronic emotional dysregulation
Chaotic childhood
