Midterm #1 Pt.2 Flashcards
What is a personality disorder
DSM and PD: an enduring pattern of inner behaviour that is culturally abnormal, manifesting in two or more of the following:
•Cognition (think), affect (feel), interpersonal functioning (interact), and impulse control
•Pattern is inflexible and consistent across a range of personal and social situations
•Pattern leads to clinically significant distress or impairment in a range of life situations (work, social)
•The pattern is stable and long term, with its onset in adolescence or early adulthood
3 clusters of personality disorders
Cluster A: the eccentric cluster (social awkwardness, odd behaviour)
Cluster B: erratic cluster (reduced emotional control)
Cluster C: anxious cluster (anxiety-avoiding behaviour)
Schizoid personality disorder
SPD (eccentric): a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings beginning in early adulthood and manifests in 4 or more of the following
•Neither desires nor enjoy close relationships (including family)
•Almost always wanting to be alone, taking pleasure in very few activities
•Emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity
Antisocial personality disorder
AntiPD (erratic cluster): a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since 15, and indicated by 3 or more of the following:
•Failure to conform to social norms regarding lawful behaviour
•Deceitfulness, impulsivity, agressiveness, irresponsibility
•Indifferent to or rationalizing hurting, mistreating, or stealing
Difference between antisocial PD and psychopathy
Antisocial behavioural features: poor behavioural control, promiscuous sexual behaviour, early behavioural problems, lack of realistic long term goals, impulsive, doesn’t take responsibility, delinquent
Psychopath: has everything above, along with charm, huge self worth, need for stimulation, pathological lying/manipulation, lack of empathy
Avoidant personality disorder
AvoiPD (anxiety): a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and hyper sensitivity to negative evaluation, indicating 4 or more of the following:
•Avoids occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact because of fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection
•Preoccupied with being criticized/rejected socially due to their inadequacy
•Curious about people just doesn’t feel capable
Personality disorders: environmental vs biological
Environmental: early trauma
Biological: born this way
Treatment: meds and CBT
•Challenging to treat because its how they feel, think, and is reinforced by others
Many theorists argue that PDs are better represented as extremes on personality dimensions rather than categories (5 factor model of personality Dysfunction)
Response sets and loss of validity
Response sets: a readiness to answer in a particular way
1) Acquiescence (self reports): the tendency to say yes, leading to inflated scores
2) Social desirability: people wanting to portray themselves in a good light
Two rationales/approaches behind the development of assessment devices
- Rational/theoretical approach: believing a particular aspect of personality is important (theoretical considerations), then create a test that is reliable and valid (usually high face valid)
•Most personality measurement devices were developed using this
•Can look at single or multiple constructs - Empirical approaches: data based (vs theory) to decide what items go into an assessment device (two variations)
First: researcher uses data to decide what qualities of personality even exist
Second: Criterion key approach (start with huge number of possible items and find which ones are answered differently to categorize groups)
Types vs traits
Types: distinct and discontinuous
•Ex: introverts vs extraverts
Traits: people occupy different points on varying dimensions and these differences are quantitative
Types vs traits
Types: distinct and discontinuous
•Ex: introverts vs extraverts
Traits: people occupy different points on varying dimensions and these differences are quantitative
Nomothetic vs Idiographic view
NV: traits exist in the same way in every person
IV: each person is unique (a given trait can only exist for one person)
How to decide what traits are important
- Factor analysis
- Empiricism: don’t have preconceptions about what traits make up personality
•Lexical criterion: the more words for a quality of personality, the more it probably matters - Eysenck: we should begin with well developed ideas about what we want to measure (assessed using self report and factor analysis)
- Wiggins interpersonal circle (8 patterns around two core dimensions)
- FFM
FFM vs Eysencks model
Similarities:
1) super traits are similar (psychotisism us a blend of agreeableness and conscientiousness)
2) 5 factor traits are subordinate traits incorporating narrow traits
3) Possibly, dominance = extraversion, love = agreeableness
Traits, situationism, interactionism
Traits: does behaviour actuarially show trait consistency?
Situationism: the idea that situational factors determine behaviour (not personality)
•Believed by social psychologists who emphasized environment
•Turned out to be wrong
Interactionism: traits + situation = behaviour
•Hedge: a word/phrase that limits a traits applicability (“sometimes”)
•Behavioural signature: the link between situation and behaviour differs from person to person
•Objections: individual differences don’t matter in all situations (susceptibility)
