Personality Disorders Flashcards
What is personality?
Personality refers to enduring and persistent patterns of thinking and behavior that distinguish a person from others, characterized by a unique set of traits.
How does the DSM-5 describe personality?
The DSM-5 describes personality as stable traits, behaviors, and patterns of thinking that are enduring and persistent.
What does “enduring or persistent” mean in the context of personality?
It refers to patterns that are present since young adulthood and evident in almost every day of adult life.
Why is personality considered stable over time?
It involves dominant response and perception modes that form a core framework, anchoring and providing a stable way of functioning in life.
How can personality become pathological?
When the patterns of expressing emotions, thoughts, or behavior become maladaptive, personality disorders can develop.
What aspects of functioning can be affected by maladaptive personality patterns?
Patterns of expressing emotion, thinking about oneself and others, and relating to others can be negatively impacted.
What are some common patterns observed in personality?
Expressing emotion
Feeling
Behaving
Thinking about oneself and others
Relating to others
What is personality according to the DSM-5?
Personality is a set of enduring and persistent traits, behaviors, and thinking patterns that make us unique and stable over time.
What does it mean for personality to be “enduring” or “persistent”?
It means these patterns appear from young adulthood and remain stable, shaping our everyday behavior and responses throughout life.
When do personality patterns become pathological?
When they become maladaptive and negatively impact emotions, thoughts, behavior, or relationships, leading to personality disorders.
What key patterns define personality?
Expressing emotion, feeling, behaving, thinking about ourselves and others, and relating to others.
How can personality patterns lead to conflict with others?
While personality helps us interact with others, extreme or inappropriate patterns of behavior, thought, or emotion can create conflict. These tendencies, even when initially positive, may not fit certain situations and cause unintentional harm.
How can helpful traits, like assertiveness, become problematic?
Assertiveness or healthy skepticism can be advantageous, but if taken to extremes, they may resemble negative traits like paranoia, making it difficult to relate to others.
What distinguishes a healthy personality from a dysfunctional one?
A healthy personality shows flexibility and adaptability, while a dysfunctional personality is rigid, inflexible, and limited in responses, negatively impacting identity, empathy, and relationships.
How does self-confidence exist on a continuum, and why is context important?
Self-confidence can range from grandiosity (extreme confidence) to crippling self-doubt. Whether it is adaptive or impairing depends on the situation, relationships, and how it influences others’ responses and feedback.
Why are personality disorders considered controversial?
They have a high risk of misdiagnosis and low interrater reliability because the criteria focus on patterns of inner experience rather than clear symptoms, making diagnoses difficult to agree upon.
What was the debate around the DSM-5’s classification of personality disorders?
There was discussion about shifting from a categorical to a dimensional model, but no agreement was reached, and the DSM-5 retained the categorical model from DSM-IV.
What is the dimensional model in personality disorder classification?
The dimensional model, included in Section III of DSM-5 for further research, conceptualizes personality on a continuum rather than as discrete categories, reflecting how traits vary across individuals.
Why is diagnosing personality disorders complex?
There is significant overlap with other psychopathologies (e.g., anxiety and mood disorders), and the relationship between personality disorders and major personality models is intricate, with more patterns than the 10 DSM-defined PDs.
What are some criticisms of the DSM-5 personality disorder classifications?
Categories are descriptive and offer little insight into causes (aetiology). Critics argue that the lack of clinical utility and biological mechanisms raises questions about the usefulness of labeling these disorders.
How can gender bias affect personality disorder diagnosis?
Gender bias in how disorders are framed can lead to misrepresentation and issues in identifying psychopathology, indicating potential flaws in the diagnostic criteria.
Why are personality disorders challenging to manage and treat?
Personality disorders are often ego-syntonic, meaning behaviors align with a person’s self-image. This lack of insight makes it difficult for individuals to recognize problems and seek or accept help, complicating treatment.
What are the two key steps in diagnosing a personality disorder (PD) according to the DSM-5?
Confirm the individual meets the general criteria for PD.
If general criteria are met, determine if a specific type of PD can be identified.
What are the four areas where personality disorders manifest according to DSM-5 criteria?
Cognition (perception and interpretation of self, others, and events)
Affectivity (range and appropriateness of emotional responses)
Interpersonal functioning
Impulse control
What additional requirements must be met for a personality disorder diagnosis?
The pattern must be inflexible, pervasive across social settings, cause significant distress or impairment, and be stable over time, with onset in adolescence or early adulthood.
How does social motivation contribute to personality disorders?
Low affiliation or a preference for isolation can result in avoiding connections, while a desire for prestige or dominance may create conflict, disrupting social adjustment and contributing to personality disorders.
What role do cognitive perspectives play in personality disorders?
Unstable or unrealistic self-views and difficulty judging others’ motives can impair relationships and social functioning, pushing individuals towards personality disorders by limiting their ability to understand or respond to others’ needs.
How do temperament and personality traits relate to personality disorders?
Personality disorders reflect maladaptive variations in traits, often aligning with OCEAN theory dimensions. These maladaptive patterns are considered a core component in understanding and diagnosing personality disorders.
How are personality disorders categorized in the DSM-5?
Cluster A: Social detachment, eccentric/odd
Cluster B: Emotional, erratic, dramatic
Cluster C: Anxious, fearful
Also included:
Personality change due to another medical condition
Other specified personality disorder
Unspecified personality disorder
What personality disorders are included in Cluster A?
Schizoid personality disorder
Schizotypal personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Which personality disorders fall under Cluster B?
Borderline personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder
What are the characteristics of Cluster C personality disorders?
Avoidant personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Dependent personality disorder
These disorders are described as anxious and fearful, with anxiety and fear at their core.
What is the hallmark feature of Cluster A personality disorders?
People with Cluster A personality disorders may appear odd or eccentric to others. An important aspect of these disorders is understanding how pervasiveness and enduring patterns are reflected in the diagnostic criteria.
What are some key diagnostic criteria for Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)?
Suspects, without reason, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving them.
Doubts the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates.
Reluctant to confide in others due to fear of malicious intent.
Reads hidden demeaning meanings into benign remarks or events.
Bears grudges and is unforgiving of perceived slights.
Perceives attacks on their character and reacts angrily or counterattacks.
Has unjustified suspicions about a spouse’s or partner’s fidelity.
What does Criterion A of Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) highlight?
It emphasizes heterogeneity by requiring four or more traits from a list, allowing flexibility in diagnosis. Criterion A also reflects the importance of pervasive and enduring patterns in PPD.
What are the key points of Criterion B for Paranoid Personality Disorder?
Criterion B involves ruling out other conditions with similar symptoms, like eccentric or distrustful behavior. It highlights the challenge of maintaining relationships, as individuals with PPD may misread benign situations, react aggressively, and struggle with social functioning.
What is the hallmark feature of Schizoid Personality Disorder (PD)?
A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings.
What are some key diagnostic criteria for Schizoid PD?
Does not desire or enjoy close relationships.
Prefers solitary activities.
Shows little interest in sexual experiences.
Takes pleasure in few activities.
Lacks close friends other than first-degree relatives.
Appears indifferent to praise or criticism.
Shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity.
How can Schizoid PD be differentiated from schizophrenia?
Schizoid PD shows a lifelong pattern of behavior starting in young adulthood, whereas schizophrenia is typically episodic, with symptoms that may gradually resolve over time.
