Personality Disorders Flashcards
Define personality.
Consistency in patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that are pervasive across life domains and enduring over time.
What personality traits does the Five Factor Model identify?
Neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness.
Who can up with the Five Factor Model?
Costa and McCrae.
What does neuroticism refer to?
The pervasive level and stability of an individual’s emotional adjustment.
What are individuals high in neuroticism prone to? (2)
Psychological distress and poor coping skills.
What does extroversion refer to?
An individual’s preferred quantity and intensity of interpersonal interactions, activity levels, need for stimulation and capacity for joy.
Individuals high in extroversion are: (4)
Sociable, talkative, active and optimistic.
What does openness to experience refer to?
The degree to which an individual actively seeks and appreciates different experiences.
Individuals high in openness to experience are: (3)
Curious, imaginative, and open to novel and unconventional ideas and behaviours.
What does conscientiousness refer to?
The degree to which an individual is organised, persistent and motivated in goal-directed behaviour.
Individuals high in conscientiousness are: (5)
Organised, reliable, hard-working, self-directed and punctual.
What does agreeableness refer to?
The interpersonal interactions preferred by an individual on a continuum from compassion to antagonism.
Individuals high in agreeableness are: (5)
Good-natured, trusting, helpful, forgiving and altruistic.
What does it mean that personality functioning exists on a continuum?
There is no clear or easily detectable point of division between normality and pathology.
What do people with higher and lower levels of particular traits than average have in common?
They are more likely to manifest disordered behaviours or maladaptive functioning, especially when experiencing a major life stressor or mental or physical illness.
What percent of personality traits are inherited?
40-60%
What do dysfunctional personality traits develop from?
The same array of genetic components and life events as normal personality.
Explain how the environment affects personality. (2)
The environment influences the extent to which genetically- based personality predispositions are expressed, and to shape the behaviours through which a given trait is expressed.
Millon identified three enduring characteristics that differentiate disordered personality from normal-range problematic behaviours.
Functional inflexibility, self-defeating patterns of behaviour, and unstable functioning in the face of stress.
Explain functional inflexibility.
A failure to adapt to changing and varied life experiences.
Explain self-defeating patterns of behaviour.
Typical ways of responding or coping that worsen the current situation or are highly damaging for the person involved, but that the person does not learn from experience and alter the harmful or maladaptive behaviours.
Explain unstable functioning in the face of stress,
Also called tenuous stability under stress, evident in marked instability in mood, thinking and behaviour during challenging life events.
According to the DSM-5, personality disorders are defined as:
Enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts.
What must the enduring patterns of personality differ from to qualify for a diagnosis of a personality disorder according to the DSM-5?
They must differ markedly from the expectations of the individual’s cultural group and cause significant personal distress and impairment in functioning.
What is it nor unusual to see in individual’s with personality disorders, regarding life domains?
Behaviour can be disturbed in one area while others remain unaffected.
What happens to core personality traits in adults over 30, and how does that differ in personality disorders?
The core personality traits become stable, while personality disorder diagnoses show moderate stability at best.
Give a likely explanation for the poor stability of core personality traits in people with personality disorders.
Behaviours and symptoms associated with particular traits come and go over time, like impulsive behaviours are more common in young people.
The DSM-5 includes 10 personality disorders, which are further categorised into one of three clusters:
Cluster A, Cluster B and Cluster C.
What does Cluster A include?
Paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders, which are characterised by odd or eccentric traits and behaviours.
What does Cluster B include?
Antisocial, borderline, histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders, characterised by dramatic, emotional or erratic traits and behaviours.
What does Cluster C include?
Avoidant, dependent and obsessive-compulsive personality traits, which are characterised by anxious and fearful traits and behaviours.
Give the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for personality disorders.
Behaviours or traits that are characteristic of the person’s recent and long-term functioning since adolescence or early adulthood.
What is a personality disorder?
A constellation of behaviours or traits that cause either significant impairment in social or occupational functioning or subjective distress.
What is the ICD’s diagnostic criteria for personality disorders?
A variety of conditions that indicate a person’s characteristic and enduring patterns of inner experience (cognition and affect) and behaviour that differ markedly from a culturally expected and accepted range.
Why are Cluster A personality disorders difficult to treat?
They are likely to be mistrusting of the motives of treating clinicians.
Why are Cluster C personality disorders difficult to treat?
High levels of dependency may result in over reliance on health practitioners.
Why are Cluster B personality disorders the most difficult to treat? (7)
Because they are associated with more dramatic and confronting behaviours, like verbal aggression, inappropriate demands, angry behaviour, drug-use, repeated self-harm and inappropriate flirtation or sexual advances.
The three Cluster A personality disorders are all characterised by:
High levels of introversion.
Define schizotypal personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of inhibited or inappropriate emotion and social behaviour as well as aberrant cognitions and disorganised speech.
Define paranoid personality disorder.
Pervasive, unwarranted mistrust and suspicion of others.
Define schizoid personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of lack of interest in and avoidance of interpersonal relationships as well as emotional coldness in interactions with others.
What is schizotypal personality disorder characterised by?
Marked discomfort with close relationships, and a range of perceptual and cognitive distortions and odd behaviour.
Give some examples of behaviour associated with schizotypal personality disorder. (5)
Having few close friends, feeling anxious around others as a result of paranoid fears that others are trying to hurt them, experiencing odd ideas and speech, having flattened or inappropriate affect and unusual perceptual experiences.
What is paranoid personality disorder characterised by?
Very suspicious, untrusting and hypervigilant for signs of others trying to harm them.
Give some examples of behaviour associated with paranoid personality disorder. (4)
Misinterpreting events and others’ actions, perceiving malevolence where it is not present, being unforgiving and holding grudges to real or imagined slights, and doubting the fidelity of their partner.
What is schizoid personality disorder characterised by?
Low desire for connection with other human beings and no interest in pleasure in social activities, including sex.
How do people with schizoid personality disorder behave? (3)
They are emotionally cold with a restricted range of emotional responses, almost always choosing solitary work and leisure activities, and show indifference when praised or criticised by others.
How do people with Cluster B personality disorders behave? (3)
Dramatically, acting out, or flamboyantly.
Define narcissistic personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of experiencing inflated thoughts of one’s self-worth as well as obliviousness to others’ needs and an exploitative, arrogant demeanour.
Define histrionic personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and an intense need for attention and approval, which is sought by means of overly dramatic and seductive behaviour.
Define borderline personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of unstable mood, self-concept, interpersonal relationships and impulse control.
Define antisocial personality disorder.
A pervasive pattern of criminal, impulsive, callous or ruthless behaviour predicated upon disregard for the rights of others and an absence of respect for social norms.
Give the characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder.
Arrogance, only concerned with their power and abilities, disdain and disregard for people, interpersonally exploitative, manifest a sense of self-entitlement, and are envious of others or believe others are envious of them.
What do individuals with narcissistic personality disorder lack?
Empathy, meaning they are callous.
How do individuals with narcissistic personality disorder treat others?
As an audience to appreciate the individual’s greatness, rather than individual people with their own needs.
What is histrionic personality disorder characterised by?
A pattern of excessive attention seeking.
How do people with histrionic personality disorder behave?
They use their physical attractiveness or sexuality to gain the attention of others, and their behaviour is superficial and lacking in depth.
What do people with histrionic personality disorder crave?
Being the centre of attention, and they are deeply uncomfortable when they are not.
What are the emotions of histrionic personality disorder like?
They are shallow, and easily influenced by others.
What do people with histrionic personality disorder believe about their relationships?
That they are more intimate than they actually are.
Give the characteristics of borderline personality disorder.
Emotional instability, a lack of a solid sense of self or identity, impulsivity, easily bored, experiencing feelings of chronic emptiness and extreme anger.
What do people with borderline personality disorder oscillate between?
Idealising and devaluing others.
How do people with borderline personality disorder behave?
They make frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, reflected in a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, they engage in elf-destructive behaviours that may include substance abuse, risk-taking behaviours, self-mutilation and suicidal acts.
What may people with borderline personality disorder experience in stressful situations?
Paranoia or dissociation.
What two disorders are likely to be comorbid with borderline personality disorder?
Mood or substance use disorders.
How is antisocial personality disorder different from conduct disorder?
It continues into later teenage and adult years.
What does antisocial personality disorder overlap with?
Other Cluster B personality disorders.
What is antisocial personality disorder characterised by? (7)
A pattern of behaviour does not conform to social norms or the law, including lying, stealing, cheating, fighting, cruelty to humans and animals, and fire-setting.
What is there a lack of in antisocial personality disorder?
Remorse.
People with antisocial personality disorder are: (4)
Highly impulsive, irritable and aggressive, with limited regard for the safety of others or themselves.
Define psychopathy.
A set of personality traits including superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth, a tendency towards boredom and need for stimulation, pathological lying, an ability to deceive others and be manipulative, and a lack of remorse.
What is the difference between antisocial personality disorder and psychopathology?
Psychopathology puts less emphasis on behaviour.
What is psychopathy?
A cluster of behaviours and personality traits that describe callous individuals who are aware of their antisocial behaviour but lack remorse.
What do psychopaths pride themselves with?
Avoiding capture from the authorities.
Who first described psychopathy?
Pinel.
How did Pinel describe remorseless behaviour?
Madness without delirium.
Psychopathy includes a desire for: (4)
Dominance, manipulation, callousness and a lack or empathy or remorse.
What is the PCL-R?
The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, a standardised, semi-structured interview that is the most widely accepted instrument for diagnosing psychopathy.
What two factors does the PCL-R comprise?
Emotional detachment and antisocial behaviour.
What does the emotional detachment factor of the PCL-R contain?
Items that describe the core personality traits of psychopathy, like callousness, manipulativeness and remorselessness.
What does the antisocial behaviour factor of the PCL-R contain? (3)
History of antisocial behaviour, impulsiveness and violence.
How does scoring between antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy differ on the PCL-R?
Psychopaths score highly on both factors, but particularly on the emotional detachment items, while people with antisocial personality disorder score highly on the antisocial behaviour factor alone.
What is the prevalence of antisocial personality disorder in the prison population?
75%
Why are there less psychopaths in prison than people with antisocial personality disorder?
They have higher socioeconomic status, are socially skilled, possess high intelligence, and may not catch the attention of authorities.
Define dependent personality disorder.
A pervasive need to be cared for and fear of rejection, which lead to total dependence on and submission to others.
What is dependent personality disorder characterised by? (5)
A strong need to be taken care of, including maintaining physical closeness to others, needing others to do things and make decisions for them, and help them initiate projects/tasks.
What does the fear of abandonment drive in people with dependent personality disorder? (4)
They engage in clingy and self-sacrificing behaviours such as volunteering to do things that are unpleasant and avoiding expressing any disagreement with others to maintain their relationship.
Define avoidant personality disorder.
Pervasive anxiety, sense of inadequacy and fear of being criticised that lead to the avoidance of most social interactions with others and to restraint and nervousness in social situations.
Define obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
Pervasive rigidity in one’s activities and interpersonal relationships.
What are the characteristics of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder? (3)
Emotional constriction, extreme perfectionism and anxiety resulting from even slight disruptions to one’s routine.
What are the characteristics of avoidant personality disorder? (3)
Preoccupation with a fear of being negatively evaluated, criticised and rejected by others, tending to avoid social and intimate situations, particularly if they are not certain they will be liked.
What does avoidant behaviour stem from in avoidant personality disorder? (4)
Core beliefs about the self as inadequate, inferior, socially inept and unappealing.
How do people with avoidant personality disorder behave? (3)
They tend to engage in solitary work and leisure activities and shun new activities in order to avoid criticism, disapproval or embarrassment, even if this means losing desired opportunities.
What kind of behaviour do people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder exhibit? (6)
Their preoccupation with minor details, rigidly abiding by the rules and getting things perfect results in them losing the point of the activity at hand and interferes with the ability to complete tasks on time; difficultly delegating tasks and little time for leisure of social pursuits.
What do people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder hoard?
Money and worn-out or useless objects.
When is the typical onset of personality disorders?
Adolescence or early adulthood.
Which personality disorder causes the greatest handicap?
Borderline.
Which personality disorder has the highest prevalence.
Obsessive-compulsive, and it is twice as prevalent.
Individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are less:
Disabled than people with other personality disorders unless they develop another disorder, like depression.
What needs to happen in conjunction with a genetic predisposition to result in development of a pathological personality or an adaptive one?
The nature, timing and intensity of life events and influences.
Major enviromental factors implicated in the causes of disordered personality include:
Disrupted attachment experiences with primary caregivers, trauma, neglect and deprivation in childhood.
What does the MAOA gene metabolise and what does that do?
Neurotransmitter, specifically norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine, which influences thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
What can trigger aggression in children (genetically speaking)?
A combination of low MAOA gene activity and maltreatment.
What do factor approaches believe regarding understanding personality?
Personality can be captured in terms of the degree to which an individual manifests certain traits and combinations of these traits.
What do factor approaches believe personality disorders result from?
Extremely high or low levels of traits.
Which trait (of the Five Factor Model) is unrelated to personality disorders?
Openness to experience.
Who proposed the 18-factor model of personality and personality disorders?
Livesley.
Give the four higher-order factors of Livesley’s 18-factor model.
Emotional dysregulation, inhibitedness, compulsivity, and dissocial behaviour.
Which FFM trait is emotional dysregulation associated with?
Neuroticism.
Which FFM trait is inhibitedness associated with?
Extroversion, specifically low extroversion/introversion.
Which FFM trait is compulsivity associated with?
Conscientiousness.
Which FFM trait is dissocial behaviour associated with?
Agreeableness, specifically low agreeableness.
Give the six lower order factors under emotional dysregulation.
Affective instability, anxiousness, submissiveness, insecure attachment with others, cognitive dysregulation and social apprehensiveness.
Give the two lower order factors under inhibitedness.
Intimacy problems and restricted expression of feelings.
Give the two lower order factors under compulsivity.
Orderliness and conscientiousness.
Give the five lower order factors under dissocial behaviour.
Callousness, rejecting, conduct problems, impulsive sensation seeking, and narcissism or grandiosity.