personality disorders Flashcards
what do we make attributions based on and an example
state and trait characteristics
ex.
person driving aggressively
state: just having bad day
trait: horrible person
how do state and trait influence each other and why is it important
they both influence each other
-we need to remember this when talking about personality disorders
what can attributions be made about
other people and about ourselves
what is personality
expression of who we are that is unique to us
-influences environment and our behaviors, emotions, perceptions and interactions
what is the difference between single loop learning and double loop learning
single loop learning is when we have problems we just try to fix the problems themselves
double loop learning is maybe the problems are coming from something deeper
ex. have relationship problems over and over again- maybe its me?
are personality traits easy to categorize
yes
what are personality traits considered
fairly predictable, yet flexible
often called characteristics
why are flexible characteristics important
because things change
-even if flexibility makes us sometimes hypocritical, the people who hold themselves constant end up crashing
what does flexibility allow us to do
it is adaptive and allows us to modulate (adjust things)
what are some broad examples of traits that can affect us
hierarchy of needs, fears, predispositions, environment, experiences, emotions
what is it when traits are not adaptive
a personality disorder
what are characteristics of personality disorders
maladaptive, inflexible and rigid
- kind of similar to drug taking behavior
- often co-occur with other psychological disorders
- cause pain to self and others
how is perspective (inside to outside) different in personality disorders
it is easy to see from the outside that someone is the problem (hard to see this from personal perspective)
why do we avoid people with personality disorders
better from an evolutionary perspective for us to avoid someone with “off” behavior and blame them for it (survival)
how is the treatment for personality disorders different than other disorders
treatment is long lasting
-cannot get treatment and meds and get better
explain personality disorders in the old 5 Axis model in the DSM
personality disorders were grouped in Axis 2 with mental retardation
-they were considered as long lasting as an intellectual disability
this has changed, research now shows that you can support these people
how many disorders does the DSM have and why is it considered a big deal
10
- we cannot cover all of them in class because tons of information
- narrowing personality into ten disorders is a huge feat
what is paranoid personality disorder
deep distress and suspicion about everyone and everything
- cannot have close relationships
- even with evidence you can trust someone, it does not matter
what is paranoid personality disorder similar to
delusional disorder
-a lot of crossover
how does paranoid personality disorder extend to the self
extends to the self but in the opposite way
- overwhelming trust in self
- think they have an uncanny ability to perceive the world as it actually is and that everyone else is delusional
difference between ego dystonic and ego syntonic
dystonic: know something is off with self and seek help
syntonic: think behavior and thoughts are okay, they are not out of sync with the world (this is personality disorder)
who is paranoid personality disorder more common in
men
difference between normal distrust and paranoid personality disorder
we are supposed to have distrust and it is supposed to change and be flexible (trust-meter)
-with paranoid personality disorder they never trust anyone, but themselves
what is borderline personality disorder
characterized by instability (stable instability)
- constant struggle with reconciling positive and negative aspects of themselves and others (do not know how they feel about self and others)
- can shift thoughts and feelings in seconds
borderline personality disorder in society? and what it co-occurs with
carries heavy stigma, often talked about in movies
-often occurs with eating disorders and substance abuse
when can personality disorders be recognized
in adolescents
-definitely recognized in early adulthood
why are personality disorders so difficult to treat
ego syntonic
-have such a high amount of distrust, will not go to therapy
why do personality disorders have such a high co-morbidity
because it is part of personality, you do not adapt to other consequences/situations which causes other disorders to occur
what is the current debate surrounding personality disorders
they overlap too much
-they will eventually be re-worked
ex. dependent and avoidant
ex. antisocial and narcissistic
what is histrionic personality disorder
- old disorder, used to be called hysterical
- just given to women, when they would freak out over being mistreated by men (needs to go)
what is schizoid personality disorder
characterized by avoidance of social relationships and limited emotional expression
-not commonly diagnosed, could be autism or social anxiety disorder
what is antisocial personality disorder
total disregard for all life (constantly make selfish decisions and show no remorse)
- known as psychopaths or sociopaths
- compulsive lying, aggression or violence
- eventually get in trouble with law because they do not care and they are not the most intelligent so they get caught
what are the stats about antisocial personality disorder
3.6% in US qualify for this disorder
35% of population in prison meets criteria for this disorder (could be skewed, to survive in prison you have to act this way)
-cannot diagnose if someone is under 18
if someone is under 18 what are the diagnosed with instead of antisocial personality disorder
Conduct Disorder
or
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
but these diagnoses eventually lead to antisocial personality disorder
why are there higher rates of antisocial personality disorder in low SES communities
1) downward drift
2) misdiagnoses
explain downward drift
if you have it you are likely to end up with records which makes it harder to get good jobs etc
explain misdiagnoses
a lot of people in tough neighborhoods will get misdiagnosed with antisocial personality disorder because showing no remorse is a survival tactic for them
what is narcissistic personality disorder
think everyone should be worried about them and a person is 100% about selves
- think they are the best person (better than other people and everything)
- bring everything back to self and really believe these things
why is narcissistic personality disorder abnormal
because we are communal species (we evolved with each other)
- you cannot be 100% about self
- if you are it is a personality disorder
ego syntonic (think everyone else is the problem)
what group of people have a lot of narcissists
politicians
ex. firing hundreds of people and they can still sleep at night (shows they have these characteristics)
what is obsessive compulsive personality disorder
- no obsessions and compulsions outright
- make sure everything is perfect, unable to finish things
- organizing and re-organizing things and keep changing them
- perfectionism is a part of personality
example that distinguishes OCD from OCPD
OCD: check luggage for socks over and over again
OCPD: person might not make it to airport, want to make sure things are packed just right and keep repacking
