Recap + Intro Flashcards
What are the 4 core divisions of individual differences?
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Inter-group
Intra-group
Clinical view of individual differences
Aims: explains behaviour, understands differences, predicts future
Combines objective diagnosis with subjective experience
What is the DSM
Diagnostic tool approved by APA (USA)
Created by a single national professional association
Issues with DSM
- No distinct boundary between normal and abnormal
- Categorical approach does not take into account the wide presentation of people with mental health issues
- Biased & socially constructed
- Overlapping symptoms make it unlikely that illnesses are discrete
What is the ICD
Global tool by WHO to reduce disease burden
Approved by health ministers of 193 countries
Widely distributed and low-cost
Key concepts of biomedical approach
Mental health issues seen as symptoms of an underlying disease
Public education aims to shift blame from individual to illness
Key concepts of psychosocial approach
Sees societal barriers as the main issue
Problems viewed as responses to adverse events
Aims to reduce discrimination, promote empathy, and support diversity
Disease & distress
Distress often seen as a result of illness symptoms
Cromby (2013) - Treat distress separately and in broader context
Key concepts of the atomised individual
Mental health is based biologically
Reduces individuals to nervous system structures
Key concepts of the social creature: anti-psychiatry & critical psychology
Focus on sick society, not sick individual
Criticized medicalization of psychological disorders
Subjective & psychological well-being
Abnormal personalities reveal insights into normal ones
Labelling affects well-being; ontological security is key
Key factors: Environmental mastery, growth, purpose, relationships, self-acceptance
Personality & subjective elements
Positive traits: Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness, Agreeableness
Negative traits: neuroticism
ADHD diagnosis challenges
Difficult in adulthood due to overlap with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders
Self-reports are often unreliable
Epistemological issue: Appears objective but may not be.
What is personality?
Distinct, enduring ways of thinking, feeling, and acting
What is ‘normal’
the usual/expected state or condition
What is ‘abnormal’
deviation from normal
According to Isik & Uzbe (2015) what is the normal big 5
High E, low N, high C, high O, high A
What is a personality disorder
Stable, maladaptive traits affecting 10-15% of adults, diagnosed after 18
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Overview
Published in 1942, measures personality and psychopathology.
14 scales: 4 validity scales, 10 personality scales
MMPI Personality Scales
10 scales measure different personality aspects.
Distinguishes between normal and hospitalized psychiatric patients
First 4 scales judge test validity: incomplete answers, lies, frequency, defensiveness
MMPI Initial Scales (1-5)
1 (Hs): Hypochondriasis
2 (D): Depression
3 (Hy): Hysteria
4 (Pd): Psychopathic deviate
5 (Mf): Masculinity-femininity continuum
MMPI Initial Scales (6-10)
6 (Pa): Paranoia
7 (Pt): Psychasthenia (Obsessive-compulsive)
8 (Sc): Schizophrenia
9 (Ma): Mania
0 (Si): Social introversion
MMPI Scoring
Scores range 0-120; 70+ indicates psychopathology
Issues with the questionnaire
- Embedded racism
- Revised to address social and ethnic issues
- Revision reduces information to 60% of the original
New MMPI Scales (RCd - RC9)
RCd: Demoralization (misery, depression)
RC1: Somatic complaints (bodily symptoms)
RC2: Low positive emotions (lack of enjoyment)
RC3: Cynicism (low regard for others)
RC4: Antisocial behavior (selfish, sociopathic)
RC6: Ideas of persecution (beliefs of malintent from others)
RC7: Dysfunctional negative emotions (anxiety, irritability)
RC8: Aberrant experiences (uncommon beliefs)
RC9: Hypomanic activation (energetic drive)
Higher-Order MMPI Scales
EID: Emotional/Internalizing dysfunction (mood and affect issues)
THD: Thought dysfunction (disorganized thinking)
BXD: Behavioural/External dysfunction (impulsive behaviour)
Specific Presentations & Revised Scales
Detects 23 specific presentations using 107 items.
AGG-r: Aggressiveness (preference for antagonism)
PSYCH-r: Psychoticism (preference for disconnection)
DISC-r: Disconstraint (impulsivity, compulsion)
NEGE-r: Negative emotionality (anxiety)
INTR-r: Introversion (flat affect, timidity)
Issues with new scale of MMPI
Only indicates potential psychopathology, not a definitive diagnosis.
DSM-V Personality Disorder Diagnosis Criteria
- Impairments in: Self and interpersonal functioning.
- Pathological traits: One or more trait domains or facets.
- Stability: Impairments and traits are stable across time and situations.
- Normative factors: Not due to developmental stage or sociocultural environment.
- Substance effects: Not solely caused by substances
DSM-V Personality Disorder Diagnosis: Levels
1: No personality disorder
2: Personality difficulties
3: Simple personality disorder
4: Complex personality disorder
5: Severe personality disorder
ICD-11: Diagnostic Severity Criteria
- Functioning disturbances: Degree of self and interpersonal dysfunction across contexts.
- Emotional, cognitive, and behavioural manifestations: Severity, chronicity, and impact.
- Distress/impairment: Extent of dysfunction’s impact on important areas of life.
Reliability of personality disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder: Good interrater reliability; some argue it’s a form of bipolar disorder.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: Low interrater reliability.
Antisocial Personality Disorder: Low interrater reliability.
Cluster A Personality Disorders Overview
Odd, bizarre, eccentric traits.
Includes: Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others, interpreting motives as malevolent
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Detachment from social relationships, restricted emotional expression.
Traits: Detached, aloof, introspective, no desire for social or sexual relationships.
Theory: Heightened sensitivity to inner life, difficulty with intimacy.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Social deficits, discomfort in close relationships, cognitive/perceptual distortions.
Traits: Odd beliefs, magical thinking, suspiciousness, fear of social interaction.
High risk of developing schizophrenia; some heritability evidence.
Cluster B Personality Disorders Overview
Cluster B: Dramatic, erratic traits.
Includes: Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Disregard for and violation of others’ rights.
Traits: Lack of conscience, impulsivity, no emotional attachment, failure to respond to punishment.
Males outnumber females 3:1, often appear charming and intelligent
Borderline Personality Disorder
Instability in relationships, self-image, emotions, and impulsivity.
Symptoms: Emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, chronic anger, impulsive/self-destructive behaviours.
3-5% prevalence; ⅔ are women, difficult to treat
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Attention-seeking behaviours and emotional dysregulation
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy
Dark triad overview
Machiavellianism: Lack of empathy, low emotional intelligence.
Narcissism: Unjustified sense of entitlement and superiority.
Psychopathy: Manipulative behaviour for personal gain
Antisocial Personality Disorder vs Psychopathy: Shared Features
- Pervasive antisocial behaviour in childhood
- Emotional/interpersonal deficits.
- Inadequate identification with adult figures.
- Failure to anticipate long-term consequences.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Neurological deficits in limbic & paralimbic systems
Psychopathy
Incapacity to form interpersonal bonds.
Goal-oriented, predatory, and calculated actions.
Tends to come from middle-class backgrounds.
Linked to lack of empathy and desire for power.
Considered an alternative model for personality disorder diagnosis in DSM
Cluster C Personality Disorders Overview
Cluster C: Anxious, fearful traits.
Includes: Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive, Avoidant
Dependent personality disorder
Excessive need to be taken care of, leading to submissive and clinging behaviour
Fear of separation
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control
Sacrifices flexibility, openness, and efficiency
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Feelings of inadequacy and social inhibition
Hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
Attachment Theory & Personality Disorder
ICD & DSM: Personality disorders seen as extreme forms of insecure attachment
- ICD: Anxious (avoidant) disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder
- DSM: Avoidant Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Shifts in identity, with separate personalities.
Each identity controls behavior and thoughts.
Severe amnesia, with one identity unaware of others’ actions.
Often includes depersonalization and derealization.
Confused sense of identity
