Chapter 19
Disorders of Personality

Chapter Outline

The Building Blocks of Personality Disorders

• Symptoms of personality disorders can be viewed as maladaptive variations within the domains of traits, emotions, cognitions, motives, and self-concept
• Personality disorders as maladaptive variations or combinations of normal personality traits
• Several personality disorders involve maladaptive variations on common motives, especially power and intimacy
• Cognitive processes can become distorted in personal disorders
• Several personal disorders include extreme variations in experienced emotion
• Most personality disorders include distortion of self-concept
• Social relationships, especially interpersonal and sexual behavior, frequently disturbed or involve maladaptive patterns in personality disorders
• Biology forms a building block of several personality disorders
• Disorders of personality can provide insight into the normal workings of personality

The Concept of Disorder

• Psychological disorder
• Pattern of behavior or experience that is distressing and painful to the person
• Leads to disability or impairment in important life domains
• Associated with the increased risk for further suffering, loss of function, death, or confinement
• Abnormal psychology: Study of mental disorders, including thought disorders, emotional disorders, and personality disorders
  

What Is Abnormal?

• Statistical definition: Whatever is rare, not frequent, and not statistically normal
• Social definition: Whatever society does not tolerate
• Statistical and social definitions are tied to changing social or cultural norms
• Psychologists thus look within persons, inquiring about subject feelings and thoughts
• Psychopathology: Study of mental disorders
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV): Widely accepted system for diagnosing and describing mental disorders
  

What is a Personality Disorder?

• Enduring pattern of experience and behavior that differs greatly from expectations of a person’s culture
• Disorder is usually manifested in more than one of following areas: Thoughts, feelings, how a person gets along with others, and the ability to control own behavior
• Pattern of behavior is rigid and displayed across a variety of situations, leading to distress in key areas of life such as work and relationships
• Pattern of behavior typically has a long history in a person’s life, often back to adolescence or childhood
• Pattern must not be attributable to drug abuse, medication, or other medical condition
• Varieties of personality disorder
• DSM-IV lists 10 personality disorders, classified into three groups
• Erratic group: Persons with these disorders appear erratic, emotional, and have difficulties getting along with others
• Includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders
• Eccentric group: Persons with these disorders appear odd, eccentric, do not get along well with others
• Includes schizoid, schizotypal, and paranoid personality disorders
• Anxious group: Persons with these disorders appear anxious, fearful, apprehensive, and have trouble with social relationships
• Includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders
• All personality disorders involve impaired social relations
• Categories or dimensions?
• Categorical view
• Either the person does or does not have personality disorder
• Disorders are viewed as distinct and qualitatively different from normal extremes on some trait
• Dimensional view
• Personality disorder is viewed as a continuum that ranges from normality at one end to severe disability or disturbance at other end
• Culture, age, and gender: The effect of context
• Must take into account person’s culture, age, gender before defining behavior as revealing personality disorder

Specific Personality Disorders

The Erratic Cluster: Ways of Being Unpredictable, Violent, or Emotional

• Antisocial personality disorder
• Little concern for others
• Impulse
• Easily irritated and assaultive
• Reckless and irresponsible
• Glib or superficial charm
• Callous social attitudes
• Lack of guilt feelings or remorse
• Indifferent to suffering of others

• Narcissistic personality disorder
• Need to be admired
• Strong sense of self importance
• Lack of insight into other peoples’ feelings or needs
• Sense of entitlement
• Feelings of superiority
• Self-esteem appears strong, but is fragile
• Envious of others
  

The Eccentric Cluster: Ways of Being Different

• Schizoid personality disorder
• Detached from normal social relationships
• Obtains little pleasure out of life
• Appears inept or socially clumsy
• Passive in the face of unpleasant events
• Schizotypal personality disorder
• Anxious in social relations and avoids people
• Appears “different” and does not conform
• Suspicious of others
• Odd or eccentric beliefs, such as in ESP or magic
• Thoughts and speech sometimes disorganized
• Paranoid personality disorder
• Distrustful of others
• Misinterprets social events as threatening
• Harbors resentment toward others
• Prone to pathological jealousy
• Argumentative and hostile

The Anxious Cluster: Ways of Being Nervous, Fearful, or Distressed

• Avoidant personality disorder
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Sensitive to criticism
• Restricts activities to avoid embarrassments
• Low self-esteem
• Dependent personality disorder
• Excessive need to be taken care of
• Submissive
• Seeks reassurance from others
• Rarely takes initiative, rarely disagrees with others
• Does not work well independently
• May tolerate abuse from others to obtain support
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• Preoccupied with order
• Strives for perfection
• Devoted to work, seeks little leisure time or friendship
• Frequently miserly or stingy
• Rigid and inflexible and stubborn

Prevalence of Personality Disorders

• Prevalence refers to total number of cases present in given population during a particular period of time
• Obsessive Compulsive personality disorder most common, with just over 4% prevalence rate
• Next most common are Schizotypal, Histrionic, and Dependent personality disorders, about 2% prevalence rate each
• Narcissistic personality disorder least common, with 0.2% prevalence rate
• Total prevalence rate for having at least one personality disorder is 13%
• Differential diagnosis

 

Dimensional Model of Personality Disorders

• Distinctions between normal personality traits and disorders are in terms of extremity, rigidity, maladaptiveness
• Parallel with chemistry: A little of this trait, some of that trait, and amplifying to extremely high (or low) levels, resulting in specific disorder
• Dominant model currently is categorical model (DSM-IV)

 

Causes of Personality Disorders

• Abnormal psychology and psychopathology are highly descriptive disciplines
• Some theoretical work on causes of personality disorders
• Most work emphasizes either “biological” causes or “social” causes of personality disorders

 

SUMMARY AND EVALUATION

• Hallmark of psychological definition of abnormal is anything that prevents a person from having satisfying relationships or from carrying on productive work
• Sigmund Freud taught that the sign of a mature adult personality is the ability to love and to work
• All of the personality disorders refer to symptoms that cause problems with relationships, work, or both
• Personality disorders refer to enduring patterns of experience and behavior that differ greatly from the norms and expectations of a person’s culture
• Disorder shows up in how a person thinks, feels, gets along with others, and the ability to control own actions
• Pattern is displayed across situations, leading to the distress in self or others in key areas of life such as love and work
• Disorder typically has a long history in a person’s life

 

KEY TERMS

            Disorder                                             Narcissistic Paradox
Abnormal Psychology                                   Schizoid Personality Disorder
Abnormal                                           Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Psychopathology                                Paranoid Personality Disorder
Personality Disorder                          Comorbidity
Categorical View                               Neurotic Paradox
Dimensional View                             Avoidant Personality Disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder         Dependent Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder        Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
Eyeblink Startle Method                   Prevalence
Histrionic Personality Disorder         Differential Diagnosis
Narcissistic Personality Disorder     

Chapter Overview

This chapter introduces students to disorders of personality. The authors begin with an overview of the concept of disorder, noting that a psychological disorder is a pattern of behavior or experience that is distressing and painful to the person, leads to some disability or impairment in important life domains, and is associated with increased risk for further suffering, loss of function, death, or confinement. The authors then review the concepts of “abnormal” and “psychopathology.” Next the authors discuss the concept of personality disorder, providing a definition and description based on current thinking in Western psychiatry. The authors then differentiate categorical and dimensional approaches to psychopathology, in general, and personality disorders, in particular. Next the authors discuss the importance of context, especially culture, age, and gender, in defining what is and what is not abnormal or a disorder. The authors then review the 10 specific personality disorders recognized by Western psychiatry. The erratic cluster of personality disorders includes antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. These four disorders are defined by “ways of being” that are unpredictable, violent, or emotional. The next cluster of personality disorders, the eccentric cluster, includes disorders that are defined by ways of being that are odd, different, or peculiar. The eccentric cluster includes schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder. Finally, the anxious cluster of personality disorders includes disorders that are defined by ways of being that are nervous, fearful, or distressed. The anxious cluster includes avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The authors close with a brief review of some of the proposed causes of personality disorders.

Learning Objectives

 

• Review the history of the idea that something can go wrong with a person’s personality.

• Define the key components of a psychological disorder, as conceptualized by modern psychiatry.

 

• Describe the key goals of the field of abnormal psychology.

• Review the various definitions of “abnormal” and identify the modern psychiatric definition of abnormal.

 

• Discuss the concept of a personality disorder, including a modern psychiatric definition.

• Identify and discuss the key criteria for all personality disorders, according to modern psychiatry.

 

• Compare and contrast the categorical and dimensional approaches to personality disorders.

• Discuss the importance of taking into account the contexts of culture, age, and gender, when identifying the presence of a personality disorder.

 

• Discuss the key features of antisocial personality disorder.

• Discuss the key features of borderline personality disorder.

 

• Discuss the key features of histrionic personality disorder.

• Discuss the key features of narcissistic personality disorder.

 

• Discuss the key features of schizoid personality disorder.

• Discuss the key features of schizotypal personality disorder.

 

• Discuss the key features of paranoid personality disorder.

• Discuss the key features of avoidant personality disorder.

 

• Discuss the key features of dependent personality disorder.

• Discuss the key features of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

 

• Review the key features of a dimensional model of personality disorders.

• Discuss key causes that have been proposed for personality disorders.

 

Lecture Topics and Lecture Suggestions

• Personality Disorders in the General Population: DSM-IV and ICD-10 Defined Prevalence as Related to Sociodemographic Profile (Ekselius, Tillfors, Furmark, et al., 2001). This lecture presents students with one attempt at an estimation of prevalence rates of different personality disorders in a community sample. The sample is drawn from a community in Sweden. Students will appreciate the straightforward objectives and design of this research. Use this lecture as a springboard for discussing the prevalence of personality disorders in the general population. Challenge students to think about which personality disorders might be least common in a college population, and which disorders might be most common in a college population.

 

• Prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 defined personality disorders were examined in a community sample
• Data were obtained by means of the DSM-IV and ICD-10 personality questionnaire postal survey completed by 557 individuals (aged 18–70 years)
• Results found that the prevalence of any ICD-10 defined personality disorder was 11.0 percent and 11.1 percent when using DSM-IV criteria
• Comorbidity between personality disorders was common
• Prevalence similarities between DSM and ICD definitions were obtained for the following personality disorders
• Paranoid
• Schizotypal
• Borderline
• Histrionic
• Avoidant
• Dependent
• Obsessive-Compulsive
• Prevalence similarities between DSM and ICD definitions were NOT obtained for schizoid and antisocial personality disorders
• Personality disorders were significantly more often diagnosed in younger subjects
• Students and unemployed homemakers had the highest rates
• Individuals with personality disorders more often received psychiatric treatment, lacked social support, and reported significantly more psychosocial and environmental problems in the past year
• Thus, it is concluded that personality disorders are relatively common in the community, and
• Affected individuals are more impaired than subjects without personality disorders

Reference:

Ekselius, L., Tillfors, M., Furmark, T., et al. (2001). Personality disorders in the general population: DSM-IV and ICD-10 defined prevalence as related to sociodemographic profile. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 311–320.

• Personality Disorders as Extreme Variants of Common Personality Dimensions: Can the Five-Factor Model Adequately Represent Psychopathy? (Miller, Lynam, Widiger, et al., 2001). This lecture is designed to present to students recent research on the utility of the five-factor model of personality (Surgency, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness/Intellect) for describing personality disorders. In particular, this lecture highlights research designed to test whether personality disorders might be usefully thought of as extreme variants of the five factors of personality. The specific focus of this research is on psychopathy, a personality dimension or collection of traits that is of great interest to students. Use this lecture as a springboard for discussing the utility of the five factor model for describing personality disorders, in general, and psychopathy, in particular.

 

• The present study examined Widiger and Lynam’s (1998) hypothesis that psychopathy can be represented using the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality
• Participants in the study consisted of 481 21- and 22-year-old men and women who are part of an ongoing longitudinal study
• Psychopathy was assessed by the degree of similarity between an individual’s NEO-PI-R and an expert-generated FFM psychopathy prototype
• The expert-based prototype supported the account of Widiger and Lynam, as did the correlations between the NEO-PI-R Psychopathy Resemblance Index (PRI) and the individual personality dimensions
• The PRI was also related in predicted ways to measures of antisocial behavior, drug use, and psychopathology
• The results support the contention that psychopathy can be understood as an extreme variant of common dimensions of personality, and
• The results underscore the utility of a dimensional model of personality disorders

Reference:

Miller, J. D., Lynam, D. R., Widiger, T. A., et al. (2001). Personality disorders as extreme variants of common personality dimensions: Can the Five-Factor Model adequately represent psychopathy? Journal of Personality, 69, 253–276.

Classroom Activities and Demonstrations

 

• Larsen and Buss review several definitions of “abnormal.” This activity is designed to get students to think critically about their own definitions of what is and what is not abnormal behavior. This activity should be completed before the instructor lectures on the topic. The idea is to give students an opportunity to express their own conceptions of what is and what is not abnormal. Distribute Activity Handout 19-1 (“What is Abnormal?”). Give students about five minutes to complete the handout. Ask several students to volunteer their definitions of abnormal. Encourage alternative conceptions. Use this activity as a springboard for discussing the various ways that abnormal can be defined, and the special way in which modern psychology and psychiatry defines abnormal.

• Larsen and Buss provide a definition of “personality disorder.” This activity is designed to get students to express their own ideas about the defining features of a personality disorder. This activity should be completed before the instructor lectures on the topic. The idea is to give students an opportunity to express their own conceptions of what defines the key components of a personality disorder. Distribute Activity Handout 19-2 (“What is a Personality Disorder?”). Give students about five minutes to complete the handout. Ask several students to volunteer their nominations for the key components of a personality disorder. Use this activity as a springboard for discussing the special way in which modern psychology and psychiatry defines a personality disorder.

 

• Larsen and Buss review the defining features and characteristics of 10 specific personality disorders. This activity is designed to encourage students to actively apply this material to someone they know, or have read or heard about who might have a personality disorder. Distribute Activity Handout 19-3 (“An Example of Someone with a Personality Disorder”). Give students about 10 minutes to complete the handout. Ask students to volunteer their nominations for someone with a personality disorder and ask them to provide evidence of the presence of the defining characteristic of that particular personality disorder. Use this activity as a springboard for discussing more formally the defining feature of one or more of the personality disorders.

Questions for In-Class Discussion

 

• Larsen and Buss present the 10 personality disorders recognized by modern psychology and psychiatry in three groups: The erratic group, the eccentric group, and the anxious group. First, ask students to identify which disorders belong in each group. Next, ask students to identify what each of the disorders placed in a particular group has in common with the other disorders placed in that group. That is, challenge students to identify why a particular disorder is placed in a particular group—what does it share with the other disorders placed in that group?

• Larsen and Buss review the two key approaches to disorder, in general, and to personality disorders, in particular. These are the categorical and dimensional approaches. Ask student to compare and contrast these two approaches to disorders, with a special focus on personality disorders.

 

• Larsen and Buss suggest that before one concludes that a person’s behavior, thoughts, or emotions reveal the presence of a personality disorder, one must always take into consideration the contexts of culture, age, and gender. Ask students to discuss why it is important to consider the contexts of culture, age, and gender before concluding that a person’s behavior, thoughts, or emotions reveal the presence of a personality disorder. Challenge students to think of other contexts that might be important to consider before one labels someone as having a personality disorder.

Critical Thinking Essays

 

• Alternative way of grouping disorders. Larsen and Buss present the 10 personality disorders recognized by modern psychology and psychiatry in three groups: the erratic group, the eccentric group, and the anxious group. First, identify which disorders belong in each group. Next, present an alternative grouping for these 10 disorders. Justify your alternative grouping by highlighting the features that each of the personality disorders included in your new grouping has in common with one another.

• Larsen and Buss review the two key approaches to disorder, in general, and to personality disorders, in particular. These are the categorical and dimensional approaches. First, compare and contrast these two approaches to disorders, with a special focus on personality disorders. Next, identify which approach makes more sense to you and why.

 

• Larsen and Buss briefly review some of the causes that have been proposed for several of the personality disorders, highlighting “biological” and “social” causes. In this exercise, present at least one hypothesis for the causes of each of the 10 personality disorders. For each hypothesized cause, provide logic to support the proposed cause.

Research Papers

 

• Larsen and Buss review theory and research on the causes, correlates, and consequences of antisocial personality disorder. Conduct a review of the psychological literature. Identify three articles published in the past five years that address antisocial personality disorder. Select articles that are not cited or discussed by Larsen and Buss. For each article, summarize what the researchers investigated, how they investigated it, and what they found. Discuss whether the results of these three articles are consistent with the results of research presented by Larsen and Buss.

• Larsen and Buss review theory and research on the causes, correlates, and consequences of borderline personality disorder. Conduct a review of the psychological literature. Identify three articles published in the past five years that address borderline personality disorder. Select articles that are not cited or discussed by Larsen and Buss. For each article, summarize what the researchers investigated, how they investigated it, and what they found. Discuss whether the results of these three articles are consistent with the results of research presented by Larsen and Buss.

 

• Larsen and Buss review the key features of 10 specific personality disorders identified by modern Western psychology and psychiatry. Conduct a review of the psychological literature. Identify three articles published in the past five years that address one of the personality disorders besides antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder (These two disorders are the focus of Research Papers 1 and 2, above.). Select articles that are not cited or discussed by Larsen and Buss. For each article, summarize what the researchers investigated, how they investigated it, and what they found. Discuss whether the results of these three articles are consistent with the results of research presented by Larsen and Buss.

Recent Research Articles and Other Scholarly Readings

 

Abrams, R. C., Alexopoulos, G. S., Spielman, L. A., et al. (2001). Personality disorder symptoms predict declines in global functioning and quality of life in elderly depressed patients. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 9, 67–71.

Ball, S. A., & Cecero, J. J. (2001). Addicted patients with personality disorders: Traits, schemas, and presenting problems. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 72–83.

Becker, D. F., Grilo, C. M., Edell, W. S., et al. (2001). Applicability of personality disorder criteria in late adolescence: Internal consistency and criterion overlap 2 years after psychiatric hospitalization. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 255–262.

Bender, D. S., Dolan, R. T., Skodol, A. E., et al. (2001). Treatment utilization by patients with personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 295–302.

Carter, J. D., Joyce, P. R., Mulder, R. T., et al. (2001). The contribution of temperament, childhood neglect, and abuse to the development of personality dysfunction: A comparison of three models. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 123–135.

Coolidge, F. L., Moor, C. J., Yamazaki, T. G., et al. (2001). On the relationship between Karen Horney’s tripartite neurotic type theory and personality disorder features. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 1387–1400.

Coolidge, F. L., Thede, L. L., & Jang, K. L. (2001). Heritability of personality disorders in childhood: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 33–40.

Dolan, M., Anderson, I. M., & Deakin, J. F. W. (2001). Relationship between 5-HT function and impulsivity and aggression in male offenders with personality disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 352–359.

Dowson, J. H., Sussams, P., Grounds, A. T., et al. (2001). Associations of past conduct disorder with personality disorders in “nonpsychotic” psychiatric inpatients. European Psychiatry, 16, 49–56.

Dyck, I. R., Phillips, K. A., Warshaw, M. G., et al. (2001). Patterns of personality pathology in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, and social phobia. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 60–71.

Ekselius, L., Tillfors, M., Furmark, T., et al. (2001). Personality disorders in the general population: DSM-IV and ICD-10 defined prevalence as related to sociodemographic profile. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 311–320.

Gandhi, N., Tyrer, P., Evans, K., et al. (2001). A randomized controlled trial of community-oriented and hospital-oriented care for discharged psychiatric patients: Influence of personality disorder on police contacts. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 94–102.

Gude, T., & Vaglum, P. (2001). One-year follow-up of patients with cluster C personality disorders: A prospective study comparing patients with “pure” and comorbid conditions with cluster C, and “pure” C with “pure” cluster A or B conditions. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 216–228.

Haw, C., Hawton, K., Houston, K., et al. (2001). Psychiatric and personality disorders in deliberate self-harm patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 48–54.

Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P., Smailes, E. M., et al. (2001). Childhood verbal abuse and risk for personality disorders during adolescence and early adulthood. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 42, 16–23.

Junkert-Tress, B., Schnierda, U., Hartkamp, N., et al. (2001). Effects of short-term dynamic psychotherapy for neurotic, somatoform, and personality disorders: A prospective 1-year follow-up study. Psychotherapy Research, 11, 187–200.

Kernberg, O. F. (2001). The suicidal risk in severe personality disorders: Differential diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 195–208.

Klein, M. H., Wonderlich, S. A., & Crosby, R. (2001). Self-concept correlates of the personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 150–156.

Kraus, G., & Reynolds, D. J. (2001). The “A-B-C’s” of the Cluster B’s: Identifying, understanding, and treating Cluster B personality disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 345–373.

McCrae, R. R., Yang, J., Costa, P. T., Jr., et al. (2001). Personality profiles and the prediction of categorical personality disorders. Journal of Personality, 69, 155–174.

Miller, J. D., Lynam, D. R., Widiger, T. A., et al. (2001). Personality disorders as extreme variants of common personality dimensions: Can the Five-Factor Model adequately represent psychopathy? Journal of Personality, 69, 253–276.

Modestin, J., Matutat, B., & Wuermle, O. (2001). Antecedents of opioid dependence and personality disorder: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 251, 42–47.

Ogrodniczuk, J. S., & Piper, W. E. (2001). Day treatment for personality disorders: A
review of research findings. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 9, 105–117.

Phillips, K. A., Shea, M. T., Warshaw, M., et al. (2001). The relationship between comorbid personality disorders and treatment received in patients with anxiety disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 157–167.

Pincus, H. A. (2001). Personality disorders in the literature. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 657.

Reynolds, S. K., & Clark, L. A. (2001). Predicting dimensions of personality disorder from domains and facets of the Five-Factor Model. Journal of Personality, 69, 199–222.

Rossi, A., Marinangeli, M. G., Butti, G., et al. (2001). Personality disorders in bipolar and depressive disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 65, 3–8.

Segal, D. L., Hook, J. N., & Coolidge, F. L. (2001). Personality dysfunction, coping styles, and clinical symptoms in younger and older adults. Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, 7, 201–212.

Sinha, B. K., & Watson, D. C. (2001). Personality disorder in university students: A multitrait-multimethod matrix study. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 235–244.

Strack, S., Choca, J. P., & Gurtman, M. B. (2001). Circular structure of the MCMI-III personality disorder scales. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 263–274.

Timmerman, I. G. H., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2001). The prevalence and comorbidity of Axis I and Axis II pathology in a group of forensic patients. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 45, 198–213.

Trull, T. J., Widiger, T. A., & Burr, R. (2001). A structured interview for the assessment of the Five-Factor Model of personality: Facet-level relations to the Axis II personality disorders. Journal of Personality, 69, 175–198.

Westen, D. (2001). Diagnosing personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 324–325.

Wise, E. A. (2001). The comparative validity of MCM-II and MMPI-2 personality disorder scales with forensic examinees. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 275–279.

Activity Handout 19-1:

What is Abnormal?

Instructions: There are many ways of defining “abnormal.” What do you think are the key features of “abnormal” psychology or behavior? Use the lines provided below to jot down what you think are the key features of psychology or behavior that might qualify as “abnormal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activity Handout 19-2:
What is a Personality Disorder?

Instructions: What do you think are the key features of a personality disorder? That is, what do you think are the key characteristics of someone who has a personality disorder? In the space provided below, jot down the characteristics that might describe someone with a personality disorder.

Activity Handout 19-3:
An Example of Someone with a Personality Disorder

Instructions: Think of someone who know, have read about, or have heard about who might have one of the 10 personality disorders presented by Larsen and Buss. First, identify which personality disorder this person might have. Next, in the lines provided below, provide examples of behaviors, thoughts, or emotions this person has displayed that are characteristic of that particular personality disorder. Do not use an example presented by Larsen and Buss.

Which personality disorder might this person have? __________________________________

 

What are some of the behaviors, thoughts, or emotions this person displays that lead you to conclude that he or she might have that particular personality disorder?