▪ Cluster A- odd or eccentric

- Paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal

An Overview of Personality Disorders personality disorders
▪ Cluster B- dramatic, emotional, or erratic
Personality- characteristics of how a person behaves and - Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and
thinks narcissistic personality disorders
Personality disorders- characteristics of personality that ▪ Cluster C- anxious or fearful
interfere with: - Avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-
• relationships with others, compulsive personality disorders
Statistics and Development
• causes the person distress
• Many people do not seek help on their own, so
• disrupts daily living
prevalence is hard to determine
Aspects of Personality Disorders • About 1 in 10 adults are said to have a personality
• Chronic disorder (makes them relatively common)
• Originate in childhood • 6% of people worldwide have at least one
• Personality disorder: a persistent pattern of personality disorder
emotions, cognitions, and behaviors that result in • Women are more likely to be diagnosed with
enduring emotional distress for the person borderline personality disorder
affected and/or for others and may cause • Men are more likely to be diagnosed with
difficulties with work and relationships antisocial personality disorder
▪ May be difficult for the person suffering to • Personality disorders begin in childhood but could
identify change throughout life
• Treatment is difficult because of the therapists
view of the client Gender Differences
• Cluster A- odd or eccentric • Men with personality disorders tend to show traits
• Cluster B- dramatic, emotional, or erratic that are more aggressive, structured, self-
• Cluster C- assertive, and detached
▪ Ex: antisocial personality disorder
Categorical and Dimensional Models • Women with personality disorders tend to show
• Personality disorders may be problems everyone traits that are more submissive, emotional, and
faces, just to a different degree insecure
• Dimensions- personality disorders are extreme ▪ Ex: dependent personality disorder
versions of otherwise typical personality • Histrionic and borderline personality disorders
variations seem to be equal among men and women
▪ Usually seen as this • Assessment gender bias is common
▪ It would retain more info about each
individual Comorbidity
▪ It would be more flexible and would
• People tend to be diagnosed with more than 1
permit categorical and dimensional
personality disorder
differentiations
• Comorbidity- the condition where a person has
▪ It would avoid assigning a person to a
multiple diseases
diagnostic category
• More research is needed
▪ Ex: Five factor model/ Big 5
Personality Disorders Under Study
- Extroversion, agreeableness,
• Sadistic personality disorder and passive-
conscientiousness, neuroticism, and
aggressive personality disorder
openness to experience
- May be culturally affected
Cluster A Personality Disorders
• Categories- ways of relating that are different
from psychologically healthy behavior - Odd or eccentric
▪ Easier to diagnose
• Emerging measure and models in DSM 5- focuses Paranoid Personality Disorder
on continuum of disturbances of the self • Paranoid personality disorder: people who are
• Personality disorders are divided into 3 clusters excessively distrustful and suspicious of others,
without any justification
 ▪ They assume people are out to harm or • Causes and Treatment
trick them ▪ There is little research on the nature of
• May interfere with friends, working with others, this disorder
and getting through daily functions ▪ Childhood shyness may be a precursor
• Clinical Description - This may be a personality trait that is
▪ Pervasive unjustified district inherited
▪ Can be argumentative, may complain, or ▪ Abuse and neglect in childhood may be a
may be quiet cause
▪ Sensitive to criticism ▪ Rare for someone with this disorder to
▪ This disorder increased risk of suicide request treatment
attempts and violent behavior, and poor ▪ May be in response to a crisis (extreme
quality of life depression) or losing a job
• Causes ▪ May need to be taught emotions and
▪ Biological contributions are said to be empathy
limited ▪ Social skills may have never been
▪ May be more common with those who developed
have relatives with schizophrenia ▪ Uses role-playing
▪ Strong role of genetics
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
▪ Psychological contributions are also
uncertain • Schizotypal Personality Disorder: people who are
▪ Early mistreatment or traumatic typically socially isolated, like those with schizoid
childhood experience may cause it personality disorder
▪ Maladaptive view of the world which may ▪ Believe in unusual ways
come from upbringing ▪ Tend to be suspicious and have odd
▪ Culture factors- unique experiences, beliefs
being emerged in a new culture ▪ May be on a continuum
• Treatment ▪ May have hallucinations and delusions
▪ Unlikely to seek professional help • Clinical Description
▪ Will have difficulty developing trust in a ▪ Psychotic Like (not psychotic) symptoms
therapist such as believing everything related to
▪ Cognitive therapy- used to counter the you personally
person’s negative beliefs ▪ Odd beliefs and may engage in “magical
▪ Many people do not engage in therapy thinking”
long enough to help ▪ Report unusual perceptual experiences
▪ Children that develop it- Passive,
Schizoid Personality Disorder
unengaged, and hypersensitive to
• Preference for isolation criticism
• Schizoid Personality Disorder: people who show a ▪ Cultural diagnoses may lead to a false
pattern of detachment from social relationships diagnosis
and a limited range of emotions in an • Causes
interpersonal situation ▪ Usually predisposed to develop
• Schizoid means “odd” schizophrenia
• Seem to lack emotions ▪ A phenotype of the schizophrenia gene
• Clinical Description ▪ Environment can strongly influence
▪ Do not enjoy closeness with others ▪ Childhood mistreatment
▪ Appear cold and detached • Treatment
▪ Sensitive to opinions or others but unable ▪ May treat those who also have anxiety
to express this through emotions and depression
▪ Social isolation may be extremely painful ▪ Medical and psychological treatment for
▪ Seems it can result in homelessness depression
▪ Similar but more extreme than paranoid ▪ Social skills training
personality disorder ▪ antipsychotic medication, cognitive
behavioral therapy, and social skills
 training to avoid the onset of • Arousal Theories
schizophrenia ▪ Under arousal hypothesis- psychopaths
have abnormally low levels of cortical
Cluster B Personality Disorders
arousal
- Dramatic, emotional, or erratic - Yerkes-Dodson curve
- They seek stimulation to boost their
Antisocial Personality Disorder low levels
▪ Fearlessness hypothesis- psychopaths
• Antisocial Personality Disorder: People who are
possess a higher threshold for
among the most puzzling individuals and are
experiencing fear than most other
characterized as having a history of failing to
individuals
comply with social norms
• Psychological and Social Dimensions
▪ Irresponsible, impulsive, and deceitful
▪ Parents may give in to bad behavior in
▪ Lacking conscious and empathy
childhood
• Clinical Description
▪ Less discipline and parental monitoring
▪ Long histories of violating the rights of
▪ Inconsistent parental discipline
others
• Developmental Influences
▪ Aggressive and take what they want
▪ Indifferent to the concerns of others ▪ Behavior and crimes increase in intensity
▪ Unable to tell the difference between a with age
▪ Tend to decline by 40 years old
truth and a lie
▪ Psychopathy may be the same thing • An Integrative Model
▪ Genetic vulnerability
• Defining Criteria
▪ Dopamine and serotonin levels influence
▪ Psychopathic personality
aggressiveness
▪ Diagnosis criteria is not entirely reliable
▪ Fear conditioning in children- gene
• Antisocial Personality Disorder and Criminality
environment interaction
▪ Not all psychopaths are criminals and
▪ Neurohormone (cortisol) affects how
they may not all be aggressive
people deal with stress
▪ May result in early delinquent behavior
• Treatment
• Conduct Disorder
▪ Rarely identifying themselves as needing
▪ Conduct disorder- children who engage in
treatment
behavior that violate society’s norms
▪ Few documented success stories and
- Separate diagnosis for children
pessimism
- Most often diagnosed in boys
▪ Treatment in childhood is best- parent
▪ Childhood-onset type: criteria appears
training
before age 10
▪ Cognitive behavioral therapy- could
▪ Adolescent-onset type
reduce likelihood of bad behavior after 5
• Genetic Influences
years of treatment
▪ There is a genetic influence on antisocial
▪ Treatment is usually ineffective for adults
personality disorder and criminality
• Prevention
▪ Genetic influences may only occur in
▪ In school good behavior is praised and
certain environments
skills training is provided
▪ Endophenotype- underlying aspects of a
▪ Early intervention
disorder that might be more directly
▪ Sports may be able to lower delinquent
influenced by genes
activity
▪ Levels of serotonin or dopamine
▪ Relative lack of anxiety or fear Borderline Personality Disorder
• Neurobiological Influences
▪ General brain damage does not explain • Borderline Personality Disorder: people with lead
this disorder tumultuous (uproaring) lives
- May affect changes in chemistry or ▪ Moods and relationships are unstable
structure of brain which could affect ▪ Poor self image
behavior ▪ Feel empty and are suicidal
 • Clinical Description ▪ Tend to be vain, self centered, and
▪ One of the most common personality uncomfortable when they are not the
disorders in a clinical setting center of attention
▪ 1%-2% of total population ▪ Can be seductive in appearance and
▪ Fear abandonment and lack control of behavior
emotions ▪ Cognitive style- impressionistic (view
▪ Self harming behaviors things globally and black and white)
▪ Remission is usually achieved after 10 ▪ Speech is vague
years of treatment ▪ High diagnosis in women compared to
▪ Can go from anger to depressed men
▪ Drug abuse - May be an overdiagnosis among
• Causes women
▪ More prevalent within families • Causes
▪ Liked to mood disorders ▪ Little research has been done
▪ Very common among twins- genetic ▪ Greek philosophers believed it was
influence caused by the uterus migrating
▪ Serotonin- dysfunction leads to ▪ May be a relationship with antisocial
emotional instability personality disorder
▪ Limbic system ▪ Women may be predisposed
▪ Women may have shame • Treatment
▪ Early trauma (sexual or physical abuse) ▪ Not many success stories
▪ Abuse of any kind ▪ Therapists have tried to modify attention-
• An Integrative Model getting behavior
▪ There is no accepted integrative model - Rewarded with appropriate behaviors
▪ May use information from anxiety ▪ Need to be taught more appropriate ways
disorders to get what they want
▪ 1) Genetic vulnerability to emotional
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
reactivity
▪ 2) Generalized psychological vulnerability • Narcissistic Personality Disorder: The tendency to
▪ 3) early environmental experiences- think highly of oneself, perhaps exaggerating their
trauma or abuse real abilities, considering themselves different,
• Treatment and wanting special treatment all to an extreme
▪ More likely to seek treatment than those ▪ Narcissistic- exaggerated sense of self-
with anxiety of mood disorders importance and are preoccupied with
▪ Anticonvulsant or antidepressant drugs receiving attention
▪ Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): • Clinical Description
involves helping people cope with the ▪ Unreasonable sense of self importance
stressors that seem to trigger suicidal ▪ Lack sensitivity and compassion for
behaviors or maladaptive responsives. others
- May reduce suicide, dropouts from ▪ Grandiosity- exaggerated feelings and
treatment, or hospitalization fantasies of greatness
▪ Treatment can be seen in amygdala and ▪ They expect a great deal of special
hippocampus treatment
Histrionic Personality Disorder • Causes and Treatment
▪ Cause- failure to model empathy in childhood
• Histrionic Personality Disorder: people tend to be - Child stays fixated at the self center
overly dramatic and often seem almost to be stage of development
acting ▪ More popular in western cultures because of
▪ Histrionic- theatrical in manner large scale social change
• Clinical Description ▪ Cognitive therapy may be used to get rid of
▪ Express their emotions in a dramatic their fantasies
expression ▪ Coping strategies to accept criticism are also
implemented
 ▪ People may develop depression so Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
sometimes treatment is similar to the
treatment of depression • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder:
people who have fixations of things that have to be
Cluster C Personality Disorders done “the right way”
• Serial killers or sex offenders (pedophiles) may
-Anxious or fearful
have this
Avoidant Personality Disorder • Do not have particular compulsions or obsessions
like in OCD
• Avoidant Personality Disorder: people who are • Can also be seen in gifted children
extremely sensitive to the opinions of others, and • Causes and Treatment
although he desire social relationships their
▪ Some people may be predisposed to
anxiety stops them
want structure in their life
• Extremely low self esteem and fear of rejection ▪ Therapy attacks the fears that underline
• Causes the need for order
▪ May occur more often in relatives with ▪ Helps patient relax and use cognitive
schizophrenia reappraisal techniques
▪ Millon- People may be born with a
different temperament or personality
characteristics which may lead to
rejection from parents
▪ Childhood experiences of isolation,
rejection, and conflicts with other
• Treatment
▪ Behavioral intervention techniques- for
anxiety and social skills
▪ Therapeutic alliance (relationship with
client and therapist) will determine
success

Dependent Personality Disorder

• Dependent Personality Disorder: people who rely

on others to make ordinary decisions as well as
important ones, which result in an unreasonable
fear of abandonment
• Clinical Description
▪ Agree with other even if they believe
otherwise to avoid rejection
▪ Will do anything to keep relationships
▪ Similar to those with avoidant personality
disorder
▪ Dependence and submission may be a
favorable trait in some cultures
• Causes and Treatment
▪ Neglect or rejection by parents
▪ Never successfully living alone
▪ Therapy is intended to make the person
more independent and personally
responsible
▪ May not become independent from
therapist