Personality disorders
(in class material)
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 are maladaptive variations of combinations of normal
personality traits and common motives, especially power and intimacy
● Cognitive processes can become distorted in personality disorders
● Several personality disorders can include extreme variations in experienced
emotions
● Most personality disorders include distortion of self-concept
● Social relationships are frequently disturbed or involve maladaptive patterns in
personality disorders
● Biology forms a building block of several personality disorders
○ Genetic epidemiologic studies indicate that all ten personality disorders are
modestly to moderately heritable
○ Molecular genetic studies that genes linked to neurotransmitter pathways,
especially in the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, are involved
The concept of disorder
● Psychological disorder: a pattern of behaviour 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
Abnormal
Statistical definitions of abnormal: whatever is rare, not frequent and not statistically
normal
Social definition of abnormal: whatever society does not tolerate or defines as
unacceptable
Psychological definition of abnormal: ì: disorganized thoughts, disruptive perceptions,
or unusual beliefs that do not match circumstances; ineffective coping efforts
Combining statistical, social and psychological definitions of abnormality to develop field of
psychopathology (study of mental disorders)
Looking inward for abnormal
● Psychologists started to look within persons, inquiring about subject feelings and
thoughts
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.): DSM-5
Widely accepted system for diagnosing and describing mental
Movement towards dimensional view of personality
Diagnostic views of personality disorders
● Categorical view: you have it or you don’t
○ Dominant model in the DSM-V
(in class material)
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 are maladaptive variations of combinations of normal
personality traits and common motives, especially power and intimacy
● Cognitive processes can become distorted in personality disorders
● Several personality disorders can include extreme variations in experienced
emotions
● Most personality disorders include distortion of self-concept
● Social relationships are frequently disturbed or involve maladaptive patterns in
personality disorders
● Biology forms a building block of several personality disorders
○ Genetic epidemiologic studies indicate that all ten personality disorders are
modestly to moderately heritable
○ Molecular genetic studies that genes linked to neurotransmitter pathways,
especially in the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, are involved
The concept of disorder
● Psychological disorder: a pattern of behaviour 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
Abnormal
Statistical definitions of abnormal: whatever is rare, not frequent and not statistically
normal
Social definition of abnormal: whatever society does not tolerate or defines as
unacceptable
Psychological definition of abnormal: ì: disorganized thoughts, disruptive perceptions,
or unusual beliefs that do not match circumstances; ineffective coping efforts
Combining statistical, social and psychological definitions of abnormality to develop field of
psychopathology (study of mental disorders)
Looking inward for abnormal
● Psychologists started to look within persons, inquiring about subject feelings and
thoughts
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.): DSM-5
Widely accepted system for diagnosing and describing mental
Movement towards dimensional view of personality
Diagnostic views of personality disorders
● Categorical view: you have it or you don’t
○ Dominant model in the DSM-V
