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PSYC 435 Abnormal Psychology
(Personalities Disorders) Chapter
10-14 Part 4 Notes Athabasca
University.
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PSYC 435 Notes Part 4
Chapter 10: Personality Disorders
List the clinical features of - Personality Disorder: chronic interpersonal difficulties,
the personality disorders problems with one’s identity or sense of self, and an inability to
and problems associated function adequately in society
with diagnosis. - Challenges in diagnosis – these are the most misdiagnosed than
all other categories of disorders.
o Great deal of overlap between disorders, lack of sharp
definition between disorders using current categorical
approach.
o defined by inferred traits or consistent patterns of
behavior rather than by more objective behavioral
standards – harder for clinicians to verify
- Challenges in creating a dimensional system for diagnosis that
assumes that personality exists on continuums and is
dimensional (such as using the Big Five). Using FFM, the
pathologies can be mapped on the extremes of the continuums.
- Limited research due to entrance in DSM in 1980.
- Great difficulty in untangling causal factors – what comes
before what? Best explanation is biopsychosocial and gene-
environment interactions
Diagnostic Criteria for Personality Disorder:
- Person’s enduring pattern of behavior must be:
o pervasive and inflexible
o stable and of long duration
- It must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in
functioning in 2 or more of the following areas:
o 1. Cognition
o 2. Affectivity
o 3. Interpersonal functioning
o 4. Impulse control
- Their behavior is confusing, unpredictable, unacceptable,
varying degrees
- This disorder stems from gradual development of inflexible and
distorted personality patterns
- Limitation: too many overlapping features across both
categories and clusters, diagnostic criteria – around 10% of
population has one personality disorder, not enough or any large
epidemiological study examining all personality disorders
- Epidemiological study: designed to establish prevalence of a
particular disorder in a very large sample of people living in the
community
- Comorbidity: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance
use problems
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Cluster A Cluster B Cluster C
- paranoid, schizoid, - Histrionic, - avoidant, dependent,
and schizotypal narcissistic, antisocial, and obsessive-
personality disorders and borderline compulsive personality
personality disorder disorder
- seem odd or eccentric - dramatic, emotional, - anxiety and
to others and e rratic fearfulness
- distrustful, suspicious,
or socially detached
Compare and contrast the
different types of Three clusters of personality disorders
personality disorders, and
identify the three clusters Cluster A - Unusual behavior like distrust, suspiciousness, social detachment
into which most personality Paranoid personality disorder
disorders are grouped. • Characteristics: suspiciousness and mistrust of others,
tendency to see self as blameless, on guard for perceived
attacks by others
• M>F, happens in early adulthood
• Criteria (4+ of following):
o Suspects, without a good basis, that others are exploiting,
Summarize what is known harming, or deceiving them
about the biological, o Preoccupied with unjustified doubts about loyalty or
trustworthiness of friends/colleagues
psychological, and
o Reluctant to confide in others because they don’t trust them
sociocultural causal factors
o reads into things way too much as being threatening
of personality disorders.
o always bears grudges
o perceives attack on their character and quick to react angrily
o suspicious about the fidelity of their spouse
• Causal Factors:
• Genetic transmission is linked to the schizophrenia disorder – but
not strong
• Genetic liability for the levels of low agreeableness and
neuroticism, which are main traits in PPD
• Psychosocial factors include parental neglect or abuse as a kid,
exposure to violent adults
• PPD are not psychotic, they may have psychotic symptoms during
periods of stress, but they are in touch with reality.
• Personality traits: High neuroticism, low agreeableness
Schizoid personality disorder
• Characteristics: impaired social relationships, inability and lack of
desire to form attachment to others, restricted range of expression
of emotions - extreme version of introvert
o They like to be alone, and are content with it (whereas
avoidant are lonely and want more interaction, but anxiety
interferes)
o M>F, early adulthood
o Criteria (4+):
▪ Doesn’t enjoy or desire close any relationships
▪ Chooses solitary activities
▪ Little or no interest in sex
▪ Little or no pleasure in any activities
▪ Lacks close friends of confidants
▪ Indifferent about criticism or praise of others
▪ Emotional coldness, detachment
• Causes:
o Impairment in affiliative system causes disruption in
sociability
