Personality Disorders

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Personality Disorders
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• I pulled up near a gas station. I told the
  service station guy to give me all of his money.
  I then took him to the bathroom and told him to
  kneel down and then I shot him in the head twice.
  The guy didnt give me any trouble but I just
  felt like I had to do it. The next morning, I
  left my car at another service station I went in
  and told the guy to give me the moneyThen I shot
  him.

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Definition

• Personality disorder psychological disorder
  characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior
  patterns that impair social functioning.
• Dysfunctional behavior patterns that impair
  peoples social functioning without depression or
  delusions.

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Symptoms

• Personality disorders symptoms
• Ego syntonic feels like a normal part of
  oneself
• Most have interpersonal problems
• Can be difficult to diagnose in initial session
• Difficult to treat can affect treatment of
  other disorders

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Cluster Organization in DSM-IV

• Personality disorders are classified within
  clusters defined by common features
• Cluster A
• Main feature is odd or eccentric in nature
• Within this cluster
• Paranoid PD distrust and suspiciousness
• Schizoid PD detachment from social
  relationships (does not want them)
• Schizotypal PD feels intense discomfort in
  close relationships has distorted thinking and
  eccentric behavior.

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Clusters (cont.)

• 2) Cluster B
• Main feature is dramatic, emotional, or erratic
• Within this cluster
• Antisocial PD disregard for social norms and
  rights of others
• Borderline PD instability in relationships,
  self-image, and mood impulsive
• Histrionic PD excessive emotionality and
  attention seeking
• Narcissistic PD elaborate, need for admiration,
  self-centered

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Clusters (cont.)

• 3) Cluster C
• Main feature involves anxiety or fearfulness
• Within this cluster
• Dependent PD submissive, need to be taken care
  of
• Avoidant PD social inhibition and inadequacy
• Obsessive-Compulsive PD orderliness,
  perfectionism, need to control things

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

• Formerly called a sociopath or psychopath
• Usually male
• Lack of conscience becomes plain before age 15
• Common characteristics
• Superficial charm
• Absence of delusions and irrational thinking
• Absence of nervousness
• Unreliability
• Untruthfulness and insincerity
• Lack of remorse or shame
• Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience
• Incapable of love
• Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal
  relations
• Sex life impersonal and trivial
• Failure to follow any life plan

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Antisocial vs. Criminal Behavior

• Criminal is a legal term denoting conviction
  for breaking a law
• Not all people with ASPD are criminals (or in
  jail)
• Not all people in jail or considered criminals
  have ASPD
• Many criminals do show responsible concern for
  their family and friends.
• Antisocial personalities feel and fear little.

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Serial Killers

• Jeffrey Dahmer
• Killing spree 1978-1991 of 17 known
• men boys.
• Murders involved rape,
• dismemberment, cannibalism, necrophilia.
• Henry Lee Lucas
• 32 years of crime
• Confessed to killing 360 women,
• men, and children.
• Murders involved beating,
• suffocation, shooting, and stabbing

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Nature vs. Nurture

• Biological
• -Twin, family, and adoption data show strong
  genetic influence
• - Show little autonomic nervous system arousal
  is stressful situations
• -Violent repeat offenders have 11 less frontal
  lobe tissue than normal.
• Neither bad genes alone nor a bad environment
  alone predispose later antisocial behavior.
• -Nature vs. Nurture interact
• Antisocial behavior seems to age out after 40
• - could still show ASPD features (lying poor
  work habits)

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Treatment

• Most dont seek treatment for ASPD
• No treatment shown to be effective
• More likely to end up in jail than in treatment
• Focus is on prevention
• Target antisocial children channel
  characteristics (fearfulness, low anxiety) into
  positive roles
• athletics, adventure, military