Carly Allen, Karina Wilson, Thanh Nguyen, Sierra Pruden, and Jenna GoinsCarly Allen, Karina Wilson, Thanh Nguyen, Sierra Pruden, and Jenna Goins2AB2AB

Personality DisorderPersonality Disorder

Psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring patterns of behavior that impair one’s social functioning

Cluster A: odd

Cluster B: dramatic

Cluster C: anxious

Avoidant: Cluster CAvoidant: Cluster C

Expresses anxiety, fearful sensitivity to rejection that predisposes the withdrawn

A person that has a pattern of feeling very shy, inadequate, and sensitive to rejection

Symptoms for example: easily hurt from disapproval of others, avoid activities that involves contact with others, think that they are not good socially or as good as others

Schizoid: Cluster ASchizoid: Cluster A

Expresses eccentric behaviors, social disengagement

Lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and apathy

Demonstrate a rich, elaborate and an exclusively internal fantasy world

Cold/ indifferent

Passive in unwanted situations

Histrionic: Cluster BHistrionic: Cluster B

Shallow, attention-getting emotions and goes to great lengths to gain others’ praise and reassurance

Begins in early adulthood

Lively, dramatic, vivacious, enthusiastic, and flirtatious

Causes: childhood events like death of immediate family, divorce of parents, and possibly genetics

2-3% of general population

Histrionic cont. Histrionic cont.

Characterization:

• Constant seeking of reassurance or approval

• Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval

• Pride of own personality, unwillingness to change, viewed as threat

• Inappropriately seductive appearance or behavior in a sexual nature

• Need to be center of attention

• Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification

• Blaming personal failures of disappointments in others

Narcissistic: Cluster BNarcissistic: Cluster B

• Exaggerate their own importance, aided by success fantasies

• Excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige, and vanity

• 1% of population

• Named after Greek youth named Narcissus who was infatuated with his own reflection in a lake

Narcissistic cont.Narcissistic cont.

Symptoms:

• Reacting to criticism with anger, shame, or humiliation

• Taking advantage of others to reach own goals

• Imagining unrealistic fantasies of success, beauty, power, intelligence, or romance

• Become jealous easily

• Lacking empathy and disregarding the feelings of others

• Being obsessed with oneself

• Pursue mainly personal goals

Borderline: Cluster BBorderline: Cluster B

Unstable identity, unstable relationships, and unstable emotions

Impulsive behavior , intense and unstable interpersonal relationships, unstable self-image, feelings of abandonment and an unstable sense of self

Borderline cont. Borderline cont.

Signs and symptoms

Emotional vulnerability

Impulsivity

Interpersonal relationships

Self-harm

Suicidal behavior

Anti-Social (Cluster B)Anti-Social (Cluster B)

Typically a male whose lack of conscience becomes plain before age 15, he begins to lie, steal, fight, or display unrestrained sexual behavior

Disregard for and violation of the rights of others that begins at childhood/ early adolescence and goes to adulthood

Anti-social cont. Anti-social cont.

Characterization:

unconcern for the feelings of others

disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations

incapacity to maintain enduring relationships

very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression (violence)

Incapacity to experience guilt (punishment)

Prone to blame others or rationalize their undesirable behavior when dealing with in society

Rates of Psychological Rates of Psychological DisordersDisorders

A 1980s National Institute of Mental Health survey of nearly 20,000 people in 5 different regions of the country.

Ex: “Has there ever been a period of 2 weeks or more when you felt like you wanted to die?”

1 in 6 Americans suffers clinically significant mental disorders

On page 656 in textbook

Video for ClarificationVideo for Clarification

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd9IlGVEY-c