PSYCO105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Avoidant Personality Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder
1 May 2018
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Personality Disorders
❏Stable, ingrained inflexible and maladaptive ways of thinking, feeling, behaving → not due to
other mental disorders.
❏3 Clusters of disorders
❏Cluster A → Odd and Eccentric behaviours
❏Cluster B → Dramatic and erratic behaviours
❏Random change in behaviours.
❏Cluster C → Anxiety and fearful behaviours.
❏OCD, and avoidance personality disorders.
Cluster A; Odd and eccentric behaviours
❏Not all of the personality disorders in this cluster.
1. Paranoid personality disorder → pattern of pervasive distrust of others, leading to problems with
forming relationships.
2. Schizotypal personality Disorder → eccentricities in appearance behaviour and speech.
Unusually cognitive and perceptual distortions, discomfort in social relationships.
a. Attempt to withdraw from people due to distorted reality perceptions where they may
think that others may attack them.
Cluster B; Dramatic and erratic behaviours
❏Not all of the personality disorders in this cluster.
1. Narcissistic personality Disorder → an extreme feeling of self-importance, need for admiration
and lack of empathy for others.
2. Antisocial personality disorder → A strong concern for the feelings of others. Often disregard
social rules and obligation.
a. People that commit crimes and asre psychopathic are typically classified in this disorder
because they don’t care about others emotions
b. 3:1 male to female ratio.
c. Individuals lack a conscience and fail to respond to punishment. They are often charming
and manipulative.
3. Borderline Personality Disorder → Instability in behaviour, emotions and identity. They also have
emotional dysregulation (inability to control negative emotions).
a. Also have impulsive behaviour → running away, promiscuity, drug abuse
b. Intense and unstable personal relationships → Anger, loneliness and emptiness.
c. Parasuicides.
d. Have a black and white perceptions where they either think everything is amazing or
really bad → thinking and perception is dramatic (“If I break up with this person my life is
over”)
e. Causes; Chaotic personal histories marked by interpersonal strife, sexual and physical
abuse and inconsistent parenting, or treated poorly (parents abusive, rejecting or
non-affirming).
Cluster C; Anxiety and fearful behaviours
❏Not all the personality disorders in this cluster.
1. Avoidant Personality Disorder -- Beliefs of social ineptness, feelings of inadequacy, and
hypersensitivity to negative evaluations. Restrained even in intimate relationships.
2. Dependent Personality Disorder → an excessive need to be looked after. See self as inadequate
and helpless and so submits to others.
The Big Give and personality disorders
❏Personality Disorders actually link with aspects of the big five personality traits.
