Chapter ch01. Critical Thinking Exercise

One particularly interesting area of personality research focuses on personality disorders. Such disorders represent a class of mental disorders that are characterized by rigid patterns of thought and behavior that deviate from the expectations of one’s social and cultural environment (Grohol, 2013). To diagnose a personality disorder, a mental health professional must determine that a patient possesses a behavioral pattern that causes significant distress or impairment in personal, social, and/or occupational situations. There has been a push in recent years to alter how professionals conceptualize personality disorders. The American Psychiatric Association, with the publication of the DSM-5 in May 2013, encourages the use of a hybrid method rather than a categorical approach to assessing and diagnosing personality disorders. Within a hybrid framework individuals’ symptoms would be considered along a continuum as to degree of severity and impairment, and emphasis would be placed on patterns of pathological traits. Although not currently accepted or consistently in-practice, the Personality Disorders Workgroup highlights these suggestions in Section III, “Further Study,” in the DSM-5. The new hybrid model would only retain 6 personality disorder types, compared to the current 10 types listed in the DSM-5. Clinicians and researchers are always trying to better understand and treat individuals with personality disorders, as evidenced by new and improved ways of assessment and classification found in the DSM-5.

There are a wide range of personality disorders, including the following: antisocial, avoidant, borderline, dependent, histrionic, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, and dissociative identity disorder. Select one of these personality disorders for this activity.

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