Psychology2016

578 CHAPTER 14

Causes of Personality Disorders

14.16 Identify potential causes of personality disorders.

Cognitive-behavioral theorists talk about how specific behavior can be learned over time

through the processes of reinforcement, shaping, and modeling. More cognitive explana-

tions involve the belief systems formed by the personality disordered persons, such as

the paranoia, extreme self-importance, and fear of being unable to cope by oneself of the

paranoid, narcissistic, and dependent personalities, for example.

There is some evidence of genetic factors in personality disorders (Reichborn-

Kjennerud, 2008). Close biological relatives of people with disorders such as antisocial,

schizotypal, and borderline are more likely to have these disorders than those who are

not related (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Kendler et al., 2006; Reichborn-

Kjennerud et al., 2007; Torgersen et al., 2008). Adoption studies of children whose biolog-

ical parents had antisocial personality disorder show an increased risk for that disorder

in those children, even though raised in a different environment by different people

( American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A longitudinal study has linked the temper-

aments of children at age 3 to antisocial tendencies in adulthood, finding that those

children with lower fearfulness and inhibitions were more likely to show antisocial per-

sonality characteristics in a follow-up study at age 28 (Glenn et al., 2007).

Other causes of personality disorders have been suggested. Antisocial person-

alities are emotionally unresponsive to stressful or threatening situations when com-

pared to others, which may be one reason that they are not afraid of getting caught

(Arnett et al., 1997; Blair et al., 1995; Lykken, 1995). This unresponsiveness seems to

be linked to lower than normal levels of stress hormones in antisocial persons (Fair-

child et al., 2008; Lykken, 1995).

Disturbances in family relationships and communication have also been linked

to personality disorders and, in particular, to antisocial personality disorder (Benjamin,

1996; Livesley, 1995). Childhood abuse, neglect, overly strict parenting, overprotective

parenting, and parental rejection have all been put forth as possible causes, making the

picture of the development of personality disorders a complicated one. It is safe to say

that many of the same factors (genetics, social relationships, and parenting) that help

create ordinary personalities also create disordered personalities.

Personality Disorders

(involve excessively rigid and

maladaptive patterns of behavior and

ways of relating to others)

Cluster A: odd or eccentric thinking

and behavior

Cluster B: very dramatic, emotional, or

erratic thinking and behavior

Cluster C: predominantly anxious or

fearful thinking and behavior

causes

cognitive-behavioral: specific behaviors

learned over time, associated with

maladaptive beliefs

genetic factors play a role, with many showing

increased rates of heritability

variances in stress tolerance and disturbances

in family relationships and communication

have also been linked to personality disorders

antisocial personality disorder: minimal to no

regard for value of others’ rights or feelings;

more common in men

borderline personality disorder: relationships with

others that are intense and unstable; often moody,

manipulative, and untrusting of others;

more common in women

Concept Map L.O. 14.15, 14.16

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