Underlying Normal Traits within Abnormal Personality Disorders
Student
University
April 11, 2010
Running Head: NORMAL TRAITS WITHIN ABNORMAL PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Abstract
Scholars have argued for decades concerning the fact that there are normal personality traits
underlying abnormal personality traits in people who exhibit dysfunctional personalities. The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition is the determinative
guide on the descriptions of these personality characteristics, and it determined that there were
several models to be considered when looking for a universal clinical definition of abnormal
personality. …show more content…
A person’s maladaptiveness and
evolutionary sense were added as part of the definition of whether the personality was normal or
abnormal, and whether a person had the skill to be able to manage personal relationships were
considered as well in the general definition of abnormal personality. Today, treatment options
are expanded from the traditional therapy treatments to include drug therapies, psychodynamic
therapy, day hospital intervention, and dialectical behavior therapy. To date, day hospital
interventions have proved very successful on non-schizophrenic patients suffering from
abnormal personality traits.
Running Head: NORMAL TRAITS WITHIN ABNORMAL PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Introduction
Scholars have argued for decades concerning the fact that there are normal personality
traits underlying abnormal personality traits in people who exhibit dysfunctional personalities.
Recently, scholars have begun to make an argument that current category systems of personality
disorders (PDs) should be substituted by trait dimensional scheme designations in the …show more content…
259). In other words, there was no concrete evidence that the researchers would
consistently find traits that were exclusively common or descriptive of a specific personality
disorder.
In fact, personality disorders were measured across normal and control groups. The
findings were that there were similarities within the disorder traits and that some equaled normal
and others disordered personality traits. In this way, the researchers queried whether disorder
traits could be seen in normal personalities. The answer was that there were few solid
frameworks to make the decision which would provide a definitive answer to the question. In
effect, extreme ends of the traits seemed to be deemed disorders, while extreme variations alone
may not have been considered enough to state that a personality disorder actually existed.
Quantitative Differences in Normal and Abnormal Personalities
Quantitative differences exist between the normal and abnormal personality.