Overview Personality trait enduring patterns of behavior exhibited in a wide range of personal contexts Personality disorder pervasive, inflexible, extreme, maladaptive personality trait causing impaired functioning or subjective distress ego syntonic patient has limited awareness of disorder course is usually stable by early adulthood not usually diagnosed in children Cluster A Personality Disorders Characterization "weird" odd or eccentric no meaningful social relationships no psychosis genetic association with schizophrenia Types paranoid excessive distrust and suspiciousness schizoid voluntary social withdrawal content with social isolation (vs. avoidant) limited emotional expression schizotypal eccentric appearance odd beliefs or magical thinking Cluster B Personality Disorders Characterization "wild" dramatic, emotional, or erratic genetic association with mood disorders and substance abuse Types antisocial disregard for and violation of rights of others with lack of remorse criminality males > females conduct disorder if < 18 years commonly known as "psychopathy" classic triad set fires, torture animals, bed wetting borderline unstable interpersonal relationships impulsivity sense of emptiness fear of abandonment females > males splitting is a major defense mechanism relationships are either all good ("my boyfriend is a perfect angel") or all bad ("my boyfriend is evil and I hate him") self-mutilation histrionic excessive emotionality and attention-seeking sexually provocative overly concerned with appearance think "telenovelas" narcissistic grandiosity need for admiration sense of entitlement demands "the best" lacks empathy reacts to criticism with rage Cluster C Personality Disorders Characterization "worried" anxious or fearful genetic association with anxiety disorders Types avoidant hypersensitive to rejection socially inhibited feelings of inadequacy desires relationships with others (vs. schizoid) obsessive-compulsive preoccupation with order, perfectionism, and control ego syntonic vs. OCD which is ego dystonic dependent submissive and clingy excessive need to be taken care of low self-confidence