Personality Disorders, Rates of Psychological Disorders Chapter 14, Lecture 7

Personality Disorders Personality disorders are characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning. They are usually without anxiety, depression, or delusions. Preview Question 13: What characteristics are typical of personality disorders?

Antisocial Personality Disorder A disorder in which the person (usually men) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members. Formerly, this person was called a sociopath or psychopath. “The genetic vulnerability of people with antisocial and unemotional tendencies appears as a fearless approach to life.” - David Myers

Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder Like mood disorders and schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder has biological and psychological reasons. Youngsters, before committing a crime, respond with lower levels of stress hormones than others do at their age.

Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder PET scans of 41 murderers revealed reduced activity in the frontal lobes. In a follow-up study, repeat offenders had 11% less frontal lobe activity (Raine et al., 1999; 2000). Courtesy of Adrian Raine, University of Southern California Normal Murderer

Rates of Psychological Disorders Preview Question 14: How many people suffer, or have suffered, from a psychological disorder?

Rates of Psychological Disorders The prevalence of psychological disorders during the previous year is shown below (WHO, 2004).

Homework CT Questions – Psychological Disorders (10 pts), Study! “Although mindful of the pain, we can also be encouraged by the many successful people – including Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Leo Tolstoy – who pursued brilliant careers while enduring psychological difficulties.” - David Myers