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

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

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

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

8. 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