Lesson 12: Personality Disorders


Attention

Personality...


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Review the results of an online personality disorders test and discuss it's validity.
  • Discuss the controversial nature of personality disorders.

Teaching

Chapter 12: Personality Disorders

Picture it.  You are at a beautiful, white-sanded beach on the Italian Riviera.  Row after row of colorful umbrellas and cabanas dot the landscape for as far as the eye can see.  The wind is breezy and filled with the fragrance of fresh, sea air.  Seagulls cry overhead while children squeal with delight as the dart in and out of the cold water, waves lapping at their heels. Beautiful, tanned Italians walk slowly back and forth up and down the beach showing off their swimwear and chatting happily with people they meet.  You are in paradise.  The next thing you know, your travel partner starts to complain about the crowds and the heat.  He wants to go back to the hotel, but won’t because he is angry that the room only has a small air conditioner that isn’t sufficient to cool the room.  He gripes about the ridiculously expensive cost of the “stupid” room and the terrible exchange rate that he got when you landed at the airport.  You try to ignore him, but, this becomes increasingly difficult as he moves on to complain about the pizza you had for lunch.  It isn’t like American pizza.  It is plain and didn’t have enough cheese.  And, the coke they brought him didn’t have any ice in it.  He also couldn’t believe how strong the coffee was and that they wouldn’t give him more than one cup without charging him for another.  He hates Italy.  He hates traveling.  He hates Italians. He hates you for dragging him half way across the world to die in a miserable, sweltering, overpriced hotel room with thick coffee and iceless coke.  He is in hell. 

While we all know and relate to “difficult” people at times, at what point does “difficult” become “disordered?” This week, we are embarking on the process of learning about Personality Disorders.  Of all of the categories in the DSM, this one is likely the most controversial.  It is especially repugnant to those of us who are concerned about labels.  In fact, rather than identifying some disorder a person may have, in this category, we are actually indicating the extent to which a given person IS a psychological disorder.  As you know, these disorders are coded on Axis II because they are considered long-lasting, ingrained problems that are resistant to treatment.  They are also difficult to diagnose, overlap heavily with other personality disorders, and are often associated with intense social stigma.  Let’s see what you think.


CLASS ACTIVITIES

Lesson 12 Discussion A

Go to http://www.4degreez.com/misc/personality_disorder_test.mv After taking the “test,” answer the following questions: (Remember that this is NOT a valid psychological test)

    1. If this was the only test used to diagnose a given Personality Disorder, would you be comfortable that the diagnosis was valid? Why or Why not?
    2. How did the wording of the questions affect how you answered them?
    3. Based on the case study of Phama Jo from Lesson 11, do you think that she had a Personality Disorder as well?

Lesson 12 Discussion B

What did you learn about the controversial nature of these disorders?  If you had a relative or friend who was diagnosed with a Personality Disorder, what would you tell them about the nature of the disorder.  What would you tell them about their prognosis?