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Aberrant social relations in the personality disorders
Nick Haslam1, Therese Reichert, Alan P Fiske
1New School for Social Research, New York, USA.
Psychology and Psychotherapy
|May 15, 2002
Summary
This study explores personality disorders (PDs) as relationship disturbances, not just behavioral traits. Findings reveal how difficulties in fundamental social relationships link to PD symptoms, offering a new perspective.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Interpersonal aspects of personality disorders (PDs) are typically described using behavioral dispositions mapped onto the interpersonal circumplex.
- Existing models may not fully capture the relational dynamics inherent in PDs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test a theory conceptualizing PDs as systematic disturbances in relationships between people.
- To investigate the association between PD symptoms and the enactment of elementary social relationships.
Main Methods:
- Utilized self-reports from 57 participants with significant interpersonal difficulties.
- Analyzed associations between PD symptoms and the motivation, cognition, and conduct of four elementary forms of social relationships.
- Compared findings with a standard interpersonal circumplex measure.
Main Results:
- Confirmed predicted associations between PD symptoms and aberrant enactment of social relationship forms.
- Identified aberrant motivations and cognitive implementations within these 'relational models'.
- Found these associations were comparable in strength to, yet largely independent of, circumplex measure findings.
Conclusions:
- A relational analysis offers a novel and valuable perspective on understanding PDs.
- Aberrations in authority- and equality-based relationships are central to many PDs, often missed by circumplex models.
- Viewing PDs as relational disturbances provides a fruitful avenue for future research.