psychology 101 class, 9wks tasks

Other personality disorders and personality traits. Other personality disorders may be confused with dependent personality disorder because they have certain features in com­ mon. It is therefore important to distinguish among these disorders based on differences in their characteristic features. However, if an individual has personality features that meet cri­ teria for one or more personality disorders in addition to dependent personality disorder, all can be diagnosed. Although many personality disorders are characterized by dependent features, dependent personality disorder can be distinguished by its predominantly submis­ sive, reactive, and clinging behavior. Both dependent personality disorder and borderline personality disorder are characterized by fear of abandonment; however, the individual with borderline personality disorder reacts to abandonment with feelings of emotional emp­ tiness, rage, and demands, whereas the individual with dependent personality disorder re­ acts with increasing appeasement and submissiveness and urgently seeks a replacement relationship to provide caregiving and support. Borderline personality disorder can further be distinguished from dependent personality disorder by a typical pattern of unstable and intense relationships. Individuals with histrionic personality disorder, like those with de­ pendent personality disorder, have a strong need for reassurance and approval and may ap­ pear childlike and clinging. However, unlike dependent personality disorder, which is characterized by self-effacing and docile behavior, histrionic personality disorder is charac­ terized by gregarious flamboyance with active demands for attention. Both dependent personality disorder and avoidant personality disorder are characterized by feelings of in­ adequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism, and a need for reassurance; however, individuals with avoidant personality disorder have such a strong fear of humiliation and rejection that they withdraw until they are certain they will be accepted. In contrast, individuals with de­ pendent personality disorder have a pattern of seeking and maintaining connections to im­ portant others, rather than avoiding and withdrawing from relationships.

Many individuals display dependent personality traits. Orüy when these traits are in­ flexible, maladaptive, and persisting and cause significant functional impairment or sub­ jective distress do they constitute dependent personality disorder. Personality change due to another medical condition. Dependent personality disor­ der must be distinguished from personality change due to another medical condition, in which the traits that emerge are attributable to the effects of another medical condition on the central nervous system. Substance use disorders. Dependent personality disorder must also be distinguished from symptoms that may develop in association with persistent substance use.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Diagnostic Criteria 301.4 (F60.5) A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and in- teφersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following: 1. Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent

that the major point of the activity is lost. 2. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a

project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met). 3. Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and

friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity). 4. Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or

values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification).

5. Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value.

6. Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things.

7. Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes.

8. Shows rigidity and stubbornness.

Diagnostic Features The essential feature of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts.

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder attempt to maintain a sense of control through painstaking attention to rules, trivial details, procedures, lists, schedules, or form to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost (Criterion 1). They are excessively careful and prone to repetition, paying extraordinary attention to detail and repeatedly checking for possible mistakes. They are oblivious to the fact that other people tend to become very annoyed at the delays and inconveniences that result from this behavior. For example, when such individuals misplace a list of things to be done, they will spend an inordinate amount of time looking for the list rather than spending a few moments re-creating it from memory and proceeding to accomplish the tasks. Time is poorly allocated, and the most important tasks are left to the last moment. The perfection­ ism and self-imposed high standards of performance cause significant dysfunction and distress in these individuals. They may become so involved in making every detail of a project absolutely perfect that the project is never finished (Criterion 2). For example, the completion of a written report is delayed by numerous time-consuming rewrites that all come up short of "perfection." Deadlines are missed, and aspects of the individual's life that are not the current focus of activity may fall into disarray.

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder display excessive devotion to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (Criterion 3). This behavior is not accounted for by economic necessity. They often feel that they do not have time to take an evening or a weekend day off to go on an outing or to just relax. They may keep postponing a pleasurable activity, such as a vacation, so that it may never occur. When they do take time for leisure activities or vacations, they are very uncomfortable un­ less they have taken along something to work on so they do not "waste time." There may be a great concentration on household chores (e.g., repeated excessive cleaning so that "one could eat off the floor"). If they spend time with friends, it is likely to be in some kind of for­ mally organized activity (e.g., sports). Hobbies or recreational activities are approached as serious tasks requiring careful organization and hard work to master. The emphasis is on perfect performance. These individuals turn play into a structured task (e.g., correcting an infant for not putting rings on the post in the right order; telling a toddler to ride his or her tri­ cycle in a straight line; turning a baseball game into a harsh "lesson").

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder may be excessively con­ scientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (Crite­ rion 4). They may force themselves and others to follow rigid moral principles and very strict standards of performance. They may also be mercilessly self-critical about their own mistakes. Individuals with this disorder are rigidly deferential to authority and rules and insist on quite literal compliance, with no rule bending for extenuating circumstances. For example, the individual will not lend a quarter to a friend who needs one to make a tele­ phone call because "neither a borrower nor a lender be" or because it would be "bad" for