Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Personality Disorders557Pervasive mistrust and suspiciousness of others are the definingfeatures of the paranoid personality disorder. About 3percent of the general population displays this disorder, whichoccurs most frequently in men (Oltmanns & Okada, 2006).Individuals with paranoid personality disorder are constantlyon guard. Why? Because they think that other people are out toexploit, harm, or dupe them. For example, when a waitress miscalculatedthe total on Doug’s check, he became furious, assumingshe was trying to rip him off. When a neighbor’s trash cangot tipped over and trash blew into Doug’s yard, he was quiteangry, convinced that the neighbor had dumped it there on purpose.People with this personality disorder often misinterpret theinnocent comments or actions of others. For example, playfulteasing from a co-worker is seen as a deliberate insult, an attackon their character or reputation (Bernstein & Useda, 2007; DSM-IV-TR, 2000).Inappropriate outbursts of anger can occur when the person feels as though he hasbeen wronged by some kind of slight, insult, or injustice—which happens frequently.People with paranoid personality disorder are distrustful of people who are closeto them, even when there is no evidence to support their suspicious beliefs. Not surprisingly,they are very reluctant to form close attachments or confide in others. Doingso, they believe, leaves them vulnerable because the other person could use thatinformation against them. People with this personality disorder also have a strongtendency to blame others for their own shortcomings. They are often harshly criticalof what they perceive as the shortcomings of colleagues, friends, or family members.Though they may superficially present themselves as being objective and unemotional,their underlying hostility is evident in sarcastic comments and put-downs. Ifanother person responds in kind, it only confirms their belief that other people areout to attack them.Pathological jealousy commonly characterizes the intimate relationships of theperson with a paranoid personality disorder. Although his spouse or sexual partnermay never have given any indication of unfaithfulness, he still suspects and accuseshis mate of harboring feelings of infidelity. When his partner is 10 minutes late,makes casual social conversation with other people, or inadvertently rushes out ofthe house without her wedding ring, the individual with paranoid personality disorderseizes on this behavior as “evidence” of the intent to be unfaithful. The goal ofthis pathological jealousy is to dominate and maintain complete control of his partner.In doing so, the person thinks he can keep his partner from betraying him andhurting him emotionally.Unfortunately, there’s not a great deal of research on the causes of paranoid personalitydisorder. Some researchers have hypothesized that childhood abuse or neglectmay play a role. Violence, unnecessary litigation, disruptive behavior, and problemsin personal relationships are all commonly associated with paranoid personalitydisorder (Bernstein & Useda, 2007).© The New Yorker Collection 1995 Tom Cheney from cartoonbank.comAll Rights Reserved.Antisocial Personality DisorderViolating the Rights of Others—Without Guilt or RemorseOften referred to as a psychopath or sociopath, the individual with antisocial personalitydisorder has the ability to lie, cheat, steal, and otherwise manipulate and harmother people. And when caught, the person shows little or no remorse for havingcaused pain, damage, or loss to others (Patrick, 2007). It’s as though the person hasno conscience or sense of guilt. This pattern of blatantly disregarding and violatingthe rights of others is the central feature of antisocial personality disorder (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Researchers have also noted a relative lack of anxiety in these individuals,paranoid personality disorderA personality disorder characterized by apervasive distrust and suspiciousness of themotives of others without sufficient basis.antisocial personality disorderA personality disorder characterized by apervasive pattern of disregarding and violatingthe rights of others; such individualsare also often referred to as psychopaths orsociopaths.