Appendix A.
Brief Description of Axis II Personality Disorders
| Cluster A | Individuals with this personality disorder… |
| Paranoid | are extremely distrustful, suspicious of others, resentful of authority, vindictive, hypervigilant, blame-avoiding, excessively certain, and cognitively rigid. They often take legal action against others. |
| Schizoid | are indifferent to social relationships, avoid interpersonal interactions, lack empathy, and have difficulty with emotional expression. Fantasizing is used as a defense mechanism. |
| Schizotypal | demonstrate peculiarities of thinking, odd beliefs, and eccentricities of appearance, behavior, interpersonal style, and thought, such as belief in psychic phenomena or magical thinking. |
| Cluster B | Individuals with this personality disorder… |
| Antisocial | have no superego or conscience and are unable to abide by societal rules. They lack regard for moral or legal standards, are willing to lie, have the potential for violence, and sometimes have a criminal record. They are reckless, irresponsible, and impulsive. They can be very charming but demonstrate a marked inability to get along with other people. They are aggressive and remorseless and enjoy humiliating and demeaning others. |
| Narcissistic | demonstrate grandiosity, exhibitionism, and unrealistic self-evaluation. They have a need for constant approval/admiration and are preoccupied with success and hyper-sensitive to criticism. They exhibit a marked lack of empathy and are unable to see the viewpoints of others. Due to their sense of entitlement and envious nature, they can be very exploitative, although not with the same degree of deliberate intent that characterizes those with ASPD. |
| Borderline | exhibit substantial emotional and interpersonal instability and rapid mood swings, including inappropriate, intense anger. They have a frantic fear of abandonment and react strongly to separations. Their relationships are often stormy, with verbal outbursts, and they rapidly switch between idealizing and devaluing others. They have an unstable self-image and lack identity, resulting in sudden changes in opinions and plans about career, sexual identity, values, and friends. They are inconsistent and impulsive, lack clear goals and direction, and perform poorly in unstructured work or school situations. They undermine themselves just as goals are about to be realized and are self-destructive. |
| Histrionic | demonstrate exaggerated displays of emotional reactions in everyday behavior. They are overly dramatic, attention-seeking and vain. They are demanding and manipulative, throw frequent tantrums and need continual stimulation. They are sexually provocative and need to be the center of attention. |
| Cluster C | Individuals with this personality disorder… |
| Obsessive- Compulsive |
become preoccupied with uncontrollable patterns of thought and action, to the extent that these patterns may interfere with their occupational and social functioning. They are perfectionistic, inflexible, unwilling to compromise and have a need for control. They tend to focus on minute detail and experience difficulty completing tasks. (Note that OCPD differs from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is an Axis I diagnosis.) |
| Avoidant | experience marked social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, apprehension, and mistrust, and extreme sensitivity to criticism. They are introverted, timid, and awkward. They wish to become involved with others but simultaneously fear such involvement. They are terrified by the thought of being embarrassed in front of others and avoid situations that inflict social discomfort on them, which in many cases leads to social withdrawal. |
| Dependent | have a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of. They fear separation and engage in clinging and submissive behavior, often denigrating themselves. They have a marked lack of decisiveness and self-confidence, to the point where they are unable to make any decisions or take an independent stand on their own. |