Search

Introduction Despite the growing number of studies focusing on the relationship between appearance evaluation and personality dimension, few is known regarding the role of depressive personality and malignant self-regard regarding this topic. Moreover, there is a lack of studies investigating the potential role of both clarity of self-concept and interpersonal exclusion feelings in this relationship. Objectives To extend the knowledge regarding the relationships between malignant self-regard, depressive personality and appearance evaluation. Methods We administered to a very large sample of adults a battery of self-report questionnaires including the subscale Appearance evaluation of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, the Self Concept Clarity Scale, the Malignant self-regard questionnaire, the Depressive Personality Inventory and the Core Exclusion Schema Questionnaire. Results We found that depressive personality negatively predicted positive appearance evaluation whereas the inverse pattern of results was obtained in relation to malignant self-regard. Moreover, we found that both poor self-concept clarity and feelings of exclusion mediate the relationship between malignant self-regard and positive appearance evaluation. Conclusions Depressive personality and Malignant self-regard appear to be promising construct to investigate in the field of eating disorders. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Objective: Chronic physical pain is one of modern medicine's principal challenges. Recently, there has been a keen research interest in the role of depressive personality vulnerability (DPV) in the course of chronic pain. This is the first attempt to examine the role of three leading DPV dimensions-sociotropy, autonomy, and self-criticism-in chronic pain.Method: Chronic pain patients (N = 428) were assessed four times as to their pain, disability, anxious depression, and pain-based catastrophizing. At Time 1, sociotropy, autonomy, and self-criticism were also assessed. The effects of sociotropy, autonomy, and self-criticism on pain, disability, anxious depression, and pain-based catastrophizing were examined using structural equation modeling analyses.Results: All DPV dimensions uniquely predicted Time 1, but not Time 2, anxious depression. Sociotropy predicted Time 1 pain and catastrophizing over and above anxious depression, as well as an increase in catastrophizing over time. Autonomy predicted a decrease in catastrophizing and disability, and Time 1 anxious depression predicted an increase in self-criticism.Conclusions: Sociotropy appears to be a unique dimension of DPV in chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Malignant Self-Regard is a type of self-structure that account commonalities in vulnerably narcissistic, depressive, self-defeating, and masochistic personality disorder. • Italian adaptation of the Malignant Self-Regard Questionnaire (MSRQ). • Reliability and the validity in a large sample of non-clinical adults from general population (n = 2574). • MSRQ captures several dimensions of personality pathology that are clinically relevant. Abstract Malignant self-regard (MSR) was proposed as a particular type of self-structure that may account for similarities among a set of clinically relevant Personality Disorders (PDs) such as masochistic/self-defeating and depressive PDs that yet have failed to be adequately represented in the diagnostic manuals. The investigation on the MSR may provide a better framework upon which to understand the nature of these personality types and their discrimination from related constructs. The present study examines the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Malignant Self-Regard Questionnaire (MSRQ). Reliability and validity indicators are determined in a large sample of adults from general population (n = 2574). The measure was found to be reliable and valid, given its correlations with measures of depressive personality, negative affectivity, self-defeating, and vulnerably narcissistic personalities. MSR also can be meaningfully differentiated from a nomological network of related constructs, including sadness rumination, depression, neuroticism, extraversion, and grandiose narcissism. These findings suggest that MSR may be a personality component which includes a negativistic self-representation, vulnerability and hypersensitivity to judgment, sometimes compensated by perfectionistic tendencies. As a whole, results seem to support the reliability and the validity of the Italian adaptation of the MSRQ as a measure of the MSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the clinical and empirical literature, vulnerable narcissism and malignant self‐regard (MSR) have been found to be highly interrelated and associated with theoretically related personality constructs, suggesting that the two constructs may be much more similar than different. The present study set out to test this hypothesis by examining the relationship of vulnerable narcissism and MSR to experiences and expressions of anger, the factor structure of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with MSR, the associations of MSR and vulnerable narcissism to the five factor model of personality, and to global self‐esteem in self‐report measures within 1168 undergraduate students. A separate study of 158 undergraduates also assessed how MSR and vulnerable narcissism predicted state and trait anxiety and anger after receiving positive or negative feedback, and the extent to which negative feedback interacted with MSR and vulnerable narcissism. Overall, compared with grandiose narcissism, both MSR and vulnerable narcissism were more associated with experiencing anger internally, self‐reports of state and trait anger, high levels of neuroticism and openness, and lower levels of extraversion and global self‐esteem. Both vulnerable narcissism and MSR uniquely predicted trait levels of anger and anxiety and state levels of anger after receiving negative feedback. It is concluded that MSR and vulnerable narcissism are likely identical constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study focuses on the relationship between personality configurations and depressive experiences. More specifically, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between self-criticism and dependency and personality styles or disorders, exploring the association between personality features and depressive symptoms. The two-configurations model of personality developed by Blatt (2004, 2008) is adopted as a reference point in sharing a valid framework and in understanding the results. Methods: Five instruments are administered to 51 participants with a diagnosis of depressive disorder, in accordance with DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000): Self-criticism and dependency dimensions of depression are measured with the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ); self-reported depression is assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-ll (BDI-II); observer-rated depression is assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS); personality is assessed with the Clinical Diagnostic Interview (CDI) and the Shedler Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200). Results: Only self-criticism, and not dependency, is associated with depressive symptoms. In addition, the SWAP Borderline PD Scale and the Dysphoric: Emotionally dysregulated Q-factor emerge as significant in predicting depression. Conclusions: Findings support the assumption that depressive personality configurations can enhance the vulnerability to developing depression. Theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical and theoretical literature suggest that several proposed personality disorders (PDs) – Masochistic/Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Vulnerably Narcissistic – may be related through a common self-representation know as Malignant Self-Regard (MSR). To assess this construct, the MSR Questionnaire (MSRQ) was developed. Though its initial psychometric properties were very strong, the present study extended these findings by examining the relationship of the MSRQ with measures of other PDs and depressive subtypes, and by establishing four-week and eight-week test–retest reliability in two samples ( Ns =840, 911) of undergraduate students. The MSRQ was internally consistent and temporally stable over four and eight weeks. It was positively correlated with measures of introjective and anaclitic depression, measures of Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Vulnerably Narcissistic personalities ( rs ranging between 0.60 and 0.82), and other select PDs. After controlling for depressive symptoms and self-esteem, the highest remaining partial correlations were with Vulnerably Narcissistic, Self-Defeating, Depressive, and Avoidant personalities. A factor analysis of the MSRQ with measures of other PDs yielded a two-factor solution, with MSR loading most strongly on one factor, along with Vulnerably Narcissistic, Avoidant, Depressive, and Self-Defeating personalities. It is concluded that MSR is a psychometrically supported construct that might have good clinical utility in explaining personality pathology that has historically been difficult to assess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencias Psicológicas is the property of Universidad Catolica del Uruguay Damaso Antonio Larranaga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several personality disorders have been prominent in the clinical literature but have been inadequately recognized in the diagnostic manuals. This group includes masochistic, self-defeating, depressive, and vulnerably narcissistic personality disorders. The theoretical and empirical relationship of these disorders is reviewed. It is proposed that the construct of malignant self-regard may account for the similarities among them. The construct describes these personality types as being fundamentally related through problematic manifestations of self-structure. The article discusses the diagnostic value of such a construct and the implications of a psychodynamically informed framework for classifying personality pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of the DSM, two disorders have been proposed for consideration that shared much in common - self-defeating personality disorder (SDPD) and depressive personality disorder (DPD). In a previous paper, it was reported that SDPD (n = 34) and DPD (n = 240) shared a diagnostic overlap of 70%. It was concluded that SDPD could not be empirically supported as a diagnostic category. In this paper, the overlap of the two disorders was explored further in this same sample (n = 1,200) of psychiatric outpatients. We found that symptoms of the two disorders were positively correlated. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided strong support for a model with two distinct, but very highly correlated constructs. Based on the hypothesis that SDPD and DPD are separate but related, a second-order CFA factor was fit to the data to further examine the strong association between the two disorders. Taken collectively, it is concluded that DPD and SDPD are components of the same construct, and that the current DPD and SDPD diagnoses as proposed in the DSM are actually subtypes of a common personality pathology (i.e. a second-order factor). Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Although relations between depressive and narcissistic pathologies have been proposed in both psychoanalytic and phenomenological literatures, empirical research generally fails to confirm this link. Common measures of narcissism, however, emphasize grandiose rather than vulnerable traits, and include both adaptive and maladaptive features. We therefore assessed the relation between narcissistic personality and depressive temperament (DT) using a recently developed measure designed to assess a wide range of pathological narcissistic (PN) traits. We also examined the distinctiveness of the association between DT and PN controlling other temperaments. Method: The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus et al., 2009), the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A; Akiskal et al., 2005), and a modified Schedule of Fatigue and Anergia (SOFA; Hadzi-Pavlovic et al., 2000), were administered to 228 university students. Results: Principal component analyses yielded two components of PN: Component 1 items reflect narcissistic vulnerability—negative affect when narcissistic needs are not met; Component 2 items reflect narcissistic grandiosity—positive affect related to self-enhancement. Component 1 significantly predicted DT, an effect that remained after controlling for Component 2 and other temperaments in the TEMPS-A and SOFA. A similar effect was observed for the anxious temperament. Limitations: Our study is limited by the use of a homogenous, non-clinical university student sample unscreened for clinical depression, and by reliance on self-report questionnaires. Conclusions: Contrary to past research, DT is associated with narcissistic disturbance, in particular with the avoidance of narcissistic injury, when the PNI is used. Clinical intervention targeting this avoidance might help patients with a DT develop self-esteem that is not overly dependant upon recognition from others. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Depressive personality disorder (DPD) has been under consideration for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for many years. The wealth of empirical studies on the validity of DPD has raised many questions about the validity of the DPD construct and its measures. This article specifically reviews studies on the validity of that construct and how it is measured. Although the evidence supports the idea that DPD is a viable diagnostic category, there remain significant challenges to its assessment. These findings are discussed in the context of some potential changes that may occur in the classification and diagnosis of personality disorders in DSM-V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of two studies in a nonclinical (n=105) and primary care outpatient sample (n=110), in which Depressive Personality Disorder (DPD), Dysthymia, and depression were assessed for their distinctive relationship with perfectionism. Results from both studies found that self-reported DPD, Dysthymia, and depressive symptoms were all intercorrelated, and that DPD, Dysthymia, and depressive symptoms were correlated with three dimensions of perfectionism—Concern over Mistakes, Doubts about Actions, and Parental Criticism. In the nonclinical sample, variance in measures of DPD was predicted by measures of perfectionism after controlling for depression and Dysthymia symptoms. A similar pattern of findings was observed in the primary care sample. This relationship with perfectionism did not occur when Dysthymia or depressive symptoms were predicted. Nevertheless, much of the variance in measures of DPD, Dysthymia, and depressive symptoms is associated with each other and not perfectionism. It is concluded that a common factor or set of factors underlies these disorders, but that DPD may be more strongly related to perfectionism than Dysthymia and depression. As a common factor(s) is identified, measures of DPD and Dysthymia may be refined, thereby increasing the discriminant validity of their measures. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–11. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which DPD is associated with poorer quality of parental representations and object relations in patients meeting criteria for either Depressive Personality Disorder (DPD) or Dysthymia. One-hundred ten, primary care, African–American women completed measures of DPD, Dysthymia, parental descriptions of their mother and father (), and provided stories to two pictures that were scored with the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (). Results indicated that Dysthymia could be predicted by all object relations dimensions except Aggression. DPD was uniquely associated with problems of managing aggression, maternal punitiveness, and low paternal benevolence. Ongoing investigation into the biogenetic underpinnings of these disorders appears warranted, as is examination of the differences between them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examined the role of three depression-related cognitive personality styles in young adults' social anxiety: evaluation concerns, positive achievement striving, and dependency. Sixty-nine undergraduates were administered measures of the aforementioned personality variables, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety. Controlling for participants' depressive symptoms, we found that evaluation concerns, particularly self-criticism, predicted elevated levels of social anxiety. Dependency also predicted elevated social anxiety, but this effect was small and marginally significant (p = .05). Finally, positive achievement striving predicted low levels of social anxiety but only in the presence of evaluation concerns. Findings are consistent with earlier theoretical conceptualizations of social anxiety as reflecting low self-worth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the crucial subjects, either for the clinical or scientific activity, is the dimensional or categorical character of depression and other mental diseases. Each approach is different from the theoretical and epistemological points of view. At presence, the categorical model for the definition and estimation of the presence of a disorder are reflected in the data on epidemiology, the results of investigations, instruments and the interventions. These elements are related to a system of thinking which results in a particular form of conceiving the psychopathology and intervention. Nevertheless, the strong influence of the categorical model in which the disorders are defined as a group of accomplished criteria has not prevented from development of a dimensional model. The latter postulates the existence of a continuum between the normality and pathology which correspond with dimensions, levels and severity related to the certain behaviours, traits or even symptoms. The interest in the dimensional approach to psychopathology, in general and in mood disorders, is caused by the observation in clinics which indicate, for example, that many patients do not improve with medicines and present residual symptoms during long periods of time. For these reasons, some personality factors which would explain the chronic symptoms of disorders have been proposed in Psychology and Psychiatry. Although the diagnostic manuals consider different types of mood disorders, many investigations have showed the possibility to consider depression as a continuum, where the least severe extreme would be the depressive personality and the most severe, major depression. According to the abovementioned proposal, it is possible that some people present certain vulnerability which would explain the different answers in case of depression. Cognitive factors, together with social and genetic factors increase the risk of chronic depressive symptoms. The catastrophic perception of self, the world and future, the dichotomous thinking and tunnel vision are the cognitive factors associated with the presence of the mood disorders symptoms. Additionally, some studies show the importance of gender, as women are more prone to develop depression and similar disorders which is related to traditional social roles. This can be caused by the need to sacrifice the professional career to dedicate time to housework, or to assume multiple roles. Concerning the genetic factors, the presence of first degree relatives with mood disorders increases the risk of development of depression or dysthymia. The consideration of depressive personality is based on the presence of symptoms which do not fulfil the criteria of severity and frequency of major depression but do affect the mood. The presence of these stable traits is related to major chronicity and worse prognosis. This condition has been described in manuals as dysthymia. Nevertheless, as it remains relatively stable in time it could be understood as a personality disorder. The disorder would be a continuum with the normality similar to this described as neuroticism in which some entities are qualitatively and quantitatively different which represent the categories. The analysis of what has been described above shows the possibility of differentiation between the mood disorders which are related to the dimensional focus where some traits increase the vulnerability to develop them. On the other hand, the categorical focus requires the accomplishment of the diagnostic criteria. The cognitive models also support the existence of depressive personality disorder. These models emphasize the importance of schemes in thinking which are created in childhood together with the attachment to the caretaker.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the association of depressive personality traits to treatment outcome for depression. One hundred and nineteen patients with a primary diagnosis of major depression were divided into high- and low-depressive personality groups, and depression symptomatology was assessed pre- and postparticipation in a standardized group cognitive–behavioral intervention. Analyses revealed poorer pre-state and end-state functioning for the high-depressive personality group. However, rate of improvement pre- to posttreatment was comparable between the two groups. Subsequent multiple regression analyses revealed that when controlling for pretreatment depression severity, depressive personality was not a predictor of depression treatment outcome. Within the methodological parameters of the current study, depressive personality traits were not associated with a poorer response to cognitive–behavioral treatment for depression. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1181–1196, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversy continues on the extent to which depressive personality disorder (DPD) and dysthymic disorder (DYST) may be differentiated. Although affective disorders often are accompanied by changes in functional health status, to date no study has examined how functional health associated with affective disorders may assist in differentiating the two disorders. In this study, we hypothesized that measures of DPD would have fewer correlations with functional health status than would measures of DYST and major depressive disorder (MDD). African American women (n=110) completed questionnaires that assessed for depressive disorders, somatic concerns, and physical health. Measures of DPD, DYST, and MDD were all significantly correlated with functional health status. When symptoms of MDD were controlled, DYST was more associated with functional health status than was a DSM-IV measure of DPD, although a self-report measure of DPD—the Depressive Personality Disorder Inventory [DPDI; Huprich et al., 1996: J Clin Psychol 52:152–159]—remained significantly correlated with functional health status. When symptoms of DYST were controlled, DSM-IV symptoms of DPD were not strongly associated with functional health status, although measures of MDD and the DPDI were correlated with functional health status. We concluded that despite the overlap in depressive symptoms and functional health status, DPD may be less associated with functional health status in a primary care population than DYST and MDD. Implications for the assessment of DPD are provided. Depression and Anxiety 22:168–176, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducción: Los trastornos de personalidad y depresivos se encuentran asociados frecuentemente en la clínica. Si éstos se cronifican o tienen síntomas residuales, la diferenciación con los rasgos de personalidad es más difícil. Un ejemplo de ello es el debate actual sobre la distimia y el trastorno de personalidad depresiva. A través de este estudio se pretende diferenciarlos clínicamente. Metodología: Tomando una muestra de pacientes ambulatorios que acuden a un CSM, se eligen al azar los trastornos afectivos no psicóticos. Se hacen dos grupos de ellos, según tengan trastorno de personalidad depresiva o distimia. Se buscan las diferencias entre ambas, con variables clínicas y de comorbilidad con otros trastornos de personalidad.Resultados: Los pacientes con trastorno de personalidad depresiva positivos tienen más asociación con trastorno de personalidad del grupo C y el trastorno de personalidad esquizoide, mientras que los distímicos se correlacionan más con los del grupo B (eje II DSM-IV). También se observa una diferenciación dimensional. Conclusiones: El trastorno de personalidad depresiva y la distimia son constructos distintos, aunque se solapan en algunos rasgos. Es necesario el estudio longitudinal para observar más claramente estas diferencias clínicas y de comorbilidad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, taking into account the multidimensionality of the external environment and necessity of the sustainable development of human resources, organizations are obliged to take more care of the psychological resources of their employees, e.g., positive orientation, ego resilience, and emotional stability. Such resources affect how we cope with stress and a sense of threat. The authors of this paper focus on people employed in the aviation sector, who work in the hard-to-cope environment of full automation, demanding working conditions and numerous stressors. The presented study fills a gap in the research on the psychological characteristics of the aviation sector. Moreover, a sense of stress/threat is described in the context of the high specificity of employees representing the 4.0 sector. Therefore, it provides additional insights into the psychological functioning of the employees in the aviation sector. The results show that both positive orientation and ego resilience might be seen as protective factors against a sense of threat and stress, while a type D personality is a risk factor of a higher level of those psychological states. The novelty of the presented research concerns a better understanding of the sense of stress/threat experienced by the employees in this sector, as well as verifying the relationships between psychological variables described in the literature as personal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]