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Connecting DSM-5 Personality Traits and Pathological Beliefs: Toward a Unifying Model

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Abstract

Dissatisfaction with the DSM-IV model of personality disorders has led to the development of alternative conceptualizations, including pathological trait models and models linked to particular theoretical approaches, such as Beck and Freeman’s (1990) cognitive framework. An important issue involves the potential to interweave such models into a single, parsimonious system that combines their distinct advantages. In this study, pathological trait and dysfunctional belief data from 616 individuals in a non-clinical sample were evaluated for commensurability using structural equation modeling. These models can be integrated via five higher-order factors, and that specific dimensions of dysfunctional beliefs can be differentiated based on features of the DSM-5 trait model. Overall, these results suggest that traits provide scaffolding for individual differences in pathological personality, within which dysfunctional beliefs offer specific vectors for clinical intervention in a cognitive framework. Implications of the empirical commensurability of trait and cognitive models are discussed.

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Notes

  1. The covariance matrix used for this analysis is available upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA

    Christopher J. Hopwood & Nick Schade

  2. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Robert F. Krueger

  3. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Aidan G. C. Wright

  4. University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Kristian E. Markon

  5. Clinical Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1116, USA

    Christopher J. Hopwood

Authors
  1. Christopher J. Hopwood
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  2. Nick Schade
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  3. Robert F. Krueger
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  4. Aidan G. C. Wright
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  5. Kristian E. Markon
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Correspondence to Christopher J. Hopwood.

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Hopwood, C.J., Schade, N., Krueger, R.F. et al. Connecting DSM-5 Personality Traits and Pathological Beliefs: Toward a Unifying Model. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 35, 162–172 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9332-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9332-3

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