DSM-III-R and ICD-10 personality disorders and personality dimensions as assessed by the Dutch Short Form of the MMPI: Preliminary results

This study focusses on the relationship between both categorial and dimensional personality disorder measures, using a DSM-III-R and ICD-10 based questionnaire and underlying personality dimensions, which were assessed by the Dutch Short Form of the MMPI. This study shows a rather weak correspondence between personality dimensions and dimensional personality disorder measures, significant correlations ranging between 0.33 (correlation between extraversion and narcissistic symptoms) and 0.63 (correlation between shyness and avoidant symptoms). The dimension negativism, which resembles Eysenckʹs concept of neuroticism, appears to be associated with the majority of the personality disorders. The nature of the association between personality traits and personality disorder measures suggests that in some patients disorders or symptoms from the C (anxious) cluster should be considered as a functional characterological defense against underlying disintegrative tendencies. Inversely, neurotic traits like shyness and somatization may need to be considered as functional and defensive in some schizotypal and borderline patients. It is concluded that insight into the relationship between latent and manifest characteristics of personality may have clinical relevance with respect to the most adequate choice of treatment and that both types of assessment seem to complement each other in a clinically useful way.