Personological vulnerability in the artistic profession The assessment of personality traits through DECAS and PID-5 scales

Abstract

The connection between creativity and psychopathology is belatedly highlighted in the specialized literature, but the interest for this subject has increased over the last few years. This study will analyze particularly artists from Romania, who come from a different social, historical, cultural and economic context. They are often marginalized, perceived as “strange” or stigmatized. This is due to their way of being more nonconformist, more relaxed or of their original outfit. Objective. We wish to assess those facets of the personality dimensions that motivate and maintain artistic talent, which can influence the chances of success, highlighting those dimensions that facilitate the professional options developed, according to personal talent and skills. Materials and method. We have included in our study a batch of 24 artists from various fields of activity, who filled out the Personality Inventory for Diagnostic and Statistical Classification Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (PID-5) form, and the Openness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Emotional Stability (DECAS) form. Results. The correlations between increased openness, eccentricity and grandiosity can be advantageous factors in the artist profession. The increased values of conscientiousness can lead to the development of certain obsessive-compulsive type personality traits that can be beneficial under certain circumstances and can lead to perfectionism and perseveration. The unusual beliefs, suspiciousness and perceptual dysregulation are disadvantageous traits that can be the starting point for psychotic pathological manifestations. Conclusions. There are dimensions that predispose to an increased aesthetic sense, creativity and fantasy, which can be important factors in choosing one’s profession, but can also create a vulnerability to forays into psychopathology.