Personality Subtypes Research Articles

Psychosocial functioning of learning-disabled children: Relations between WISC Verbal IQ^Performance IQ discrepancies and personality subtypes.

A total of 132 children with learning disabilities (LD) between the ages of 6 and 12 years were divided equally into 3 groups on the basis of the difference between WISC VIQ-PIQ scores (viz., VIQ greater than PIQ, VIQ = PIQ, and VIQ less than PIQ). The mean Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) profiles for the VIQ = PIQ and VIQ less than PIQ groups were normal; however, the VIQ greater than PIQ group showed pathological elevations on some PIC scales. Group average linkage cluster analysis using 10 PIC scales revealed 6 psychosocial subtypes. Within these subtypes, children with VIQ greater than PIQ were found at lower than expected frequencies in normal and mildly disturbed subtypes, but at higher than expected frequencies in seriously disturbed subtypes. These results support the notion that patterns of cognitive performance are related to patterns of psychosocial functioning in children with LD.

Depressive Personality: Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory Profiles of Sociotropic and Autonomous Subtypes

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory profiles of two depressive personality subtypes were identified by isolating high and low scorers on the Performance Evaluation and Approval by Others factors of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS). Correlational analysis of the sample of 46 psychiatric clinic depressives indicated that dependent traits were associated with both DAS factors whereas negativism was associated with the Performance Evaluation factor. The findings are discussed as providing convergent validation of Beck's (1983) proposed autonomous and sociotropic depressive personality subtypes.

Reports from research centres--20. Alcohol research at the Hjellestad Clinic.

Treatment and research efforts at the Hjellestad Clinic are based on a biobehavioural model of the addictions. The treatment program encompasses life-style changes and relapse prevention, and extensive assessment for the purpose of the treatment choices. The clinic is treating nearly 1500 patients a year. Psychological and medical research projects have included experimental drinking studies, psychopharmacological and biomedical studies, treatment evaluations, studies of neuropsychological assessment, studies of personality subtypes, studies of violence related to alcohol and drugs, and investigations of women alcoholics. A new research laboratory houses an experimental bar, and state-of-the-art facilities for psychophysiological and neuropsychological testing. The Hjellestad Clinic is the only Norwegian centre for clinical and experimental research on the addictions from a psycho-physiological as well as behavioral and cognitive perspective. In addition, a national educational program offers theoretical and practical training for professionals and paraprofessionals in the addictions in co-operation with the University of Bergen. Training in the addictions and internships for psychology students at the University of Bergen is provided at the Clinic. The centre has established connections with centres in Scandinavia, England, Canada and the U.S., through visiting scholars and study trips. (The centre has an especially strong liaison with the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies.)

Responses by Sons of Alcoholic Fathers to Alcoholic and Placebo Drinks: Perceived Mood, Intoxication, and Plasma Prolactin

Young adult sons of alcoholic fathers (HR) were compared with matched young men from families without alcoholic relatives (LR) with respect to perceived mood, perceived intoxication, and plasma prolactin responses to oral challenge with two doses of alcohol and a placebo drink. HR subjects were found to have a qualitatively and quantitatively different mood response than controls to all three beverage conditions. HR subjects endorsed greater tension, depression, and fatigue across beverage conditions independent of alcohol dose. Alcohol dose interacted with risk status for perceived anger, vigor, and confusion. HR subjects reported less perceived intoxication on the descending limb of the alcohol concentration-time curve across all three conditions. These differential responses could not be explained by the occurrence of personality subtypes determined through administration of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. A significantly reduced prolactin response to alcohol in HR subjects could not be confirmed. Perceived mood effects of alcohol could have etiological significance in the development of alcoholism among HR individuals.

The Criminal Personality as a DSM-III-R Antisocial, Narcissistic, Borderline, and Histrionic Personality Disorder

The controversial Criminal Personality described by Yochelson and Samenow is diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria as sufferingfromfourpersonality disorders: Antisocial, narcissistic, borderline and histrionic. Additionally, the Criminal Personality meets most criteria of the Cleckley psychopath, the Kernberg psychopath, and the DSM-II antisocial personality disorder. The congruence of the Criminal Personality with other criminal typologies provides modest validity to the construct. The interrelationship of the DSM-III-R quadruple diagnoses implies a shared pathogenesis of these disorders. The clinical and research implications of differentiating between subtypes of antisocial personality based upon multiple Axis II diagnoses are discussed.

Typological analysis of MMPI personality patterns of drug dependent men.

This study replicated Types I and II of Berzins, Ross, English and Haley's (1974) initial typological research with a drug dependent sample. In this research, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles of 447 drug dependent men were submitted to Johnson's (1967) hierarchical clustering procedure. The hierarchical clustering procedure yielded nine small but clinically meaningful personality subtypes. These types were compared to Berzin's (Berzins et al.) profiles and categorized into three diagnostic classes: character disorder, 42% of the sample; neurotic characters, 35% of the sample; and borderline disorder, 23% of the sample. The profiles were discussed with respect to the scale similarity and differences within the diagnostic class. The results were discussed, with implications for treatment and further research efforts with the drug dependent population.

MMPI subgroups and affective disorder in chronic pain patients.

Patients with chronic pain syndromes are commonly depressed. Chronic pain populations also contain distinct subgroups of personality profiles as defined by the MMPI. To assess the relevance of personality subtype to affective disorder we determined the relationship of psychiatric diagnoses defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) to MMPI subgroups in a sample of hospitalized patients with predominantly chronic low back pain. RDC psychiatric diagnoses for the sample were major depression (44.2%), minor depression (19.2%), other psychiatric disorder (13.5%), and no mental disorder (21.6%). Patients satisfying RDC criteria for major depression were significantly associated with discrete MMPI personality subtypes. No other psychiatric diagnoses were significantly associated with distinct personality subgroups. No relationship was observed between personality profile and presence of demonstrable organic etiology for pain. These findings indicate that behavioral and pharmacological interventions directed at depression as well as pain are important in the treatment of chronic pain populations, especially in selected subgroups.

Factor structure of the dysfunctional attitude scale in a student population

The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale-Form A (DAS-A) was completed by 664 university students and the results were factor-analyzed. Approximately 61% of the variance was accounted for by two factors, labelled Performance Evaluation and Approval by Others. Analyses conducted on two subsamples indicated that the obtained factor solution was stable. The present results are discussed with respect to personality subtypes hypothesized to be vulnerable to depression.

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: follow-up of subsequent driving records.

Utilite predictive de definir des sous-types de personnalite chez les hommes arretes pour conduite en etat d'ivresse, en ce qui concerne la suite de leur carriere de conducteur, Cinq sous-groupes ont ete empiriquement subsumes d'apres des mesures de l'hostilite, du fonctionnement de la personnalite et des attitudes a l'egard de la conduite automobile

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: Follow-up of subsequent driving records.

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: Follow-up of subsequent driving records.

Replicated MMPI subtypes for alcoholic men and women: Relationship to self-reported drinking behaviors.

Recent cluster-analytic research with alcohol-abusing men has demonstrated the existence of several Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) subtypes that are consistent across diverse subject samples. Few such studies have been reported with alcoholic women. Shortcomings of this research include frequent failure to replicate clusters across separate samples and lack of external, independent measures against which to evaluate the predictive validity of cluster typologies. The current study derived replicated MMPI clusters for both inpatient alcoholic men and women. Subsequent multivariate analyses employing several alcohol-use scales revealed significant differences among subtypes of alcoholic women but relatively poor differentiation among subtypes of men by these measures. Implications for future research regarding alcoholic personality subtypes and associated drinking patterns are discussed.

Development and validation of an automatic treatment referral system.

The alcoholism literature abounds with reports of the alcoholic personality and alcoholic subtypes. However, very minimal research on the relationship between the subtypes and treatment procedures is available. With the power of computer technology now accessible so readily, it is possible to apply sophisticated statistical methods to determine the extent of the association. The present paper describes the development of an automatic referral system (Autorf) on an inpatient alcohol and day unit (N = 150). More importantly, preliminary results with regard to the validity of the Autorf system are reported. Implications for treatment of alcoholics and program efficiency are discussed.

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: Relationship to drinking behavior and driving risk.

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: Relationship to drinking behavior and driving risk.

Personality subtypes among driving-while-intoxicated offenders: relationship to drinking behavior and driving risk.

The present study investigated the empirical derivation of clinically and theoretically meaningful subtypes among males arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Five subtypes were defined through cluster analysis of driving-attitudinal, personality, and hostility measures. Two subtypes were found to have particularly high levels of risk-enhancing traits. The first was characterized by the highest levels of depression and resentment as well as the lowest levels of assertiveness, emotional adjustment, and perceived control. The second was characterized by the highest levels of driving-related aggression, competitive speed, sensation seeking, assaultiveness, irritability, and indirect and verbal hostility. Subsequent analyses indicated that these two subtypes also were of lower social position, were heavier drinkers, and had higher risks of accident involvement in comparison to the remaining clusters. The results are discussed with respect to the need for differential assessment and treatment approaches when dealing with a DWI population.

MMPI-based personality subtypes of alcoholics. Relationships to drinking history, psychometrics and neuropsychological deficits.

MMPI-based personality subtypes of alcoholics. Relationships to drinking history, psychometrics and neuropsychological deficits.

Relationship of alcoholic personality subtypes to treatment follow-up measures.

The present study investigated the relationship of a multivariate classification of alcoholic patients based upon Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profiles taken at admission to psychopathology and drinking behavior at a 6- to 12-month follow-up interval. It was found that a subtype of patients characterized as psychoneurotic, with reactive anxiety and/or depression, evidenced significantly higher levels of psychopathology at follow-up than the remaining three subtypes. Furthermore, this subtype demonstrated higher levels of physical, social, and psychological impairment from post-treatment drinking episodes. No differences were found among the four subtypes with respect to outpatient therapists' ratings of personality change and adjustment. The findings suggest that such a multivariate classification of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profiles has predictive utility. The results also suggest that the present subtypes would be useful in investigating the potential utility of differential therapeutic intervention strategies for different patients.

Some personality patterns and dimensions of male alcoholics: a multivariate description.

The assumption that alcoholics form a homogeneous population has been found to be questionable. Recent research has been done to empirically define possible personality subtypes of alcoholics. This study extended the typological work done previously by Goldstein and Linden (1969a) and Whitelock, Overall, and Patrick (1971). They each found four alcoholic subtypes, three of which replicated across studies. For this research, MMPI profiles of 208 male alcoholics were submitted to a hierarchical clustering procedure. Seven subtypes were found. These results were compared to the results of the prior two studies, in addition to actuarial MMPI types previously delineated in clinical settings. Using a hierarchical factor analysis, these data were analyzed to determine the higher order interrelationships among MMPI scales for this alcoholic sample. These results were discussed, especially in terms of the implications for treatment and further research in alcoholism.

ALCOHOLIC MMPI SUBTYPES

The present study was designed, first, to attempt to replicate the previously derived Goldstein and Linden Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory alcoholic personality subtypes, and second, to relate these personality patterns to a multidimensional measure of alcohol usage. Two of the previously obtained profile types were replicated through two independent cluster analytic procedures. These subtypes were defined as psychopathic and neurotic-depressive, respectively. Higher levels of drinking-related impairment were associated with anxiety and depression, while lower levels of impairment were related to psychopathic features among patients hospitalized primarily for alcoholism. However, relatively heterogeneous, distinctive configurations of reported drinking benefits, styles, and consequences were found across the Goldstein-Linden subtypes. Methodological factors potentially contributing to the failure to replicate two of the previously derived subtypes were discussed. The potential therapeutic utility of a multivariate classification of personality functioning and the use of a multidimensional assessment of alcohol usage within alcoholic populations was also discussed.

Personality subtypes of male and female alcoholic patients.

(1970). Personality Subtypes of Male and Female Alcoholic Patients. International Journal of the Addictions: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 99-113.