Journal of Abnormal Psychology · 2003 · 117 citations · 57 references
Social SciencesPsychiatryPsychologyAbnormal PsychologyIndividual DifferencesPersonality PsychologyPeer RelationshipsPersonality AssessmentPersonality DisordersPersonality TraitsPsychopathology AssessmentTrait StructureFactor Analysis Of PersonalityInterpretable StructuresNormal Personality StructurePersonality Disorder ClassificationPersonality Disorder DiagnosisPersonality Disorder TraitsPersonality Disorders DiagnosisPersonality Trait Structure
This study explored how individuals apply features of personality disorders (PDs) to peers. Members of groups nominated peers who exhibited symptoms for each of the 10 PDs in the DSM-IV. Data were gathered in 2 samples: 1st-year college students (n = 1,440) and Air Force recruits (n = 2,075). The peer method reliably identified group members exhibiting specific PD features. Factor analyses identified a clearly interpretable structure relevant to the pathological personality constructs being assessed. The structure replicated well across samples and showed expected relationships to broader models of normal personality. However, cross-method correlations of factor scores were only moderate, suggesting that peer reports are reliably different from self-reports regarding the presence of pathological personality traits.
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