Primary emotional traits in patients with personality disorders

• Published in: Personality and mental health Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 261 - 273
• Main Authors: Karterud, Sigmund, Pedersen, Geir, Johansen, Merete, Wilberg, Theresa, Davis, Ken, Panksepp, Jaak
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale; Clinical interviews; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Fear & phobias; Female; Humans; Lust; Male; Neurosciences; Panic attacks; Pathology; Personality disorders; Personality Disorders - classification; Personality Disorders - physiopathology; personality traits; primary emotions; Rage; Sadness; Temperament; Temperament - physiology; Thresholds; primary emotions; personality traits; Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale; personality disorders; temperament
• ISSN: 1932-8621; 1932-863X
• DOI: 10.1002/pmh.1345

There is a longstanding tradition that connects temperament pathology and personality disorders. Emotions are the major constituents of temperament. In mammals, seven primary emotions have been identified: SEEKING, FEAR, CARE, RAGE, SADNESS/PANIC, LUST and PLAY. The study aimed at exploring the relationship between primary emotions and personality disorders (PDs).
Five hundred forty‐six patients with different degrees and qualities of personality pathology, admitted to treatment in specialized PD services, were diagnosed according to Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis II Personality Disorders, and their primary emotional profiles were assessed by the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales.
The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales explained 19% of the variance in borderline and avoidant criteria. The DSM‐IV PD categories displayed different patterns of association to the primary emotions, e.g. the borderline PD profile suggested low thresholds for RAGE and SADNESS, but on the positive side a propensity for SEEKING. In contrast, the dependent PD profile suggested a low threshold for SADNESS but a high threshold for RAGE and SEEKING.
The results are promising for a more coherent and evolution‐based overall theory of PDs, and the correlations found in this study indicate testable causal pathways to PDs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.