{"title":"Do people want to change antagonistic personality traits-and can interventions help them do so?","authors":"Nathan W Hudson, Sierra M Rufino","doi":"10.1037/per0000723","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000723","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recent survey of clinical doctoral students found that emerging clinicians feel ill-equipped to treat antagonism-related disorders and that they perceive inferior treatment outcomes (as compared to those with neuroticism-based disorders). That said, the clinician is only one half of the therapeutic relationship-and client qualities, such as motivation, are also important predictors of treatment success. The present article integrates insights from the personality development literature regarding whether nonclinical populations want to change with respect to agreeableness/antagonism, and whether interventions can help them do so. To that end, although people express goals to change all Big Five personality traits, the research literature consistently indicates that these desires are weakest for agreeableness (and openness) as compared to extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability. Moreover, interventions that have successfully increased extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability have struggled to help individuals become more agreeable. These findings are discussed, and future research directions are outlined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 4","pages":"305-309"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Personality disordersPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2024-07-29DOI: 10.1037/per0000685
William Hart, Braden T Hall, Joshua T Lambert, Charlotte K Cease, Danielle E Wahlers
{"title":"Antagonistic but holier than thou: Antagonistic people think they are (way) better-than-average on moral character.","authors":"William Hart, Braden T Hall, Joshua T Lambert, Charlotte K Cease, Danielle E Wahlers","doi":"10.1037/per0000685","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000685","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although clinical psychologists have long speculated that antagonistic individuals may lack insight into their moral deficits, some evidence has shown that more (vs. less) antagonistic people view moral traits as somewhat desirable and rate themselves as lower on moral characteristics (suggestive of some insight). But, we suggest that antagonistic people's struggles with insight can be detected as part of a basic social-cognitive bias that entails believing the self is better-than-average on socially desirable characteristics (i.e., the \"better-than-average effect\" [BTAE]). Specifically, although antagonistic people may rate themselves lower on moral characteristics than less antagonistic people, they may still believe that their relative standing on moral characteristics compares favorably to others. Participants (<i>N</i> = 515) completed indicators of the Dark Tetrad (D4) constructs (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) and rated themselves in relation to others on moral and immoral character traits. Overall, participants exhibited very large BTAEs (i.e., rated the self as \"better-than-average\" on moral character traits); only psychopathy and sadism consistently related negatively to BTAEs, but people with elevations in each D4 construct (or any D4 facet) still exhibited large-to-very-large BTAEs. Such antagonistic participants viewed themselves as possessing substantially greater amounts of moral than immoral character traits but viewed average others as possessing an equal mix of these traits. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":" ","pages":"321-331"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141790201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is it possible to treat antagonism?","authors":"Joel Paris","doi":"10.1037/per0000718","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000718","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Comments on the article by C. S. Hyatt et al. (see record 2025-13493-001), which describes how therapists feel about treating antagonistic patients. The findings clearly reflect all the difficulties one can have with these cases. It is not surprising that many students felt they needed more supervision to address these problems. That might have made a difference. But what is even more necessary is conducting research into which methods work best. If experienced therapists find these cases problematic and may even avoid treating these patients, why should students have an easier time? In summary, teaching students how to deal with their most difficult cases needs to be guided by data. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 4","pages":"315-317"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Personality disordersPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-01-30DOI: 10.1037/per0000710
Martin Sellbom, Jacob R Brown
{"title":"Development and validation of an MMPI-3 Antagonism scale.","authors":"Martin Sellbom, Jacob R Brown","doi":"10.1037/per0000710","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000710","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antagonism is a personality domain located in most major trait models and is central to multiple personality disorders. This construct has been linked to many societally harmful externalizing behaviors (e.g., criminal conduct). Consequently, accurate assessment of this trait is important in both research and clinical settings. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) is among the most widely used personality assessment instruments, and both researchers and clinicians using it can benefit from proper assessment of antagonism. Although the Personality Psychopathology Five measures aggressiveness (AGGR), a conceptual cognate to antagonism, its content is restricted. Thus, the current studies aimed to develop and validate a new MMPI-3 Antagonism (ANT) scale using six different samples drawn from university, community, and mental health settings (<i>n</i>s = 289-1,660). Scale development (Study 1) was approached using criterion validity and latent modeling methods with a series of conceptually indicated candidate items. The resulting scale had improved content coverage of antagonism when compared to the AGGR scale. Subsequent validation analyses (Study 2) examined the ANT scale in terms of convergent and incremental validity against antagonism criteria, as well as its discriminant validity against disinhibition criteria. The results largely supported superior construct validity of ANT scale scores over those of AGGR, indicating that the ANT scale has promise as meaningful addition to the MMPI-3 in the assessment of this construct. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":" ","pages":"332-349"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143070116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Addressing antagonism in the context of treatment for borderline personality disorder.","authors":"Shannon Sauer-Zavala","doi":"10.1037/per0000720","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000720","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antagonism, a personality trait implicated in the development of a range of externalizing disorders, has the potential to significantly impact the course of therapy given its relevance for interpersonal functioning. This commentary describes the process of developing cognitive behavioral modules for personality symptoms, a short-term intervention for borderline personality disorder that directly addresses the personality traits associated with this condition: negative affectivity, disinhibition, and antagonism. Antagonism, as it manifests in the context of borderline personality disorder, is operationalized and putative functional mechanisms associated with its maintenance are suggested. Specific cognitive-behavioral skills are linked to maintaining processes and preliminary evidence of their efficacy for reducing antagonism is presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 4","pages":"318-320"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Introduction to special section: Treatment of antagonism.","authors":"Thomas A Widiger","doi":"10.1037/per0000724","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000724","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This is the introduction to a special section of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment. The special section concerns the treatment of the dimensional trait domain of antagonism. It begins with a target article concerning the lack of adequate training in the treatment of antagonism within clinical psychology training programs, followed by four invited commentaries providing suggestions for possible intervention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 4","pages":"297-298"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Personality disordersPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-01-30DOI: 10.1037/per0000712
Saskia Malcorps, Nicole Vliegen, Patrick Luyten
{"title":"Mentalizing in adolescence: Developmental trends and associations with borderline personality disorder features.","authors":"Saskia Malcorps, Nicole Vliegen, Patrick Luyten","doi":"10.1037/per0000712","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000712","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Impairments in mentalizing, the capacity to understand the self and others in terms of intentional mental states, are proposed to play an important role in the emergence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence. Although mentalizing problems in adults with BPD have been amply demonstrated, research in adolescence lags behind in terms of both the normative development of mentalizing in adolescence and the relation between different dimensions of mentalizing and adolescent BPD. Therefore, the current study investigated developmental trends and sex-related differences related to different mentalizing dimensions and the associations between mentalizing dimensions and BPD features in a large group of adolescents (<i>N</i> = 456, <i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 15.4 years, range = 12-19) oversampled for risk status for psychopathology. The results demonstrated that age was not associated with increases in the capacity for mentalizing, with one exception: externally based mentalizing improved with age. Girls reported greater difficulties in self-focused, internal, and affective mentalizing, but at the same time also higher levels of other-focused, internal, affective, and cognitive mentalizing than boys. Adolescent BPD features were mainly associated with difficulties in understanding, differentiating, and expressing emotions and elevated sensitivity and concern for the feelings of others. Specifically, problems with self-focused, internally based, affective mentalizing best predicted BPD features both categorically and dimensionally. The implications of these findings for our understanding of the relation between mentalizing and BPD in adolescents will be discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":" ","pages":"272-285"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143070121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interpersonal emotion regulation in personality disorders: Introduction to a special section.","authors":"Katherine L Dixon-Gordon, Skye Fitzpatrick","doi":"10.1037/per0000726","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000726","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With joint interpersonal and affective impairments associated with personality disorders, understanding the intersection of these processes in these disorders is a critical emerging trajectory for research. An emerging line of research has been devoted to understanding interpersonal emotion regulation processes in personality disorders. This relatively nascent research area has recently gained traction internationally. This special section summarizes some of the recent innovations in this area of research. These investigations have harnessed a diverse range of methods, including dyadic approaches, intensive longitudinal assessments, and information processing perspectives. Moreover, this section suggests that interpersonal emotion regulation is relevant to personality disorders beyond borderline personality disorder. This summary of innovative approaches is timely and can propel future clinically relevant and impactful research in this area. We provide recommendations for important next steps in this area of research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 3","pages":"205-209"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144057999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the relative centrality of intrapersonal versus interpersonal emotion regulation to borderline personality disorder symptoms.","authors":"Kim L Gratz, Clarissa W Ong, Matthew T Tull","doi":"10.1037/per0000661","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is growing interest in expanding research on emotion regulation (ER) in borderline personality disorder (BPD) to examine interpersonal ER in addition to intrapersonal ER. Thus, this study used network analysis to examine the relations among BPD symptoms and both intrapersonal and interpersonal ER dimensions and identify the most central dimensions of ER to BPD pathology. Specifically, we estimated the structural relations among five dimensions of intrapersonal ER difficulties, four dimensions of interpersonal ER (i.e., interpersonal ER tendency and efficacy for both positive and negative emotions), and BPD emotional, behavioral, interpersonal, and cognitive symptom domains. Participants included a nationwide community sample of 916 adults who completed an online study. Results highlight the particular centrality of the intrapersonal ER dimension of difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed to both BPD symptoms and their relations to other ER dimensions, finding that this ER dimension was the most central bridge node in the network. Results also support the relative centrality of interpersonal ER efficacy for negative emotions, the intrapersonal ER dimension of difficulties accessing effective ER strategies, and BPD emotional symptoms. Finally, findings that the strongest bridge nodes in the network were difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed, interpersonal ER efficacy for negative emotions, and BPD emotional symptoms suggest that these two specific ER dimensions may connect the other dimensions of ER to BPD symptoms. These results suggest the potential utility of specifically targeting both interpersonal ER efficacy and difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed in treatments for ER among individuals with BPD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 3","pages":"223-234"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144045250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seekers' and regulators' perspectives of interpersonal emotion regulation: Associations with personality pathology.","authors":"Kristen P Howard, Jennifer S Cheavens","doi":"10.1037/per0000667","DOIUrl":"10.1037/per0000667","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Personality disorders (PDs) are well characterized by deficits in interpersonal and emotional functioning, highlighting the importance of examining their intersection, such as interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). Given the dyadic nature of IER, characterizing the individuals who help regulate emotions, and their perceptions of these interactions, may further elucidate the process of IER in individuals with personality pathology. We aimed to directly characterize network partners that aid in IER and compare perceptions between both IER seekers and regulators. Primary participants, who were recruited for elevated levels of personality pathology, including some evidence of elevated borderline personality features, nominated members of their social network (i.e., secondary participants) to participate. The final sample included 165 secondary participants (115 of whom were identified as IER partners by primary participants) associated with 73 primary participants. We examined the association between dimensions of primary and secondary personality pathology and measures of the primary participant's IER. Primary and secondary participants tended to agree on measures of IER frequency; however, there was less agreement on more subjective measures, such as the efficacy of IER and the willingness of the secondary participant. Additionally, disinhibition of the primary participant was associated with IER outcomes from both partner's perspectives, including reduced willingness and perceived efficacy from the secondary's perspective and increased efficacy and underestimation of the secondary's IER use from the primary's perspective. These results highlight the value of examining both individuals involved in IER. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":74420,"journal":{"name":"Personality disorders","volume":"16 3","pages":"260-271"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}