It analyzes the association between personality and psychopathology from several interlocking perspectives -- descriptive, developmental, etiological, and therapeutic -- concluding that the association is strong and important, no matter what angle it is considered from.

Psychiatry and clinical psychology have long been divided about the roles of nature and nurture in the pathways to psychopathology. Some clinicians offer treatment almost entirely based on neuroscience. Some psychologists offer psychotherapies almost entirely based on the impact of environmental stressors. Paris argues for a balanced middle ground between nature and nurture in human development. This book reviews and integrates research showing that the key to understanding the development of mental disorders lies in interactions between genes and environment. It explores why personality is a key determinant of how people respond to stress, functioning as a kind of psychological immune system. This model represents a shift from overly simple and reductionistic constructs, based primarily on biological risks or on psychosocial risks in development. Instead, it offers a complex and multivariate approach that encourages a broader approach to treatment. This book is essential for all mental health clinicians who are interested in understanding the roles of nature and nurture in the development of psychopathology.

Traditionally, personality and psychopathology have been distinct areas of inquiry. This important volume reviews influential research programs that increasingly bridge the gap between the two areas. Presented are compelling perspectives on whether certain personality traits or structures confer risks for mental illness, how temperament interacts with other influences on psychological adaptation, links between personality disorders and mood and anxiety disorders, implications for effective intervention, and more.

Under the scrutiny of feminist theory, traditional theories of personality and psychopathology are shown to be inadequate primarily because the theories reflect the biased cultural norms in which they were developed. Some limitations include their constricted views of human nature, their narrowly constructed definitions of mental health and mental disorder, and their lack of accounting for the many forces that affect human development and functioning. Synthesizing over 20 years of feminist thinking, this volume presents original critiques of mainstream psychological theories and lays the groundwork for the development of a context-based, feminist psychological theory. The first and only volume to present a specifically feminist perspective on the theoretical and conceptual foundations of treatment, Personality and Psychopathology is an essential text for upper-level courses in personality, psychopathology, and the psychology of women. Providing invaluable insights, it is necessary reading for mainstream and feminist therapists of all disciplines.

Personality and Everyday Functioning covers the foundations of personality theory and the impact of personality on normal functioning. Leading personality researchers present chapters on major theories of personality, such as psychoanalytic, developmental, behavioral, and constructivist, to name a few.

Depression and Personality: Conceptual and Clinical Challenges offers an intriguing new look at where we are in understanding the relationship between personality dimensions, disorders, and mood disorder. It is both a cogent update of conceptual models and a clearly written, practical guide to the challenges faced every day by clinicians as they treat patients with depression and bipolar disorder. Laying the groundwork for subsequent chapters, the editors emphasize the value of not only robust pharmacotherapy augmented by psychosocial interventions (with a focus on the assets rather than the liabilities of a patient's temperament), but also of a detailed review of where we are today. An introductory overview provides valuable historical perspective on the evolution of personality from "humors" to body constitution and temperament. In 10 informative chapters, 22 contributors discuss The neurobiological dimensions of personality, focusing on affect-related traits as they review the evidence for serotonin and norepinephrine disturbance based on challenge paradigms, and the range of models to understand the interrelationship between personality and depression. The justification for depressive personality in both categorical terms, i.e., adding to the diagnostic armamentarium of DSM-V, and dimensional terms, focusing on the Five Factor Model to provide a link between several facets of neuroticism and depressive personality disorder. The impact of personality on various aspects of treatment, filling in a gap in the pharmacotherapy literature by asserting that personality pathology can affect the patient's capacity to seek, be engaged in, or be compliant with treatment. Key assessment and treatment issues, recommending a multimodal phased treatment approach that involves targeted pharmacotherapy and integrated individual psychotherapy. The role of personality disorder in the assessment and treatment of chronic depression, with a concise, practical overview of medication and psychotherapy issues regarding the role of Axis II disorders, and the complex relationship between bipolar disorder and personality factors. The complexity involved in adolescent depression with personality disorder, providing a conceptual framework for understanding what factors of personality contribute to vulnerability for depression in adolescents, and depression in later life, including particularly relevant issues such as the role of physical illness and organic factors on the clinical presentation of personality and affective disorder Invaluable reading for clinicians and researchers alike, Depression and Personality: Conceptual and Clinical Challenges offers fascinating perspectives on the historical antecedents, neurobiological dimensions, and conceptual models regarding the relationship between personality and depression.