Abstract
Low agreeableness features centrally in personality profiles of Cluster B personality disorder (PD) diagnoses, and it has been associated with relational aggression (RAgg; intentionally damaging others’ social relationships). Researchers have hypothesized that RAgg may be a potential developmental precursor for Cluster B PDs. However, a dimensional approach to personality dysfunction is preferable to the categorical system found in the current diagnostic manual. To build a bridge between two disjointed literatures (categorical PDs and RAgg), the aim of this project is to detail how RAgg in youth is situated in the trait space represented by disagreeableness in a dimensional model of personality pathology. Caregivers of 911 youth (ages 6–18) reported on youth’s RAgg and disagreeableness. We found that RAgg was most strongly related to three facets: Narcissistic traits, Hyperexpressive traits, and Dominance-Egocentrism traits. Overall, these findings provide support for RAgg as an early manifestation of personality pathology, particularly for narcissistic traits.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 44-63 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of personality disorders |
| Volume | 34 |
| State | Published - 2020 |
Funding
This research was supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Ministry for Research and Innovation. Work on this dataset was presented as a talk at the Association for Research in Personality in 2017 and as a poster at the Society for Research in Psychopathology in 2017. Address correspondence to Kathleen Reardon, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208. E-mail: [email protected]
Keywords
- Development
- Narcissistic traits
- Personality disorder
- Relational aggression
- Youth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health