Foundations: Biological Perspetives Flashcards
what are the two ways biology influences personality?
distal: in our genetic code
Proximal: complex biological systems
temperament
The biological potential for behaviour and personality development.
dispositions and sensitivities largely imposed by biology
most influential/ important domain in guiding the development of personality
constitution
the philosophy/plan on which something is created.
ex. Kretschmer’s body types and personality.
Neurobiology: Clinger’s neurobiological model of personality disorders
Colinger’s theory based on the hypothesized relationships of 3 genetic-neurobiological trait dispositions tat he associated with a particular neurotransmitter system
neurobiology: three genetic-neurobiological trait dispositions associated with particular neurotransmitter systems.
- Novelty Seeking
associated with: low basal activity in dopaminergic system
Disposed towards: Reward dependence and active harm avoidance - Harm Avoidance
associated with: high activity in the serotonergic system
disposed towards: responding strongly to aversive stimuli; inhibit behaviour to avoid punishment. - Reward Dependence
associated with: low activity in basal noradgrenergic system
disposed towards: responding to signals of reward; previous behaviours associated with reward or harm avoidance resist extinction.
Examples of Clinger’s neurobiological model of personality disorders
antisocial PD
low harm avoidance, high novelty seeking
Schizoid
low harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and reward dependence
Neurobiology: psychobiological model
four dimensions with both Axis I and II manifestations
1. Cognitive/ perceptual organization
disorganized thought dealt with social isolation
2. impulsivity/agression
outbursts and inability to inhibit impulses
3. affective instability
rapid shifts in emotion
4. anxiety/inhibition
social avoidance, sensitive to punishment
How is heredity of personality disorders researched?
researchers look for the influence of genes on behaviour by studying patterns of transmission of similar pathologies of the affected individual across generations.
what is the heritability coefficient of personality traits and how was it found.
about 0.5 correlation across a variety of personality traits.
compared the correlation of the scores on personality tests of twins (fraternal and identical) reared together and apart.
why is the heritability of personality disorders less definite/ clear?
Sample sizes in PDs are small and highly pathological, which distorts correlational statistics
Genetic- environmental interactions are more complicated for PDs (composite of traits) than for single traits alone
what is Livesley’s Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP) and what did it find?
it examines 18 dimensions associated with personality disorder pathology.
it found heritability of between 40-60% for characteristics that are features of PDs, providing indirect support for the heritability of some problematic traits
which PDs are heritability most for?
antisocial and schizotypal PD.
