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I would like to explain here in much more detail how personality problems or disorders are measured within psychology. I would mainly like to use the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPS) from the psychiatric manual DSM-5.
This model will most likely be used mainly in the new DSM in the near future. This alternative model uses both the classification form of the DSM-5 (= compartmentalizing symptoms) as well as the more dimensional approach to personality disorders. This means that more attention is paid to a sliding scale of personality problems: from less serious to very serious. This does more justice to reality because our brains do not work in a black and white manner. More about that below.
First of all, it is important to know that Personality is a complicated sum of your Self (image) consisting of deep basic ideas about your Self, the Other and the World, of your Emotions (the 7 basic emotions), and of your Behavior. See also Personality: what exactly is it? for a brief introduction.
To measure Personality, questionnaires (tests) as well as structured interviews and observations are used.
First of all, this determines how SEVERE a personality has deviations. Deviations are always relative: compared to the stated NORM. That standard is then determined by investigating what the personality of 'healthy' people looks like. This requires a large group of 'healthy' people who have been examined with questionnaires and/or interviews.
The problem is of course: what is the definition of 'healthy' here? This is not exactly known in psychology, so theoretical foundations are used. In other words: one simply draws up a definition (=an assumption) that certain characteristics fall under the definition of 'healthy'. This definition is of course based on a theoretical model and on many observations and previous tests that have been done on people over the years.
Based on the AMPS and the underlying theoretical model (including BIG FIVE theory of personality and the Kernberg model and the more cognitive model of A. Beck), you can provide a broad definition of what a Healthy Personality is. Let me start with that to be clear.
The core of a Personality is, in fact, primarily cognitive: all kinds of thoughts (=cognitions) that say something about how you think about Yourself, Others, and the World around you. These are usually unconscious ideas (=deep in your long-term memory) that you are usually not very well aware of. We call this core the (autobiographical) Self. This Self is therefore predominantly unconscious. The conscious part is, in fact, our Self-image, that which we are truly aware of. This Self-image therefore does not have to be exactly the same as our actual Self, because we are by no means always consciously fully aware of our Self.
For example, if you have a distorted idealistic view of your Self: thinking that you are very good at things, but the reality is that this is really not the case. Within the AMPS (Alternative Model for Personality Disorders), the Self is viewed as consisting of 4 dimensions relating to the Self (=self-functioning) and the interactions of the Self with others (=interpersonal functioning):
Self-Identity: a stable sense of self-worth with a realistic self-image, independent and resilient to pressure from others.
Self-Direction: the ability to set and achieve reasonable, coherent, and meaningful goals in life.
Empathy: the ability to have understanding and appreciation for another person's experiences, ideas, and motives.
Intimacy: the ability to feel and have a sufficiently deep and lasting connection with other living beings.
If all 4 areas are more than adequate, one can speak of a healthy personality.
In schema therapy, for example, the term 'Healthy Adult' is used, which has the following characteristics. If you read carefully, you will see the same characteristics reflected in the AMPS model of the Self:
A Healthy Adult:
1. has a grip on oneself and one's own emotions
2. is okay with oneself
3. is autonomous and/or independent
4. is in contact with others
5. has self-compassion
6. has strength (emotional)
7. can put things into perspective
8. can regulate/control emotions
9. is empathetic
10. listens to one's own and others' needs
11. ensures sufficient exercise and has a healthy lifestyle
Uniqueness/Boundaries:
In this state, you know your Self well: it has clear boundaries and individuality. You know well who you are and what you want, and are very aware of your own wishes and goals. Even under pressure from others, you know how to maintain this Self and do not mix your ideas too much with those of others. You therefore do not position yourself too dependently on the other person, nor do you go along too much with the wishes of the other, but you clearly have your own wishes and are able to discuss and negotiate these well with the other person. So, without giving up too many of your wishes, without giving too much to the other person at the expense of your own needs and wishes. You stand, as it were, quite independent of the other person; in this, you are very unique and autonomous. Without even breaking the connection with that same other person. You are therefore stable and well-connected.
Examples include:
- you have your own style regarding speaking, clothing, and behavior. Everyone clearly recognizes you as unique, something of your own. You do not have an exaggerated preference for certain famous people; you do not want to be overly like them, but you are very satisfied with who you are. - when asked who you are, you can very quickly and extensively explain your wonderful qualities and how they differ from those of other people. You are clearly not an average person who goes along with the prevailing fashion or opinion. You also have an aversion to following YouTubers or TikTokers because you like to have your own opinion and can think critically (scientifically).
- In a romantic relationship, you are caring, but you also always make it clear what you want. You dare to and are able to discuss your wishes well with your partner, even if he or she might not like it. You never impose your wishes, but you do want them to be heard, and you are able to make this clear in a friendly manner.
- Under social pressure, you are very attuned to the emotions and problems of the other person as well as your own emotions. You do not mix these with those of the other person so that you can remain calm when the other person becomes very emotional. You can also clearly explain this to the other person: what are your ideas and your emotions, as opposed to the emotions of the other person.
- If the other person makes his or her concerns clear to you, you do not attribute them to yourself because you know very well that they are his or her concerns. You are empathetic, understanding, and respect these concerns, but you do not get upset by them. As a result, you are very good at expressing your opinion and advice without making the other person feel unheard. In other words: you do not lose yourself in the other person.
- you are very good at staying true to yourself, even under social pressure. You are rarely, if ever, tempted by peer pressure to do things you really do not feel comfortable with. Of course, you might occasionally step out of your 'comfort zone' under peer pressure, but that does not mean you feel very bad or unpleasant afterwards.
- you are very good at remaining emotionally stable; even under high tension, you still recognize and feel like yourself, just as you essentially always are. It hardly ever happens that you feel very empty or no longer yourself, neither at rest nor under (social) pressure.
Self-esteem/Self-appraisal:
- You value yourself almost always and maintain a consistently positive self-image without exaggerating or being unrealistic. You know very well what you can do, but also what you cannot. Nowhere do you feel the need to present yourself as better than you are, to brag, or to act tough. You are modest and friendly, knowing that you are good just the way you are.
- You do not necessarily need approval from others; deep down, you know that you are special and yet also very ordinary. You do know that you are good at certain things, and simply less so at others, though you are completely satisfied with that.
- Because you know your worth to yourself and others, you can handle criticism very well. You know and feel when criticism is primarily the other person's problem, but you also acknowledge constructive criticism if it contains a kernel of truth. You are therefore willing to admit this immediately and acknowledge that you, too, are merely a human being capable of learning much more.
- In social interactions, you are rarely, if ever, thrown off balance by what others say. You actually never feel irritated by criticism, knowing that you have your own weaknesses, but also your strengths. Nowhere do you feel the need to defend yourself. Why would you? There is simply nothing to defend: you are completely satisfied with yourself, in most respects. Whether you win or lose a game, or whether you have done something right or wrong at work, you know very well that you can learn from it, but you value yourself as you are.
Emotions and the regulation of them:
- You recognize and accept all your emotions, no matter how strong they are. You are very attuned to your basic emotions: sadness, fear, or anger. You are not startled by them; you remain yourself, calm and composed. Knowing that your emotions are guiding signals indicating that you need to work through something or make a change. But they are always allowed to be there; you do not get upset by them, knowing that they will pass and may diminish.
- You rarely experience emotional swings that bother you: generally, you are very stable emotionally. In doing so, you usually feel calm, cheerful, or even happy about small things.
- You rarely suffer from shame, guilt, anger, despair, or panic. And if you do experience them, you know exactly where they come from and you also know what you can do to reduce them.
Relationship with your Self-Image
The above sounds like a very stable Self. Within the Self-Image Model (see Self-Image Model), this means that the 4 self-image demons within your Self are very small; you have them very well under control. They are rarely triggered or grow larger, and if they are, you know where that comes from and can easily push them back to where they belong.
The Powerless demon rarely surfaces because, in most cases, you know and feel very well that you are never Powerless. You usually know what you can do to avoid feeling powerless.
The Worthless demon also almost never surfaces: you know perfectly well what you are worth to yourself, but certainly also to others around you. You know all your positive and negative traits. You also know when they are present and what you can do to reduce the negative traits in particular.
The Guilty demon is even rarer within yourself: you rarely or never intentionally do wrong things, so guilt is virtually never an issue anymore. You are very Zen, acting almost always intuitively in a good, ethical way so that the Guilty demon has no chance of being triggered. And if you do make a mistake, you acknowledge it quickly and can initiate actions to show remorse and ensure that this does not happen again. You learn from your mistakes.
The Danger demon: because you are calm, composed, and think carefully about your choices, you rarely find yourself in dangerous situations. But should that be the case, you know how to remain calm and quickly make the right choices to minimize the danger as much as possible.
In short: because you can keep these little demons so small, you are generally very Zen: calm, emotionally stable, but above all friendly, caring, wise, and you have a strong presence. People around you feel this inner peace too and enjoy being around you. What stands out most about you is your cheerfulness, your joy, drive, and joie de vivre.
Setting goals
You are capable of setting realistic goals that are reasonably to highly achievable in the short or long term. In doing so, you know your limitations, but certainly also your strengths. When setting these goals, you focus primarily on what you want, not what others expect of you. Moreover, you are good at focusing on the goals and you create a feasible step-by-step plan so that you are certain you can achieve your goals in the long run.
Personal standards /moral compass
You apply your own personal standards (also known as rules of conduct) by which you always judge your behavior. In other words: you operate based on certain realistic norms and values that guide your behavior.
An example: from your conscience, you know that you must help people, and this can take many forms: paid or volunteer work, or in the hobby sphere. Doing this gives you a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. You know and feel whether or not you should do something, simply because it feels right or wrong. You know and feel very clearly what your place is in society, are satisfied with it, and are not jealous of others. Above all, you know that you must act according to your own norms and values, without harming those of others.
Self reflection
You have the ability to look at yourself, at your own emotions/feelings, at your thoughts, and at your own behavior, your own responsibilities, and also at the consequences of your behavior. You learn from your mistakes and acknowledge that you are constantly learning. When making mistakes, you look at yourself very realistically, at where you went wrong, and you do not excessively blame others for your failure.
You can clearly see your strengths and weaknesses; you do not panic about them, but you want to improve yourself in a realistic, non-forced way. You realize that this learning through trial and error is part of life.
You are able to see and feel your own emotions, and also become aware of the accompanying thought processes. As a result, you usually know why you feel a certain way; you are rarely or never caught off guard by it. Consequently, you always remain relatively calm in the face of setbacks and can sense and contextualize everything well. There is a beautiful balance between intuitive sensing and rational reasoning.
Understanding the other
You are capable of sufficiently understanding other people's ideas, experiences, feelings, and motives, even if you do not necessarily agree with them. You can therefore empathize with someone else's perspective when necessary. This also allows you to determine whether or not you want to or can agree with it.
You are not easily surprised by what others experience or think; you often perceive this clearly just by having a conversation with them. You can almost always follow and understand them well, and this is also evident from the compliments you receive from others regarding this.
Taking perspectives
You can thoroughly examine and understand other viewpoints. You also understand that it is by no means always necessary, or even happens, for your opinion to be the same as someone else's. Nevertheless, you can usually follow and understand another person's point of view well. Even if you do not agree with it, you can handle that without conflict. It is also possible for you to sometimes adopt the perspective or way of looking at things of that other person, either partially or completely. Especially if you receive good reasons for doing so from that person. In other words: you do not always cling to your own opinion or point of view at all costs.
Impact on others
You are well aware of the impact or impression you make on other people. You quickly recognize whether or not people are emotionally affected by your comments or behavior, and you have sufficient understanding for this. You can also make it clear that you are sorry should you inadvertently hurt someone seriously.
In other words: you are rarely or never surprised when others make it clear that you have hurt or affected them with what you say or have done. You often understand and see this immediately.
Connection
You can have multiple long-term relationships, both in your private life and in your professional life, without this leading to major problems. People around you are happy with you and feel safe, trusted, and heard by you.
Others also regularly say that you are clearly involved with them; they feel no distance at all, and there is clearly a deeper, satisfying relationship. You feel exactly the same way yourself.
Closeness
You can enjoy a reciprocal, equal, and intimate relationship with another person or persons. Intimate here means both physical (sexuality) and certainly more emotionally, where you can share your own deeper feelings and weaknesses with another (and vice versa). You also long for such a relationship and can maintain it in the long term. Even if there are disagreements, this relationship returns relatively quickly and always in terms of closeness, without losing the intensity of this closeness.
You have no problem being completely yourself in an intimate relationship, and vice versa. You never feel the need to make an effort to adapt too much to the other person. Your freedom is not restricted by the other person, and vice versa.
Reciprocity
You strive for cooperation in a relationship, whether private or at work. You appreciate it when both you and the other person get the most out of yourselves in your relationship with one another. You notice very clearly that you can encourage each other to bring out the best in one another. Nowhere is the cooperation out of balance: not entirely focused on your own wishes, but on shared goals and each other's happiness and satisfaction.
Using the LPFS-SR questionnaire, you can measure the EXTENT to which your personality functioning is impaired.
Additionally, an extensive structured interview follows, for which I advocate the STIP-5.1 (=Semi-Structured Interview for Personality Functioning) because it is highly accurate in confirming the findings from the LPFS questionnaire.
After determining the severity of a personality problem, the nature and personality type are established using other questionnaires such as the PBQ126, YSQ3, and especially the PID-5.
The exact type of personality disorder is determined by examining an individual's underlying cognitions and ideas. This is often done using personality questionnaires such as the PBQ126, YSQ3, and especially the PID-5. However, it is also done using, for example, the MMPI and NKPV (=dutch personality questionnaire). Furthermore, there are also (semi-)structured interview questionnaires in this area, such as the SCID-5P.
In the above, I have explained how the new Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPS) is used in psychology:
1. First, the level of personality functioning is measured using the LPFS Self-Report. This is where the SEVERITY of a personality disorder is determined.
2. Subsequently, this must be further confirmed by a semi-structured interview, such as the STIP-5.1.
3. Third, the TYPE of personality issues is determined by means of multiple questionnaires such as the PBQ126, YSQ3, and especially the PID5. Here, subconscious thought patterns are primarily detected that can measure the core of a personality.
4. Fourth, an attempt is made to confirm this again through semi-structured interviews with people who know the client very well. Additionally, extensive observations can be made during conversations.
5. An important objective of determining a person's Personality is to specifically identify weaknesses and examine whether these can be improved. The ultimate goal is, of course, to improve someone's emotional well-being.
I will not take any responsibility for how the information on this website will affect you. It always remains your responsibility to handle all information with care and in case of medical or mental problems you should ALWAYS consult a professional in your neighbourhood!
Ik neem geen enkele verantwoordelijkheid voor hoe de informatie op deze site u zal beïnvloeden. Het blijft altijd uw verantwoordelijkheid om al deze informatie zorgvuldig te bekijken. In het geval van lichamelijke en/of mentale problemen dient u ALTIJD een professional in uw directe omgeving te waarschuwen!