ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights a number of conceptual and theoretical issues in relation to personality disordered offenders. It discusses the relationship between normal and abnormal personality as an important theoretical as well as clinical issue, and relates to the arguments about the relative merits of categorical versus dimensional approaches. The International Classification of Diseases system highlights that the personality deviation must be manifest in one or more areas of: Before introducing the main classification systems relevant to personality disorder, the reader should be aware of the broad distinction between categorical and dimensional models of classification. It is suggested by Widiger and Trull that the range of facets within the five-factor model may tease out different combinations of risk factors of violence and other criminal behaviour, in a way that is not possible in the current psychiatric systems.
