ABSTRACT
Personality disorders are described in diagnostic manuals as persisting patterns of disturbance in identity and relationship functioning. In our discussions so far, we have emphasized these patterns in terms of self-states: the states of mind and the cycles of state fluctuation that, in persons with repetitive and maladaptive patterns, will lead to relationship conflicts and deficits. The disturbances summarized in Chapter 6 had to do with the properties of overall self-organization that might lead to patterns of harmonious state change, or highly maladaptive, explosive state changes. Generalizations were given in terms of levels of coherence in person schematic hierarchies. In this chapter, we will consider particular patterns as they are highlighted in the literature on typologies of personality disorder.
