Relationship between theories of personality and personality disorder

The main personality theories are those of Cloninger (1987), Eysenck (1987), Costa & McCrae (1990) and Watson et al (1994); and the circumflex models of Wiggins (1979) and Kiesler (1982), the latter being a circular arrangement of interpersonal dispositions around the orthogonal dimensions of dominance (v. submission) and nurturance (v. hostility). Broadly, the first four models encompass three main dimensions: neuroticism, extraversion and one (or more, depending on the specific theory) other dimension that is less well-defined. Neuroticism, or negative emotionality, represents a tendency to see the world as threatening; extraversion, or positive emotionality, is a tendency to engage and confront the world. The Neuroticism, Extraversion and Other – Five-Factor Inventory (NEO–FFI) is currently the most generally accepted dimensional model of personality and includes the following five factors: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness (Costa & McCrae, 1990).