Pii: S0005-7967(98)00142-9

This article examines the de®nition of personality disorders (PDs) from a functional analytical framework and discusses the potential utility of such a framework to account for behavioral tendencies associated with PD pathology. Also reviewed are speci®c behavioral assessment methods that can be employed in the assessment of PDs, and how information derived from these assessments may be linked to speci®c intervention strategies. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. To some, the very title of this article might seem oxymoronic as some behaviorists eschew the concepts of personality and personality disorder (PD) because of their trait and mental illness connotations and because of the inferential nature of such constructs. Indeed, the DSMIV de®nes the concept of PD as: `` . . .an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture, is pervasive and in ̄exible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment'' (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 629, emphasis ours). This de®nition contains some apparent incompatibilities with the behavioral view (e.g., that behavior is situation speci®c, as elaborated below). Despite these apparent contradictions, this article seeks to describe how concepts within a behavioral model can provide a useful framework for the assessment of PDs and PD features. This is then followed by a discussion of behavioral techniques suitable for the assessment of PDs and associated features, and the application of assessment information to speci®c intervention strategies. We begin by providing an overview of the utility of PD diagnosis from a behavioral perspective, while highlighting some of the relevant controversies currently debated within this area. Behaviour Research and Therapy 37 (1999) 347±368 0005-7967/99/$ see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0005-7967(98)00142-9 BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY