PATHOLOGICAL PERSONALITY AND PERCEPTION: HOW MALADAPTIVE TRAITS CAN PREDICT SITUATIONAL PERCEPTION IN DAILY LIFE

Abstract

This study sought to examine the relationship between pathological personality and individuals’ perception of situational dimensions. Using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and CAPTION measure, a multi-wave study (N = 180, 6 waves) was conducted to examine the correlations between pathological personality and three sources of situational dimension ratings – namely (a) situation experience, (b) situation contact, and (c) situation construal. Antagonism was found to have a positive correlation with the construal of Importance, Humour, and Negative Valence, while both Disinhibition and Psychoticism were positively correlated with the construal of Adversity, Humour, and Negative Valence. At the same time, both Obsessive-Compulsive and Schizotypal personality disorders (PDs) had positive associations with the construal of Adversity, Importance, and Negative Valence. Obsessive-Compulsive PD was also positively related to the Complexity construal. An overall index of pathological personality was positively correlated with the situation construal of Complexity, Adversity, Importance, Humour, and Negative Valence. The results of this study have tremendous implications for how researchers investigate personality and could potentially help link pathological traits with various dimensions of situational perception. It is recommended that more research be conducted with regard to the link between pathological personality and person-environmental transactions.