The personality of clinical types: An empirically derived taxonomy

Abstract

Studied the development of a theory of multivariate personality styles that are considered to correspond to the character of specific diagnostic types. Theoretical descriptions of the personality styles of the hysteric, compulsive, character disorder, manic, and depressive were operationalized by predicting specific combinations of personality dimensions measured by previously validated personality measures. A test battery composed of scales hypothesized to operationalize these characteristics was administered to samples of male and female college students (N = 95). A short scale, the Multivariate Presonality Inventory, was devised to measure these styles and was found to be reliable and to exhibit concurrent validity with the full test battery. A cluster analysis methodology isolated clusters of males and females who corresponded to the predicted profiles of the hypothesized personality styles. Strongest support was found for the female hysteric, the male and female compulsive, the female character disorder, and the male manic personality style.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality: Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives And Recent Research Findings

“…The few more recent studies of this kind continue to also provide fairly good support for the existence of this per sonality pattern (Magaro & Smith, 1981;Pederson, Magaro, & Underwood, 1982;Smith, Magaro, & Pederson, 1983;Torgersen, 1980). Several studies are relevant to clinical observation and theory to the effect that obsessive-compulsive personalities are negativistic, controlling, and overly concerned with autonomy and maintenance of ego boundaries (Fischer & Juni, 1982;Juni St Lo Cascio, 1985;Juni & Rubenstein, 1982;Juni & Semel, 1982).…”

“…This contrasts with the view that places more emphasis on the idea that this personality pattern falls on a continuum of severity (Goldstein, 1985;Magaro & Smith, 1981) and that the point at which it can be said to con stitute a disturbance is far from clear. Arguably, many, if not most, cases of obsessive compulsive personality represent a relatively normal, if not adaptive, variant of personality organization and style within certain cul tures, especially highly industrialized, technological societies where obses sivecompulsive traits like self-control, perseverance, dependability, objec tivity, and rationality are strongly encouraged, serve to enhance self-esteem, and facilitate resistance to stressors (Juni & Rubenstein, 1982).…”

The personality of societal groups.

“…Their egocentric manipulation leads to further qualities of inconsistency of behavior, lack of affect, and highly developed social skills considered necessary to survive in a dog-eat-dog world (Cleckly, 1964). Magaro and Smith (1981) found that females with the psychopath profile in a normal population are Machiavellian individuals who do not ascribe to any extreme statements in the abstract such as those implying cynicism or altruism but who are ready to be impulsive insofar as it is assessed by the Sensation-Seeking Scale. A combined sample of males and females provided the psychopathic picture of a sensation seeker who is Machiavellian, cynical, nonaltruistic, and nonintroverted (Miller & Magaro, 1977).…”

Personality types and hetero- versus auto-hypnosis.

“…groups, identified in a normal college population, responded to this battery of psychological instruments in a fashion analogous to character types described in the clinical literature (Magaro & Smith, 1981;Miller & Magaro, 1977;Pederson, Magaro, & Underwood, 1982;Smith, Magaro, & Pederson, 1983). The Multivariate Personality Inventory (MPI; Magaro & Smith, 1981) has been found to reliably identify five of the eight personality types identified by the test battery. These five normal personality styles have been designated as hysteric, compulsive, character disorder, manic, and depressive character types.…”