The psychosocial etiologies of personality disorders: What is the answer like?

Psychosocial influences and correlates of personality disorders in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM-III-R) are discussed. We present a review of the proposed connections between early experiences or problems and subsequent development of selected personality disorders. Relatively few etiological factors and personality disorders have been investigated, and there is little evidence that psychosocial factors have much specificity to particular personality disorders. Reasons behind the relative lack of knowledge of developmental aspects of personality disorders are explored and the special problem of comorbidity is discussed. We present potential contributions of developmental psychology to the investigation of the development of personality disorders and suggest a theoretical framework that may be useful in this endeavor.