Chapter One
Classification, Prevalence, and
Etiology of Personality Disorders:
Related Issues and Controversy
Jeffrey J. Magnavita
We stand poised at the edge of a remarkable new era in contemporary
clinical psychology. Multiple related scientific disciplines intersect at a
point of important mutual interest-the effective treatment of personality
systems-especially for those systems that are poorly functioning and/or inefficiently
adapting to the requirements of contemporary society. Such systems comprise
what clinical scientists call personality disorders. Personality and its disordered
or dysfunctional states have been of interest to humankind since the early stages
of civilization probably coinciding with the birth of consciousness or the point at
which we could reflect upon our "self." As soon as we became conscious of the existence
of the "self" and aware of the "other," we wanted to know what made us ... read full excerpt from Handbook of Personality Disorders: Theory and Practice ebook
