Measurement of Psychopathology as Variants of Personality (IN: Personality and Psychotherapy, edited by R C Cloninger)

It is hypothesized the Temperament & Character Inventory traits of self-directedness, cooperativeness, & self-transcendence may be either subsyndromal forms or predictors of susceptibility to psychosis & mood disorders. To evaluate this hypothesis, the pattern of associations between Temperament & Character Inventory personality traits & symptoms of psychosis & mood disorder in the general population & in psychiatric outpatients was studied. This provided the foundation for a new general model of personality & psychopathology that parsimoniously explains their complex associations. Each possible configuration of Temperament & Character Inventory character traits has a unique profile of positive & negative emotions, & different risks of psychosis, attempted suicide, & psychiatric hospitalization. (70 refs.)