| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Personality disorders and the Five-Factor Model of personality, edited by Paul T. Costa Jr. and Thomas A. Widiger (see record 1993-99107-000). This book's value lies in its comprehensive coverage of the links between a particular model of personality dispositions and a wide range of topics relating to personality dysfunctions and disorders. The particular model of personality dispositions is the Five-Factor Model (FFM) developed by Costa and McCrae, and with the exception of a chapter by Millon buried near the end of the book all of the authors explicitly use the FFM as a conceptual framework. The book begins with an introduction by the editors, followed by three chapters of Conceptual Background. Part II includes four chapters of Empirical Research. These first seven chapters will be of interest to scientists interested in personality and psychopathology. The final four chapters, however, are not well integrated with the rest, and thus seem superfluous and out of place. All in all, though, clinicians will find many chapters to mull over, and both scientists and clinicians will applaud the book's value as a resource in the understanding of personality disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
