3c - Moving Contextual Personality Research Forward: Author Rejoinder to Commentaries on Environmental and Sociocultural Influences on Personality Disorders

Summary

In our rejoinder to the excellent commentaries provided by Macfie, Noose, and Gorrondona (This Volume) and Davies and Thompson (This Volume), we discuss three key directions for research and clinical work that emerge from our chapter on environmental and sociocultural influences on personality disorders. First, it is critical to recognize the importance of early caregiving environments and family processes in the etiology of personality pathology. Second, identifying transactional models that integrate biological, psychological and sociocultural influences may move the field towards a more holistic and multifaceted understanding of the underpinnings of personality pathology. Third and finally, expanding the use of dimensional models of personality pathology may contextualize these transactional relationships and facilitate more rapid advances in our understanding and conceptualizations of (mal)adaptive expressions of personality traits. Dimensional models may further facilitate consideration of socioeconomic, cultural and geopolitical influences in evaluating and defining the maladaptiveness of specific traits and behaviors. Increasing our focus on contextual, environmental, and sociocultural influences in research design, assessment, and case conceptualization will improve personality research and clinical care.