Until psychiatrist Kurt Schneider (1887-1967) broadened the concept of personality disorder to include those who "suffer from their abnormality," personality disorder was more or less synonymous with antisocial personality disorder. People with schizotypal PD have a higher than average probability of developing schizophrenia, and the condition used to be called "latent schizophrenia."Ĭluster B is comprised of antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.
So whereas people with schizotypal PD and people with schizoid PD both avoid social interaction, with the former it is because they fear others, whereas with the latter it is because they have no desire to interact with others or find interacting with others too difficult. This may lead them to develop so-called ideas of reference - that is, beliefs or intuitions that events and happenings are somehow related to them. People with schizotypal PD often fear social interaction and think of others as harmful. These latter can include odd beliefs, magical thinking (for instance, thinking that speaking of the devil can make him appear), suspiciousness, and obsessive ruminations. Schizotypal PD is characterized by oddities of appearance, behavior, and speech, unusual perceptual experiences, and anomalies of thinking similar to those seen in schizophrenia. A large, long-term twin study found that paranoid PD is modestly heritable, and that it shares a portion of its genetic and environmental risk factors with schizoid PD and schizotypal PD. The principal ego defense in paranoid PD is projection, which involves attributing one’s unacceptable thoughts and feelings to other people. Unsurprisingly, he tends to withdraw from others and to struggle with building close relationships. He also has a strong sense of personal rights: He is overly sensitive to setbacks and rebuffs, easily feels shame and humiliation, and persistently bears grudges. As a result, this person is guarded, suspicious, and constantly on the lookout for clues or suggestions to validate his fears. Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive distrust of others, including even friends, family, and partners. 3 Signs That Your Personality Prefers SinglehoodĬluster A is comprised of paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.