Neurobiological investigations of dimensionally conceptualized personality pathology: Mapping a way forward for the clinical neuroscience of personality disorders

Abstract

Despite significant efforts, relatively limited progress has been made with regard to attempts to fully understand the links between personality dysfunction and neurobiology. A growing consensus, buttressed by a reliable empirical literature, is that advancement has been impeded by a reliance on the categorical classification of personality disorders (PDs) as described by earlier versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) rather than an inherent limitation in the endeavor. As described briefly below, and demonstrated through the series of papers included in this special section of Journal of Personality Disorders, dimensional models of personality pathology offer a promising strategy for addressing these challenges and accelerating the clinical neuroscience of personality disorders.