Allan Clifton

Self- and Peer Perspectives on Pathological Personality Traits and Interpersonal Problems

This study compares the relationship between personality disorders and interpersonal problems as obtained by self-report and peer-report measures. Participants (N = 393) were administered self- and peer-report versions of the Peer Inventory for Personality Disorder and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-64. Canonical analyses demonstrated similar relationships between personality disorder features and interpersonal problems as measured by either self or peer. Analyses between self and peer found little shared variance across sources, indicating a large method variance. Results indicate that although similar constructs are identified by self and peers in their understanding of personality pathology and associated interpersonal problems, self-report information overlaps very little with information obtained from peers, underscoring the importance of obtaining multiple sources of information.

Personality Disorder in Social Networks: Network Position as a Marker of Interpersonal Dysfunction.

The present study investigated social network position as a marker of interpersonal functioning in personality disorders. Participants were groups of military recruits (N=809) in 21 training groups. Participants completed self- and informant-versions of the Multisource Assessment of Personality Pathology, acting as both targets and judges in a round-robin design. Network characteristics were associated with both self- and peer-reported personality disorder traits. Consistent with DSM-IV descriptors, measures of centrality and degree connectivity were positively associated with Narcissistic and Histrionic PDs, and negatively associated with Avoidant, Schizoid, and Schizotypal PDs.

Egocentric social network analysis of pathological gambling

AIMS To apply social network analysis (SNA) to investigate whether frequency and severity of gambling problems were associated with different network characteristics among friends, family and co-workers is an innovative way to look at relationships among individuals; the current study was the first, to our knowledge, to apply SNA to gambling behaviors. DESIGN Egocentric social network analysis was used to characterize formally the relationships between social network characteristics and gambling pathology. SETTING Laboratory-based questionnaire and interview administration. PARTICIPANTS Forty frequent gamblers (22 non-pathological gamblers, 18 pathological gamblers) were recruited from the community. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS The SNA revealed significant social network compositional differences between the two groups: pathological gamblers (PGs) had more gamblers, smokers and drinkers in their social networks than did non-pathological gamblers (NPGs). PGs had more individuals in their network with whom they personally gambled, smoked and drank than those with who were NPG. Network ties were closer to individuals in their networks who gambled, smoked and drank more frequently. Associations between gambling severity and structural network characteristics were not significant. CONCLUSIONS Pathological gambling is associated with compositional but not structural differences in social networks. Pathological gamblers differ from non-pathological gamblers in the number of gamblers, smokers and drinkers in their social networks. Homophily within the networks also indicates that gamblers tend to be closer with other gamblers. This homophily may serve to reinforce addictive behaviors, and may suggest avenues for future study or intervention.

Social disadvantage and borderline personality disorder: A study of social networks.

Examining differences in social integration, social support, and relationship characteristics in social networks may be critical for understanding the character and costs of the social difficulties experienced of borderline personality disorder (BPD). We conducted an ego-based (self-reported, individual) social network analysis of 142 participants recruited from clinical and community sources. Each participant listed the 30 most significant people (called alters) in their social network, then rated each alter in terms of amount of contact, social support, attachment strength and negative interactions. In addition, measures of social integration were determined using participant’s report of the connection between people in their networks. BPD was associated with poorer social support, more frequent negative interactions, and less social integration. Examination of alter-by-BPD interactions indicated that whereas participants with low BPD symptoms had close relationships with people with high centrality within their networks, participants with high BPD symptoms had their closest relationships with people less central to their networks. The results suggest that individuals with BPD are at a social disadvantage: Those with whom they are most closely linked (including romantic partners) are less socially connected (i.e., less central) within their social network.

Trait Narcissism and Social Networks

Narcissism is an inherently interpersonal trait, which both affects and is affected by those around the narcissistic individual. This chapter describes the use of social network analysis (SNA) to study narcissism. A brief primer for SNA is presented, explaining how data are collected and analyzed from both online and face-to-face social networks. I subsequently review studies of narcissism in sociocentric, egocentric, and online social networks. The reviewed studies indicate that narcissists report a greater number of social connections but that these perceived connections are often not reciprocated by the other members of their networks. Evidence from SNA also demonstrates that narcissists are more disliked and experience greater conflict with members of their networks. Social networks provide substantial information about the interpersonal effects of narcissism which might be obscured by relying only on self-report. Future research applying a social network methodology to the study of narcissism is suggested.