Identity pathology and mentalization deficits: An attempt to support clinical theory with data.

An extensive theoretical literature links identity pathology with deficits in mentalization, which is the ability to understand the internal mental states of self and others. However, only a few investigations have attempted to bridge theory and data by empirically testing the relation between mentalization and identity pathology, and none have done so with mentalization measured using a laboratory task. The current study investigated the association between mentalization deficits and identity pathology in a large, nonclinical sample.

Self-Reported Adult ADHD Symptoms: Evidence Supporting Cautious Use in an Assessment-Seeking Sample.

Objective: Self-report symptom inventories are commonly used in adult ADHD assessment, and research indicates they should be interpreted with caution. This study investigated one self-report symptom inventory for adult ADHD in a clinical sample.

Method: Archival data were used to evaluate diagnostic utility of the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale-Self-Report: Long Version (CAARS-S:L) in a sample of 122 adults seeking ADHD assessment.

Identity and Personality Pathology: A Convergence Across the Personality Disorder Model and the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders.

Long-standing theory regarding personality pathology as well as the recently proposed Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) posit that self/identity problems are a hallmark feature cutting across forms of personality pathology. With emergence of the AMPD, researchers have started to focus empirical investigations on identity pathology as a transdiagnostic factor across personality pathology. The current study investigated identity pathology across indicators of personality pathology from both the current categorical perspective ( PD) and the dimensional perspective in the AMPD.

Pierced identities: Body modification, borderline personality features, identity, and self-concept disturbances.

Little is known about the connection between body modification and borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study investigated the relation between a wide range of body modification practices (piercing, tattooing, scarification, pubic hair removal, and cosmetic surgery) and BPD features, with a special focus on identity and identity dysfunction, in an adult community sample ( = 330). Results indicated BPD features were positively correlated with total number of body modifications and breadth of body modification practices endorsed, as well as, specifically, increased piercings, tattoos, and scarifications.