The Experience of Benefit and Impairment of Personality Disorder Traits and Personality Disorder Trait Attitudes

Recent evidence suggests that people's personality disorder (PD) trait levels relate positively to attitudes toward that PD trait, but amid this evidence has arisen an incongruity. In separate studies, people's PD trait levels relate positively to rating that PD trait as beneficial and impairing, so explanations for the positive relation between PD trait levels and PD trait attitudes are needed. We tested 2 explanations using a sample including adults (N = 457) who self-reported PD trait levels as well as PD trait benefit. impairment, and attitudes. The maximization hypothesis, which argues that higher PD trait levels correspond more strongly to trait-corresponding benefit than impairment, received some support. The weighting hypothesis, which argues that people disproportionately weigh PD trait benefits over impairments upon generating attitudes of a PD trait, received general support. Mediation analyses indicated that for each PD trait domain, the indirect effect of PD trait levels on trait-corresponding attitudes was stronger via trait-corresponding benefit compared with impairment. We also obtained evidence that relations between PD trait levels and trait-corresponding attitudes or benefit ratings, but not impairment ratings, were enhanced as perceived control over that trait's expressions increased. Findings help illuminate some of the mystery surrounding PD trait evaluation.