| Ever since Freud, more women than men sought | | | | the diagnostic criteria, the more the diagnostician relies |
| therapy. Consequently, terms like "hysteria' are | | | | on stereotypes (Widiger, 1998). |
| intimately connected to female physiology and alleged | | | | Quotes from the Literature |
| female psychology. The DSM (Diagnostic and | | | | "Specifically, past research suggests that exploitive |
| Statistical Manual, the bible of the psychiatric | | | | tendencies and open displays of feelings of entitlement |
| profession) expressly professes gender bias: | | | | will be less integral to narcissism for females than for |
| personality disorders such as Borderline and Histrionic | | | | males. For females such displays may carry a greater |
| are supposed to be more common among women. | | | | possibility of negative social sanctions because they |
| but the DSM is rather even-handed: other personality | | | | would violate stereotypical gender-role expectancies |
| disorders (e.g., the Narcissistic and Antisocial as well as | | | | for women, who are expected to engage in such |
| the Schizotypal, Obsessive-Compulsive, Schizoid, and | | | | positive social behavior as being tender, |
| Paranoid) are more prevalent among men. | | | | compassionate, warm, sympathetic, sensitive, and |
| Why this gender disparity? There are a few possible | | | | understanding. |
| answers: | | | | In females, Exploitiveness/Entitlement is less |
| Maybe personality disorders are not objective clinical | | | | well-integrated with the other components of |
| entities, but culture-bound syndromes. In other words, | | | | narcissism as measured by the Narcissistic Personality |
| perhaps they reflect biases and value judgments. | | | | Inventory (NPI) - Leadership/Authority, Self-absorption |
| Some patriarchal societies are also narcissistic. They | | | | Self-admiration, and Superiority/Arrogance- than in |
| emphasize qualities such as individualism and ambition, | | | | males - though 'male and female narcissists in general |
| often identified with virility. Hence the preponderance of | | | | showed striking similarities in the manner in which most |
| pathological narcissism among men. Women, on the | | | | of the facets of narcissism were integrated with each |
| other hand, are widely believed to be emotionally labile | | | | other'." |
| and clinging. This is why most Borderlines and | | | | Gender differences in the structure of narcissism: a |
| Dependents are females. | | | | multi-sample analysis of the narcissistic personality |
| Upbringing and environment, the process of | | | | inventory - Brian T. Tschanz, Carolyn C. Morf, Charles |
| socialization and cultural mores all play an important | | | | W. Turner - Sex Roles: A Journal of Research - Issue: |
| role in the pathogenesis of personality disorders. These | | | | May, 1998 |
| views are not fringe: serious scholars (e.g., Kaplan and | | | | "Women leaders are evaluated negatively if they |
| Pantony, 1991) claim that the mental health profession is | | | | exercise their authority and are perceived as |
| inherently sexist. | | | | autocratic." |
| Then again, genetics may be is at work. Men and | | | | Eagly, A. H., Makhijani, M. G., & Klonsky, B. G. (1992). |
| women do differ genetically. This may account for the | | | | Gender and the evaluation of leaders: A meta-analysis. |
| variability of the occurrence of specific personality | | | | Psychological Bulletin, 111, 3-22, and ... |
| disorders in men and women. | | | | Butler, D., & Gels, F. L. (1990). Nonverbal affect |
| Some of the diagnostic criteria are ambiguous or even | | | | responses to male and female leaders: Implications for |
| considered "normal" by the majority of the population. | | | | leadership evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social |
| Histrionics "consistently use physical appearance to | | | | Psychology, 58, 48-59. |
| draw attention to self." Well, who doesn't in Western | | | | "Competent women must also appear to be sociable |
| society? Why when a woman clings to a man it is | | | | and likable in order to influence men - men must only |
| labeled "codependence", but when a man relies on a | | | | appear to be competent to achieve the same results |
| woman to maintain his home, take care of his children, | | | | with both genders." |
| choose his attire, and prop his ego it is "companionship" | | | | Carli, L. L., Lafleur, S. J., & Loeber, C. C. (1995). |
| (Walker, 1994)? | | | | Nonverbal behavior, gender, and influence. Journal of |
| The less structured the interview and the more fuzzy | | | | Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 1030-1041. |