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