Research Trends and Directions in the Study of Personality Disorder

An examination of current research trends needs to consider both the prerequisites for research and the specific research directions needed to arrive at a more systematic understanding of the etiology, development, course, and treatment of personality disorder. Important prerequisites are improved phenotypes and more sophisticated research designs to explicate mechanisms specific to the various patterns of personality disorder. Specific research themes with promise are systematic studies of gene-environment interplay, investigations of biological substrates, and longitudinal studies capable of generating information on how the different domains of personality pathology change over time. There also needs to be a new generation of treatment research that is less concerned with comparing the outcome of treatments that often seem modest in effects and limited in scope and more concerned with identifying the most effective treatment methods for each domain of psychopathology. Along with these developments it is also important that research pays more attention to how the integrative processes within personality become dysfunctional in personality disorder.