Chronic self-destructiveness and self-defeating personality: similarities and differences.
This study attempts to determine whether the Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (CSDS; Kelley, Byrne, et al., 1985) would be better described as a measure of impulsiveness or self-defeating behavior in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., Rev. [DSM-III-R]; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) diagnostic sense. Subjects completed the CSDS, the Self-Defeating Scale (Schill, 1990), and measures of restraint, distress, and psychopathy. Based on the correlations among these scales, we suggest that the CSDS is better described as a measure of impulsiveness, poor judgment, and immediate gratification, rather than a measure of Self-Defeating Personality, which keeps the individual in a victim position.
Sharp
M
M
Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901, USA.
Schill
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012951:Socialization