title: The etiology of personality function: the University of British Columbia Twin Project.
abstract: The UBC Twin Project is an on-going study of personality and personality disorder that has collected personality data on approximately 1000 adult volunteer twin pairs. The primary purpose of the study is to develop and validate measures of the major forms of personality disorder as a quantitative alternative to the classificatory system first proposed by the DSM-III using the standard methods of personality and behavioural genetics research. To date, the study has explored the univariate and multivariate relationships between the major personality and personality disorder inventories, and their relationships to other psychopathologies including the mood and anxiety disorders and key psychological variables, such as cognitive ability, attachment and attitudes. The results have several implications for personality and personality disorders, most notably a rationalized diagnostic/nosological system to enhanced measurement instruments that index and reflect the influence of specific genetic and environmental influences.
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioural Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. kjang@interchange.ubc.ca
authors.forename: Kerry L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: W John
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Livesley
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Vernon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003071:Cognition; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010641:Phenotype; D012016:Reference Values; D018433:Twin Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology