Personality Disorders, Allan V. Horwitz
Personality Disorders, Allan V. Horwitz
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Personality Disorders
A Short History of Narcissistic, Borderline, Antisocial, and Other Types

Author: Allan V. Horwitz

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 9 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/14/2023


Synopsis

The concept of personality disorders rose to prominence in the early twentieth century and has consistently caused controversy among psychiatrists, psychologists, and social scientists. In Personality Disorders, Allan V. Horwitz traces the evolution of defining these disorders and the historical dilemmas of attempting to mold them into traditional medical conceptions of disorder.

Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, as a guide, Horwitz explores the group of conditions that make up personality disorders and considers when they have been tied to or separated from other types of mental illnesses. He also examines how these disorders have often entailed negative moral and cultural evaluations more focused on perceived social deviance than on actual medical conditions.

Deep conflicts exist in a variety of disciplines in determining the nature of these disorders. During the twentieth century, a particularly sharp division arose between researchers who study personality disorders and the clinicians who treat them. Synthesizing historical and contemporary scholarship, Horwitz examines controversies over the definitions and diagnoses of personality disorders and how the perception of these illnesses has changed over time.

About Allan V. Horwitz

Allan V. Horwitz is the Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University. He is the author of DSM: A History of Psychiatry's Bible, PTSD: A Short History, Anxiety: A Short History, and Creating Mental Illness.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Yamini on March 03, 2023

I find this books perspective interesting and insightful. While going through someparts of it I felt somewhere we already know these parameters, but someone else telling us the very same thing in books just acts like a validation. I picked this one up to understand the depths of personality, mental a......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on March 21, 2023

This book is exactly as described. A history in personality disorders. It was a very informative read and took me a bit longer to listen to. I found the material very interesting and well researched however, it was sometimes tough to get through due to some of its textbook feel. I believe I would ha......more

Goodreads review by J on February 25, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC (in audiobook format). Personality Disorders by Allan V. Horwitz is a fascinating and informative book that traces the history and controversies of the concept of personality disorders. The author provides a comprehensive overview of how different d......more

Goodreads review by J Earl on March 10, 2023

Personality Disorders, written by Allan V Horwitz and narrated by Jonathan Yen, is a comprehensive look at what we now call personality disorders. While the text is detailed I don't think it is exhaustive (no doubt there is even more to say) but it is comprehensive in that it uses the history of men......more

Goodreads review by Theresa on March 11, 2023

Personality Disorders: A Short History of Narcissistic, Borderline, Antisocial, and Other Types by Allan V. Horwitz An eye opening version of history of personality, and personality disorders. Coming from the Greek early theories of personality and illness. The story goes through medical and clinical......more