What Is Histrionic Personality Disorder?
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According to Abnormal Psychology: Core Concepts
Histrionic PD’s characteristics are:
a. self-dramatization;
b. overconcern with attractiveness; and,
c. tendency to irritability and temper outbursts if attention seeking is frustrated.
DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF “HISTRIONIC”
The definition of “histrionic” as an adjective is defined by Dictionary.com as “of or pertaining to actors or acting” and “deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech.” When this word is used as a noun, it simply means “an actor.” Thus, this PD is rather aptly named, as you’ll see.
HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER
The authors in the above book explain the narcissistic personality and disorder:
Excessive attention-seeking behavior and emotionality are the key characteristics of individuals with histrionic personality disorder. According to DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), these individuals tend to feel unappreciated if they are not the center of attention, and their lively, dramatic, and excessively extraverted styles often ensure that they can charm others into attending to them. But these qualities do not lead to stable and satisfying relationships because others tire of providing this level of attention. In seeking attention, their appearance and behavior are often quite theatrical and emotional as well as sexually provocative and seductive. They may attempt to control their partner through seductive behavior and emotional manipulation, but they also show a good deal of dependence (e.g., Rasmussen, 2005). Usually they are considered self-centered, vain, and excessively concerned about the approval of others, who see them as overly reactive, shallow, and insincere.
The prevalence of this disorder in the general population is estimated at 2 to 3 percent, and some (but not all) studies suggest that this disorder occurs more often in women than in men (APA, 2000; Widiger & Bornstein, 2001). Although reasons for the possible sex difference have been very controversial, one review of these controversies has suggested that this sex difference is not surprising given the number of traits that occur more often in females that are involved in diagnostic criteria. For example, many of the criteria for histrionic personality disorder (as well as for several other personality disorders such as dependent) involve maladaptive variants of female-related traits (e.g., Widiger & Bornstein, 2001). For histrionic personality disorder, these include overdramatization, vanity, seductiveness, and overconcern with physical appearance. This automatically increases the chances that women will be diagnosed as having the disorder.
CASE STUDY: A HISTRIONIC HOUSEWIFE
Lulu, a 24-year-old housewife, was seen in an inpatient unit several days after she had been picked up for “vagrancy” after her husband had left her at the bus station to return to her own family because he was tired of her behavior and of taking care of her. Lulu showed up for the interview all made-up and in a very feminine robe, with her hair done in a very special way. Throughout the interview with a male psychiatrist, she showed flirtatious and somewhat childlike seductive gestures and talked in a rather vague way about her problems and her life. Her chief complaints were that her husband had deserted her and that she couldn’t return to her family because two of her brothers had abused her. Moreover, she had no friends to turn to and wasn’t sure how she was going to get along. Indeed, she complained that she had never had female friends, whom she felt just didn’t like her, although she wasn’t quite sure why, assuring the interviewer that she was a very nice and kind person.
Recently she and her husband had been out driving with a couple who were friends of her husband’s. The wife had accused Lulu of being overly seductive toward the wife’s husband, and Lulu had been hurt, thinking her behavior was perfectly innocent and not at all out-of-line. This incident led to a big argument with her own husband, one in a long series over the past 6 months in which he complained about her inappropriate behavior around other men and about how vain and needing of attention she was. These arguments and her failure to change her behavior had ultimately led her husband to desert her.
DSM-IV-TR CRITERIA FOR HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, as indicated by at least five of the following:
1. Discomfort in situations in which s/he is not the center of attention.
2. Inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior.
3. Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions.
4. Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self.
5. Has an excessively impressionistic style of speech.
6. Shows self-dramatization and exaggerated expressions of emotion.
7. Is overly suggestible.
8. Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.
I added the emphasis on “pervasive pattern” and “at least five” above to make the point that just because someone exhibits a few of these “symptoms” from time to time, that does NOT make them histrionic personalities. Or every flirt would be one!
FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD HISTRIONIC PD AT ONE TIME
I don’t know about you, but these descriptions of behaviors associated with HPD reminded me of a number of celebrities (no idea if they ever had HPD, though):
Drew Barrymore
Truman Capote
Cher
Paris Hilton
Michael Jackson
Elton John
Angelina Jolie
Liberace
Jennifer Lopez
Courtney Love
Madonna
Marilyn Monroe
Eva Peron
Elvis Presley
Dennis Rodman
Richard Simmons
Sharon Stone
Andy Warhol
Oscar Wilde
Prince
CONCLUSION
We’re going to go through each of the ten personality disorders in the DSM-IV. Why? First, because doing so will help you understand people better. Not only will you learn to read people more accurately—always useful in any situation!—but you might end up a bit more empathetic toward all the high-maintenance people in your life. Finally, and, most important of all, you will realize that you really can’t help or change them too much. Instead, they have to sincerely want to change. Then, then have to work really hard at it, preferably with the help of good professionals.
So, unless you’re a trained psychologist or psychiatrist, let the experts do their thing. Read Cuckoo in Your Nest! All you have to do is contact me using the email at the bottom of the About page. It’ll also remind you of your limits when it comes to trying to change other people’s lives, especially folks with personality disorders!
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November 21st, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Shanel -
Really interesting post! Thanks.
k
November 21st, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Hi KC! Thanks for your comment and positive feedback! Appreciate it! : )