The Big Five Model (Big Five)

Correlation between traits (Neuroticism, Agreeableness) and disorders

Another crucial perspective for understanding personality pathology comes from the "Big Five" model, which breaks personality down into five universal dimensions: Openness, Responsiveness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.

Research has shown that personality disorders are not entities outside normality, but extreme manifestations of these basic traits.

Among them, Neuroticism emerges as the most powerful and consistent predictor of pathology.

Neuroticism is defined by a chronic tendency to emotional instability and the experience of negative affect.

People with high scores on this dimension live in a state of perpetual anxious alertness, are prone to worry, muscle tension, and feelings of guilt or shame.

Imagine a fire alarm system that is activated not only by fire, but also by smoke from a candle or steam from a shower; this is how the mind of someone with high neuroticism works.

This emotional hyper-reactivity is the fertile substrate on which almost all personality disorders grow, often associated with psychosomatic symptoms and diffuse physical complaints. In addition to Neuroticism, other factors play specific roles.

Low Agreeableness (or agreeableness) is a central component in Cluster B disorders, such as antisocial or narcissistic, reflecting a hostile, cynical or indifferent orientation towards others.

On the other hand, extreme Responsibility can be linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder, while its absence characterizes the impulsivity of borderline or antisocial disorder.

It is interesting to note that the personality factors with the greatest power to predict a disorder are not only the internal traits, but how they interact with the life context.

Studies indicate that dysfunction becomes evident in intermediate areas of consolidation, such as the work environment or family life.

That is, the trait becomes a disorder when it clashes with the demands of everyday reality: high neuroticism may be manageable in solitude, but it becomes disabling when it prevents maintaining a job or a stable relations