Betrayal trauma and personality pathology: an integrated review

Abstract

Personality pathology is a common and debilitating problem for many, and among the factors associated with personality pathology is trauma. Recent research on the association between personality pathology and trauma has highlighted the role of trauma perpetrated by a person whom the victim trusts and/or relies upon for support (i.e., betrayal trauma). There is an increasing number of studies on the association between betrayal trauma and a range of different forms of personality pathology, although neither these studies nor the more general bodies of the literature on which they draw (i.e., in both trauma and personality pathology) have been meaningfully integrated. The goals of this paper are threefold. We first review relevant theories and research on trauma (definition, diagnosis, and different typologies, including betrayal trauma) and personality pathology (conceptualization, risk factors). Second, we review and integrate research on the association between betrayal trauma and different forms of personality pathology (e.g. antisocial/psychopathic, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, schizoid, and schizotypal). Finally, we use this integration to suggest directions for future research on and clinical application with respect to the intersection of betrayal trauma and personality pathology.