Introduction to the Special Section on the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY–5) and DSM–5 Trait Dimensional Diagnostic Systems for Personality Disorders: Emerging Convergence

Abstract

In this Special Section, 7 studies focusing on the PSY–5 model of individual differences relevant to adaptive functioning are presented. The first study by Harkness, McNulty, et al. (this issue) describes the development of the revised PSY–5 scales for the MMPI–2–RF, followed by another article by Harkness, Reynolds, and Lilienfeld (this issue) arguing for the adoption of a review of systems strategy for evaluating psychological functioning. McNulty and Overstreet (this issue) describe an alternative hierarchical strategy for organizing the interpretation of the MMPI–2–RF using the PSY–5 scales. Extending the PSY–5 model to adolescents, Veltri et al. (this issue) examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the MMPI–A PSY–5 in predicting violent delinquent behavior. Bagby and colleagues (this issue) examine the hierarchical structure of the PSY–5 model across nonclinical and clinical samples and, with a few notable exceptions, find the PSY–5 model to map well onto the DSM–5 personality trait dimensional model. Finn, Arbisi, Erbes, Polusny, and Thuras (this issue) examine the convergence between the DSM–5 proposed trait dimensions and PSY–5 model demonstrating the potential for the MMPI–2–RF PSY–5 scales to serve as a bridge between DSM–5 and DSM–IV personality disorder diagnoses. Finally, Sellbom, Smid, de Saeger, Smit, and Kamphuis(this issue) directly examine the convergence of MMPI–2–RF PSY–5 scales with DSM–IV personality disorder categories and proposed DSM–5 trait dimensions further establishing the potential for the PSY–5 scales to serve as a bridge between DSM categorical and dimensional diagnostic schemas.