Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T16:39:26.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Use of Schneider's Typology for the Diagnosis of Personality Disorders—An Examination of Reliability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

K. F. Standage
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
K. F. Standage
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Summary

Schneider's typology of the personality disorders is described briefly. Three psychiatrists made diagnoses on two sets of patients, both of which contained one example of each type. The diagnoses were made with the help of a glossary and based upon the examination of clinical summaries and audio-recordings.

Values of two reliability coefficients showed considerable variation between types. High reliability was found for Schneider's asthenic, explosive, depressive and affectionless types. Low reliability was found for the fanatic, labile and hyperthymic types. The insecure and attention-seeking types were overused. Some possible causes of this variation are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cohen, J. (1960) A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 3746.Google Scholar
Maxwell, A. E. (1977) Coefficients of agreement between observers and their interpretation. British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 7983.Google Scholar
Schneider, K. (1958) Psychopathic Personalities (trans. Hamilton, M. W.). London: Cassell.Google Scholar
Schneider, K. (1959) Clinical Psychopathology (trans. Hamilton, M. W.). London: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Standage, K. F. (1977a) The diagnosis and classification of personality disorders. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. Memorial University of Newfoundland.Google Scholar
Standage, K. F. (1977b) Typological diagnosis of personality disorders. Abstracts of the 6th World Congress of Psychiatry, p. 267. Honolulu, U.S.A. Google Scholar
Standage, K. F. (1978) The diagnosis of personality disorders: a pilot study. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, 23, 1522.Google Scholar
Walton, H. J., Foulds, G. A., Littmann, S. K. & Presly, A. S. (1970) Abnormal personality. British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 497510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ward, C. H., Beck, A. T., Mendelson, M., Mock, I. E. & Erbaugh, J. K. (1962) The psychiatric nomenclature: reasons for diagnostic disagreement. Archives of General Psychiatry, 7, 198205.Google Scholar
Zubin, J. (1967) Classification of the behaviour disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 18, 373406.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.