Peer Assessment of Personality Traits and Pathology in Female College Students

Abstract

Assessment procedures for personality disorders (PDs) typically rely on self-reports, even though some people with PDs may be unable to view themselves realistically or are unwilling to report socially undesirable traits. Close associates may provide important information regarding the presence of PD traits. Peer nomination is a reliable and valid assessment procedure that can be adapted to the study of PDs for research purposes. This study focused on characteristic features that define narcissistic, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive PDs using information collected from both self and others in a nonclinical sample of women. It was designed to identify specific areas of agreement and discrepancy between self-report and peer assessment in the measurement of characteristic features of these disorders.