Theodore Millon: biography and theories of this psychologist

Theodore Millon's theory of personality disorders has been one of the most influential models in this field of psychology.

In this article we will review the biography and work of Theodore Millon and we will describe the 12 types of personality disorder that exist according to this author, whose influence on diagnostic manuals has been extremely important.

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Biography of Theodore Millon

Theodore Millon is an American psychologist whose work has played an extremely significant role in the development of The psychological conception of personality disorders. In particular, Millon was a highly regarded member of the American Psychological Association and his theory has been a key influence on the DSM manuals.

Millon was born in 1928 in Manhattan, the most important borough of New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants who had been born in Lithuania and Poland, respectively. After studying psychology, philosophy, and physics at various universities in the United States and Europe, Millon received his doctorate from the University of Connecticut in 1950.

During his lifetime, Millon published more than 30 of his own books, as well as contributing to a large number of articles and book chapters, and founding the magazine Journal of Personality Disorders. He has also been named a professor emeritus at Harvard and Miami Universities. He died on January 29, 2014 in his sleep from congestive heart failure.

One of Millon's main contributions is his Multiaxial Clinical Inventories (MCMI), designed for the assessment of psychopathological personality. The test model developed by this author has been applied to both normal and clinical populations, with special emphasis on the latter, as well as to groups of people of different ages.

Theory and personality disorders according to Millon

For Theodore Millon personality disorders should not be understood as mental illness but as styles of behavior, cognition and emotion that imply inflexibility (which limits the acquisition of new behaviors) and difficulties in managing stressful situations, in addition to promoting "vicious circles" of functioning.

Millon's theory of personality disorders describes 14 maladaptive patterns They differ fundamentally based on the severity of the disturbances and the type and source of the reinforcement that guides the behavior. Each of the disorders would develop from specific combinations of biological and environmental factors.

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1. paranoid

Million believes that paranoid disorder is one of the most serious, along with borderline and schizotypal. This is due to the fact that it attributes structural deficits to them, that is, it defines as the main characteristic of the alterations severe personality traits the incoherent, cohesive, robust, and functionally efficient organization of personality traits personality.

Paranoid disorder is characterized by distrust, suspicion, and hostility toward others. others and by the appearance of angry reactions to situations in which there is perceived contempt or humiliation. Millon defines three variants: paranoid-narcissistic, paranoid-antisocial, and paranoid-compulsive.

2. schizotypal

The schizotypal personality is defined by social isolation, emotional deficits, self-centered cognitive style, and quirky behaviors. According to Millon, it is associated with the lack of early stimulation, as well as possible biological dysfunctions in brain structures As the limbic system and the ascending reticular activator system.

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3. Limit

Borderline personality disorder involves a marked conflict between dependency and independence needs. They look themselves alterations in the sense of identity, erratic behaviors, emotional instability and a marked impulsiveness, which favors behaviors such as the abusive consumption of substances and self-harm.

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4. Passive-aggressive or negativist

The passive-aggressive personality is one of the most specific of Millon's proposal, and it is not included in the majority of diagnostic manuals. In this case, oppositional tendencies predominate, often interfering in other people's activities, complaints, pessimism, bad mood and lack of complacency towards others.

5. Obsessive compulsive

The obsessive-compulsive personality, or simply compulsive, is characterized by the rigid and excessive adherence to rules, as well as fear of making mistakes even though they may seem insignificant to other people. This lack of flexibility very often leads to difficulties in making decisions and a lack of efficiency in carrying out tasks.

6. avoidant

In people with avoidant personality disorder, feelings of loneliness and fear of interpersonal rejection occur together, often related to self-esteem deficits; this causes hypersensitivity to the possibility of embarrassment and therefore a tendency to isolation.

7. Schizoid

Like avoidant personality disorder, schizoid would be mainly associated with interpersonal detachment. However, in this case reluctance to establish relationships is due to emotional coldness, to the lack of interest in other people and to the predominance of fantasy and solitary activities.

8. Histrionic

In histrionic disorder there are dramatic, immature, manipulative, and seductive interpersonal behaviorsWhich leads to dysfunctional relationships. The lack of stability in emotions is also common.

9. Dependent

Dependent personalities are characterized by feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence, the need to get help and reassurance from others and the transfer of one's own responsibilities to others. These people often feel helpless and insecure if they are alone.

10. Narcissistic

Narcissistic personality disorder Its fundamental characteristic is the overestimation of one's own personal worth.. Narcissistic people expect the people with whom they interact to confirm their expectations of admiration and special treatment, and are much more interested in themselves than in others. the rest.

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11. Antisocial

According to Millon, and far from the typical definitions that associate this disorder with criminal behavior as a key aspect, antisocial personalities are characterized by ambition, persistence, and goal-directed behavior concrete. It is also given distrust in the abilities of others and the need to control the environment.

12. sadistic or aggressive

sadistic personalities obtain reinforcement through the provocation of suffering or discomfort (including manipulation, cruelty, aggression and fear) to other people or to oneself. Together with the negativist, masochistic and depressive disorder, it is one of the most representative of Millon's contributions.

13. Masochistic

For Millon, the concept of masochism refers to a pattern of self-defeating behavior that leads to involvement with unpromising people and activities, excessive personal sacrifice, failure in affordable tasks and to rejection of opportunities to obtain reinforcement or to react positively to them.

14. Depressant

In this type of personalities, depressive symptoms such as sadness, low self-esteem, pessimism or the tendency to worry and feelings of guilt. There are conceptual problems regarding this disorder because of its similarity to dysthymia, chronic depression, and avoidant personality disorder.