Childhood antecedents of personality disorders

Abstract

Early life influences have for long been suspected to play a crucial role in shaping adult life. A significant body of literature now supports the effect of early life influences on adult medical conditions such as obesity and heart disease. In psychiatry too, evidence now suggests a similar phenomenon. This is especially true for personality disorders which are now seen as a continuity of the patterns of tendency to feel and behave observed in childhood. A number of factors ranging from psychological to socio-economic and biological have been postulated as causal factors, mediating factors or simply associated factors. The present chapter attempts to discuss some of the basic theoretical foundations, the commonly cited factors involved, and the utility and implications for clinical practice.