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Histrionic Personality Disorder

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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Synonyms

Hysteria; Hysterical personality disorder

Definition

Histrionic personality disorder is a psychiatric condition listed in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association 2013). Individuals with this disorder are characterized by frequent engagement in dramatic, seductive, or attention-seeking behavior, exaggerated emotional displays that carry a theatrical quality, an impressionistic or reactionary approach to understanding their environment, and heightened suggestibility and openness to influence by others.

Introduction

Compared to other contemporary character disorders, histrionic personality disorder is notable for its extensive history of being studied in both ancient and modern cultures. Authors have postulated about the physiological and psychosocial origins of histrionic symptoms over the course of four millennia – from ancient Egypt, to the Salem witch trials, to modern-day academic medical...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, MA, USA

    Katie C. Lewis

  2. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA, USA

    Elsa Rose Mastico

Authors
  1. Katie C. Lewis
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  2. Elsa Rose Mastico
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katie C. Lewis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Kevin Meehan

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Lewis, K.C., Mastico, E.R. (2017). Histrionic Personality Disorder. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_590-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_590-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

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