Diagnostic Criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

• is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost
• shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)
• is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)
• is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)
• is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value
• is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things
• adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes
• shows rigidity and stubbornness

The Dimensional Perspective

What does someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) look like? Here is a hypothetical personality profile for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (speculatively constructed from McCrae, 1994, pg. 306):

High Neuroticism

Chronic negative affects, including anxiety, fearfulness, tension, irritability, anger, dejection, hopelessness, guilt, shame; difficulty in inhibiting impulses: for example, to eat, drink, or spend money; irrational beliefs: for example, unrealistic expectations, perfectionistic demands on self, unwarranted pessimism; unfounded somatic concerns; helplessness and dependence on others for emotional support and decision making.

High Extraversion

Excessive talking, leading to inappropriate self-disclosure and social friction; inability to spend time alone; attention seeking and overly dramatic expression of emotions; reckless excitement seeking; inappropriate attempts to dominate and control others.

High Openness

Preoccupation with fantasy and daydreaming; lack of practicality; eccentric thinking (e.g., belief in ghosts, reincarnation, UFOs); diffuse identity and changing goals: for example, joining religious cult; susceptibility to nightmares and states of altered consciousness; social rebelliousness and nonconformity that can interfere with social or vocational advancement.

High Agreeableness

Gullibility: indiscriminate trust of others; excessive candor and generosity, to detriment of self-interest; inability to stand up to others and fight back; easily taken advantage of.

High Conscientiousness

Overachievement: workaholic absorption in job or cause to the exclusion of family, social, and personal interests; compulsiveness, including excessive cleanliness, tidiness, and attention to detail; rigid self-discipline and an inability to set tasks aside and relax; lack of spontaneity; overscrupulousness in moral behavior.

Character Weaknesses and Vices (derived from Michael Stone's (pg. 23) list of the "personality traits" of DSM-III-R Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder.)

• perfectionism
• excessive orderliness
• stubbornness
• "workaholic"
• indecisive
• scrupulosity
• reduced display of affect
• parsimony
• hoarding

The Behavior Perspective

• Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules.
• Perfectionism that interferes with task completion.
• Excessive devotion to work and productivity.
• Overconscientiousness, scrupulosity, and inflexibility about matters of morality, ethics, or values.
• Hoarding
• Excessive interpersonal control.
• Miserliness toward both self and others.
• Rigidity and stubbornness.

next: Symptoms, Causes and Risk Factors

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Reviewed: 04/2006