Table of Contents:

  1. Introduction
  2. Features of HPD
  3. Histrionic personality style vs disorder
  4. Resources & FAQs

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) prototypic description:

Histrionics are dramatic, charming and intense people. Their emotions are both intense and shallow at the same time. Their interests and attitudes are easily influenced by what others think and value. They need attention and reassurance that they are loved from others, so they often overestimate the intimacy of relationships.

Features of HPD

  • Triggering Event(s): Relationships, particularly with those they're attracted to
  • Behavioral Style: Charming, dramatic, expressive; demanding, self-indulgent, inconsiderate; attention-seeking, mood swings, impulsive, unpredictable, and superficial
  • Interpersonal Style: Needs attention; flirtatious, manipulative; lacks empathy; overestimates intimacy of relationships
  • Cognitive Style: Impulsive, dramatic; vague; suggestible; relies on intuition; avoids reflection and introspection as so to avoid realising their dependency on others; needs approval from others; has separate real/inner/private & constructed/outer/public selves; tendency to mimic speech patterns
  • Affective Style: Displays intense, extreme emotions but may only feel them shallowly; sensitive to rejection; mood swings; need reassurance that they are loved
  • Temperament: Hyperresponsive; needs attention from others
  • Attachment Style: Preoccupied
  • Parental Injunction: “I’ll give you attention when you do what I want.”
  • Self-View: Needs to be noticed
  • World-View: Life makes them nervous, so they need attention and reassurance that they're loved
  • Maladaptive Schemas: Approval-seeking; emotional deprivation; defectiveness
  • Optimal Diagnostic Criterion: Uncomfortable not being the centre of attention
  • Defining Strategy & Belief: Exhibitionism; feelings should guide them.

Subtypes: Disingenuous; Infantile; Appeasing; Theatrical; Tempestuous; Vivacious (Millon)

Often comorbid with: BPD, NPD, PPD, DPD, AsPD, substance abuse, somatic symptom disorder, functional neurological symptom disorder (conversion disorder), depression

Often confused with: BPD, AsPD, NPD, DPD

Histrionic Personality Style vs Disorder
Style Disorder
Enjoys compliments and praise. Needs reassurance, approval and praise.
Charming and engaging. Seductive in appearance and behaviour in inappropriate situations.
Enjoys fashion and looking good. Preoccupied with their looks and attractiveness.
Enthusiastic, loves to have fun; can be impulsive but can wait for good things (can delay gratification). Inappropriately exaggerates emotions; impulsive and struggles with delayed gratification.
Enjoys being the centre of attention, but can cope when they're not. Uncomfortable when they aren't the centre of attention, to the point of being inappropriately impulsive or sexual.
Emotional, tactile, and physically affectionate. Has mood swings, emotions can swing between intense and shallow.
Uses appropriate styles of speech. Uses an excessively impressionistic style of speech that lacks detail.

Resources & FAQs