Implications of DSM-5 Personality Traits for Forensic Psychology

One of the major innovations in the DSM-5 involves the introduction of evidence-based, dimensional approaches to diagnostic assessment. One way in which dimensions are being incorporated into the DSM-5 is in the form of a trait system that offers an alternative strategy for the diagnosis of personality disorders. The traits that comprise this system rest on the foundation of decades of quantitative research in personality and clinical psychology. Although they are conceptualized in the DSM-5 as primarily relevant to the diagnosis of personality disorder, emerging evidence suggests that these traits offer an evidence-based framework for organizing psychopathology more generally. For instance, trait approaches provide promising solutions to widely cited problems in clinical and forensic assessment such as diagnostic co-occurrence, heterogeneity, and arbitrary cut-offs. In this paper, rather than focusing specifically on the diagnosis of personality disorder, we review the rapidly emerging literature on the DSM-5 traits with special attention to their application beyond personality disorder diagnosis and their use and implications for forensic psychology.