It’s been a while since I’ve made a wrap-up article on a series. It’s something I love to do after concluding a series of articles. Create a one-stop guide with links to every article in the series, and of course with lots of visual aids too. Exploring the cluster B continuum has been the longest series to date. There are eleven articles if you count the interview with the daughter of the forgotten fifth cluster B – passive aggressive personality disorder. This series also marked my debut on YouTube and all podcast stations as well. So, for the first time, these articles also include listen along links for those whose lives are extra busy.
The 10 Traits that All Cluster Bs Have
The Cluster B disorders are under the category of erratic, irrational, and antagonistic. They will go out of their way to avoid taking accountability for their actions. That’s why you will see them behave so similarly, just different “flavors” (personality disorders) of the same traits.
- Projection
- Gaslighting
- DARVO
- Lack of Object Permanence
- Jealousy
- Hate Boundaries
- Excessive need for something from others
- Laundry Listing
- Masking and Unmasking
- Poor Impulse Control
If you want a more comprehensive guide on what any of those traits mean, that article is (here).
The Cluster B Continuum Part 1: The Criteria
So often, we get confused on what the criteria means. And so, we scratch our heads wondering if we will ever know the name for the sort of person who hurt us. This very thing happened to me years ago when I realized my ex-boyfriend, who behaved just like my mother, checked every box for narcissistic personality disorder and histrionic. And yet, I couldn’t get my mother to meet the minimal criteria for either one. (5 is the minimum for each disorder.) When I read the criteria for borderline personality disorder, I couldn’t make sense of it until a forensic psychologist helped me understand it. With that said, I get it! That’s why the list of the different criteria also includes links that will help you understand what each one means.
9 Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
- Excessive need for admiration.
- Exaggerates self-importance in a grandiose manner; exaggerates achievements, and wants to be recognized as special.
- Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, intelligence, or ideal love.
- Believes only special or high status individuals can understand his or her unique thoughts, talents, and problems; is critical of others, looking down on those they deem unimportant.
- Has an air of entitlement with unreasonable expectations for special treatment.
- Takes advantage of others in an exploitative manner.
- Is unable or unwilling to relate to the needs and feelings of others; has insufficient empathy.
- Envies others or believes they envy him or her.
- Is arrogant or haughty; maintains an egotistical attitude; believes others can’t do as well as they do.
For a more comprehensive guide on what this criteria means, plus some of my own lived experiences with narcissists as examples, that article is (here).
8 Criteria for Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)
- Has an excessive need to be the center of attention.
- Is often inappropriately provocative or sexually seductive.
- Uses physical appearance to gain attention from others.
- Speech is impressionistic and lacks detail.
- Is highly suggestible.
- Expresses shallow, rapidly shifting emotions.
- Is dramatic, theatrical and displays emotions in an exaggerated fashion.
- Overestimates the intimacy of relationships.
For a more comprehensive guide on what this criteria means, that article is (here). A few crucial things must be said about HPD. First, it’s my belief that there are two reasons we don’t often hear about this one as much as we do narcissists and borderlines. One is that we tend to read the criteria and use it to gender stereotype. But rest assured that men can most certainly have it too. The other reason we don’t hear much about HPD is because it has five traits that are eerily similar to narcissists and three traits that are eerily similar to borderlines. So, what if many of these histrionics are being misdiagnosed as NPD or BPD?
Conversely, if you have dealt with a toxic person and they seem a little narcissistic and a little borderline but you can’t get them to meet the minimal (5 is the minimum) criteria for either, look into histrionic instead. In a lot of ways, it seems to be the midpoint between the two in the cluster B continuum.
We often look at criteria 2 and 3 in particular and think that vanity and provocative behaviors are all there is to the histrionic. But this is not always the case. Remember that as long as the person meets at least five of the criteria, they have HPD. But more on that when we revisit the comorbid histrionic in the cluster B continuum part 2.
9 Criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Here is your first visual aid showing the most common misdiagnosis for BPD, which is bipolar. While I have zero interest in destigmatizing borderlines, I do want to destigmatize those with bipolar disorder. Because it is my belief that bipolar is unfairly stigmatized because some of whom are diagnosed bipolar are actually BPD.
- Makes desperate attempts to avoid being abandoned.
- Has unstable and intense relationships, usually involves alternating between idealization and devaluation of another person.
- Is easily provoked to anger or rage.
- Under stress can become paranoid or experience dissociative symptoms.
- Sense of self or self-image is chronically unstable.
- Acts on impulse in ways that can be self-damaging.
- Makes frequent suicidal gestures or threats or mutilates him or herself.
- Has highly unstable moods (depressed, irritable, anxious) for brief periods.
- Chronically experiences feelings of emptiness.
For a more comprehensive guide on what this criteria means that article is (here). Bonus! Be sure and check the comments on that article because my borderline mother left me a long and nasty comment. In that comment, she not only displayed seven of the nine criteria, but I also got amazing support from my readers and my advocate friends. Thanks to their supportive comments, I was able to close out my day dropping a bonus YouTube video reading her comment and educating others on how to maintain no contact while still publicly advocating. That YouTube video is (here).
8 Criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Here is your second visual aid showing the core differences between NPD and ASPD. Because thanks to the internet rebranding all the other disorders as narcissists, antisocial appears to be the “primitive” version of the narcissist. Both can seem “charming” on the first meeting but their motives are coming from different places.
- Persistently breaks the law.
- Is aggressive and irritable with a history of fights or assaults.
- Acts on impulse without giving much thought to future consequences.
- Engages in reckless behaviors that create dangerous situations for self or others.
- Is deceitful and uses aliases, lies, or cons people to get what is wanted.
- Is irresponsible with regard to work, financial, and family obligations.
- Lacks remorse as shown by indifference to or rationalizing of harm he or she has caused.
- Has a history of antisocial behaviors since adolescence.
For a more comprehensive guide on what this criteria means as well as more context on the above visual aid, that article is (here).
8 Criteria for Passive Aggressive Personality Disorder (PAPD)
This one was removed at the publication of the DSMV, which is why you likely haven’t heard of this one. Just because it was removed doesn’t mean it no longer exists.
- Passively fails to complete both social and job-related tasks after directly or indirectly pledging to complete them.
- Complains that he or she is misunderstood and unappreciated.
- Is moody and quarrelsome.
- Criticizes and scorns authority in an unreasonable and self-defeating manner.
- Believes that others are more fortunate and expresses envy and resentment towards them.
- Makes frequent exaggerated complaints about his or her personal misfortune.
- Frequently or constantly complains about his or her woes.
- Is alternately defiantly hostile and remorsefully apologetic.
For a more comprehensive guide on what this criteria means, learn along with me in my interview with the daughter of someone with PAPD. That article is (here).
The Cluster B Continuum Part 2: Known Comorbidities
Now that we have the basics on the criteria for each personality disorder in the cluster B continuum, the next thing we need to address are the known comorbidities for each one. Why? Because the rarest personality disorder is one who only has one disorder. Bear in mind that the following comorbidities are only the known comorbidities today. It is my belief that if you can read the criteria and understand what it means, you know what you’re dealing with. Don’t feel obligated to box the person who hurt you into one type. They may easily be one type in certain situations and then display traits of another type in other situations.
Known Comorbidities for Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- PAPD + NPD = Covert Narcissist
- HPD + NPD = Somatic Narcissist
- ASPD + NPD = Malignant (Unprincipled) Narcissist or the Reputation Defending Antisocial
If you haven’t followed this series, you might be wondering, “What about the spiritual and cerebral narcissists?” Those aren’t comorbidities. They are narcissists who have simply found a specific niche for their narcissism to flourish.
Now I have two visual aids for you. The first one is to show the polarities between the grandiose narcissist and the covert narcissist. They appear to have nothing in common and yet they are both narcissists. The grandiose narcissist being the closest you get to a “pure” narcissist, meaning the grandiose may have only one personality disorder. While the covert narcissist is comorbid with passive aggressive personality disorder.
The next one is to show the similarities and differences between the petulant borderline and the covert narcissist. This is because many people who have been hurt by a borderline have theorized that borderlines are covert narcissists. Not true. However, there is a type of borderline that is comorbid with PAPD, known as the petulant borderline. So, in other words, the similarity in traits that we see between the petulant borderline and covert narcissist is due to the fact that they both have PAPD blended with their disorders. However, their comorbidities manifest in different ways.
For a more comprehensive guide on these visual aids, as well as a deeper understanding on the somatic and malignant narcissists, that article is (here).
Known Comorbidities for Histrionic Personality Disorder
- Dependent Personality Disorder + HPD = Appeasing Histrionic
- ASPD + HPD = Disingenuous Histrionic or the Risk-Taking Antisocial
This is truly a reflection of what little we know about HPD, that there are only two known comorbidities. This is also the first time (but not the last) we are moving outside the cluster B continuum. Dependent personality disorder is part of the cluster C group. So, the first visual aid addresses the stark contrasts between the appeasing vs. disingenuous histrionic.
The next two visual aids are what I refer to as my “don’t panic” warnings to my complex-PTSD community. In other words, avoid self-diagnosing just because you think you may have something in common with dependent personality disorder or appeasing histrionic. With complex-PTSD, we tend to have codependency problems and there is a difference.
And this one shows how and why we tend to people-please versus how the appeasing histrionic “people-pleases” (crowd-pleasing).
The next one is a side-by-side comparison between the disingenuous histrionic and the malignant narcissist. Both are comorbid with ASPD and yet, just like the petulant borderline and covert narcissist manifest their PAPD traits differently, the disingenuous histrionic and malignant narcissist also manifest their ASPD traits differently.
Finally, especially in the case of the somatic narcissist (HPD + NPD), sometimes they might also meet the minimal criteria for ASPD as well. In which case, you may very well experience the disingenuous traits in some situations, and other situations, especially in partnerships, you may see the malignant narcissist side. My ex-boyfriend was the somatic narcissist who also met the minimal criteria for ASPD. So, I can confirm this.
For a more comprehensive guide on the comorbid histrionic and more context on the above visual aids, that article is (here).
The Known Comorbidities for Borderline Personality Disorder (The Sad Ones)
Holy mackerel, there’s a lot of known comorbidities for BPD! So much so, I was forced to divide the comorbid borderline into two segments. Part 1: the sad ones (comorbid with cluster C) and part 2: Cluster B + Cluster B. Here are the known comorbidities for the sad ones.
- Codependent + BPD = Quiet Borderline
- Dependent Personality Disorder + BPD = Waif Borderline
- Depressive Personality Disorder and/or MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) + BPD = Self-Destructive Borderline
The first visual aid shows the contrasts between the waif borderline and the appeasing histrionic. Both are comorbid with dependent personality disorder but notice the differences in how they manifest those traits.
The next visual aid shows the similarities and then the differences between the waif borderline and the self-destructive borderline. Both have comorbidities with cluster C personality disorders and they can therefore “appear” to have similar behaviors.
For a more comprehensive guide on the (sad) comorbid borderline and more context on the above visual aids, that article is (here).
The Comorbid Borderline: Cluster B + Cluster B
- PAPD + OCPD + BPD = Hermit Borderline
- PAPD + BPD = Petulant Borderline
- HPD + BPD = Impulsive Borderline
- NPD + BPD = Queen (or King) Borderline
- ASPD + BPD = Witch or Malignant Borderline
My mother was the Witch-Hermit. So, you can say I know my way around the cluster B continuum, especially where BPDs are concerned. For a more comprehensive breakdown on what each type is like that article is (here).
The Known Comorbidities for Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Schizoid personality disorder and/or Avoidant personality disorder + ASPD = Nomadic Antisocial
- Paranoid personality disorder + ASPD = Malevolent Antisocial
- PAPD + ASPD = Covetous Antisocial
- HPD + ASPD = Risk-Taking Antisocial or Disingenuous Histrionic
- NPD + ASPD = Reputation Defending Antisocial or Malignant (Unprincipled) Narcissist
Most serial killers are the malevolent antisocial. Both P. Diddy and Jeffrey Epstein are examples of the covetous antisocial. And Tommy DeVito from the movie Goodfellas is a textbook example of the reputation defending/malignant narcissist. I also argue that Scott Peterson was an example of a well masked version of the reputation defending antisocial as well. For a more comprehensive guide on these types, that article is (here).
“Nice” Abusers
One more thing needs to be said on the cluster B continuum. Notice how each disorder seems to have that one comorbidity that appears to be the “nice” one. The covert narcissist, appeasing histrionic, quiet borderline, and the nomadic antisocial all appear to be the harmless versions of these otherwise dangerous disorders. However, just because they may not be a danger to your physical safety doesn’t mean they aren’t a danger to your mental health and therefore your biological health as well. (Trauma is stored in the body after all.) It is my belief that we should all glean a deeper understanding of the so-called “nice” abusers, and dare I say – a deeper understanding of histrionic personality disorder.
When I put together my material on the comorbid histrionic, I was slammed with a lightbulb concerning my sixth-grade teacher. She had spent the entire recess period bawling me out in front of the very group of girls who had been picking on me. I spent years ashamed of myself, all because I was stuck on the fact that she was so nice. I must have been extra horrible to have brought out that alien side in my teacher. After I published my material on the comorbid histrionic, the hindsight clues on what my sixth-grade teacher was slammed home. She was the appeasing histrionic. I created a bonus YouTube video sharing those clues and also six red flags that should tell you you’re dealing with a “nice” abuser (here). Then I created a meme on my social media pages raising awareness on those red flags.
