Personality Development and Psychopathology

Our knowledge about personality development, and the interrelationships between personality and psychopathology, has expanded and it has incorporated findings from many fields. There is consensus that the interacting and reciprocal influences of nature and nurture, the role of genetic endowment, cultural context, gender, relationships with family and others, and specific developmental experiences are all influential in shaping personality and in the manifestation of psychopathology. This paper will review gender differences in psychological development, from a psychodynamic perspective, emphasizing areas that appear to be related to differences in psychopathology, and it will integrate recent information.