Personality Functioning

Dimensional assessment of personality functioning (PF) plays a pivotal role in modern conceptualizations of psychopathology and is recognized as a central criterion for personality disorders in DSM-5 and ICD-11. This paper provides an overview of the conceptual and theoretical foundations of PF, including its link to early relational experiences and personality dynamics. Emerging evidence suggests PF as a promising framework in debates around a general factor of psychopathology, offering consistency and clarity in understanding transdiagnostic severity as well as specific clinical phenotypes. Clinically, PF serves as a flexible and evidence-based framework for tailoring interventions to individual needs, transcending theoretical orientations and intervention methods. Open questions remain, for example, regarding the interaction of PF with personality traits, relational patterns, and treatment processes.