Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Temperament and character in adults with Asperger syndrome

Anckarsäter, Henrik LU ; Råstam, Maria LU orcid and Gillberg, Christopher (2002) In Autism 6(3). p.287-297
Abstract
To study the personality characteristics of adults with Asperger syndrome, and investigate the value of self-rating personality inventories, we administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to 31 outpatients with Asperger syndrome.The TCI is a self-rating personality inventory that has been validated in the Swedish general population. The results were compared with age- and sex-matched norm groups. Participants with Asperger syndrome scored significantly higher on harm avoidance and lower on self-directedness and cooperativeness. Reward dependence and novelty seeking tended to be low. They also had significantly higher rarity scores, reflecting idiosyncratic perspectives. The most common temperament configurations were... (More)
To study the personality characteristics of adults with Asperger syndrome, and investigate the value of self-rating personality inventories, we administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to 31 outpatients with Asperger syndrome.The TCI is a self-rating personality inventory that has been validated in the Swedish general population. The results were compared with age- and sex-matched norm groups. Participants with Asperger syndrome scored significantly higher on harm avoidance and lower on self-directedness and cooperativeness. Reward dependence and novelty seeking tended to be low. They also had significantly higher rarity scores, reflecting idiosyncratic perspectives. The most common temperament configurations were 'obsessional', 'passive-dependent' and'explosive'. Character, reflecting conceptual maturity, was poorly developed in the majority of our subjects. The self-ratings of persons with Asperger syndrome thus indicated anxious personalities with coping difficulties in the areas of social interaction and self-directedness, a picture corresponding to the clinical descriptions of Asperger syndrome. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, personality, rarity, Inventory, Temperament and Character
in
Autism
volume
6
issue
3
pages
287 - 297
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • pmid:12212919
  • scopus:0036707869
ISSN
1362-3613
DOI
10.1177/1362361302006003006
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
4cb6976e-89e0-4949-9db2-dc2dd626937b (old id 1124038)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 17:02:52
date last changed
2022-03-30 20:09:37
@article{4cb6976e-89e0-4949-9db2-dc2dd626937b,
  abstract     = {{To study the personality characteristics of adults with Asperger syndrome, and investigate the value of self-rating personality inventories, we administered the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to 31 outpatients with Asperger syndrome.The TCI is a self-rating personality inventory that has been validated in the Swedish general population. The results were compared with age- and sex-matched norm groups. Participants with Asperger syndrome scored significantly higher on harm avoidance and lower on self-directedness and cooperativeness. Reward dependence and novelty seeking tended to be low. They also had significantly higher rarity scores, reflecting idiosyncratic perspectives. The most common temperament configurations were 'obsessional', 'passive-dependent' and'explosive'. Character, reflecting conceptual maturity, was poorly developed in the majority of our subjects. The self-ratings of persons with Asperger syndrome thus indicated anxious personalities with coping difficulties in the areas of social interaction and self-directedness, a picture corresponding to the clinical descriptions of Asperger syndrome.}},
  author       = {{Anckarsäter, Henrik and Råstam, Maria and Gillberg, Christopher}},
  issn         = {{1362-3613}},
  keywords     = {{anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; personality; rarity; Inventory; Temperament and Character}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{287--297}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Autism}},
  title        = {{Temperament and character in adults with Asperger syndrome}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361302006003006}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1362361302006003006}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}