Relationship of dissociation to temperament and character in men and women

Objective: This study approaches the question of nature and nurture of diss ociative phenomena. Within Cloninger's concept of personality, character tr aits are thought to develop in response to environmental stimuli and condit ions during childhood and adolescence, whereas temperament traits are consi dered to be genetically predisposed. The hypothesis is tested that dissocia tive symptoms are associated with distinct character traits but not with te mperament dimensions. Method: Psychiatric patients (N=191) and healthy subj ects (N=41) were evaluated for dissociative symptoms (Dissociative Experien ce Scale), temperament and character (Temperament and Character Inventory), and current psychopathology (SCL-90-R). Regression analyses for women and men were calculated separately. Results: For both genders, the character tr aits of self-transcendence and self-directedness were significant and indep endent predictors for dissociation. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that dissociative symptoms are caused by environmental factors a nd point against a genetic predisposition in the development of dissociativ e symptoms.