The roles of personality factors in psychopathology are most often examined
from the standpoint of personality disorders, but this approach may useful
ly be complemented by other theoretical and methodological perspectives. In
particular individual personalities can be conceptualized as having measur
able degrees of various stable traits or as demonstrating evidence of vario
us dynamic processes, such as specific cognitive, motivational, or emotiona
l patterns. The author discusses these three basic approaches, reviews rece
nt representative studies from each, and indicates directions for further r
esearch. A concluding section suggests ways to integrate the various approa
ches to more fully understand personality factors in late-life mental disor
ders.