Alyssa, a 27-year-old female, is referred to your office by a friend. She says she has trouble with relationships, as the men in her life either fail to live up to her expectations or "cannot handle" her. In recounting her history, she regularly makes flamboyant gestures to capture her full emotional experience. She describes how she gave so much to her lovers while they gave her nothing in return. You suspect Alyssa may have histrionic personality disorder (HPD), and decide to dive deeper into her history. The presence of which of the following would most strongly suspect HPD instead of borderline personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder?
a) identity diffusion
b) self injury
c) dissociation
d) clear lack of empathy
