Widiger (psychology, U. of Kentucky, Lexington) and Costa (medical psychology, Duke U., and psychiatry and behavioral sciences and mental health, Johns Hopkins U.) assemble 26 chapters by specialists in psychology, psychiatry, counseling, addiction, and mental health from North America and Europe who explain the five-factor model of personality, noting the expected shift in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders toward this conceptual position. They outline the five domains of the model and examine how personality disorders represent maladaptive variants of the traits, demonstrate the application and utility of the model to disorders, illustrate its power to capture the major features of disorders through clinical case studies, and provide possible reconceptualizations of disorders. They explain the conceptual and empirical background on the model, including its history and universality, construct validation, childhood antecedents of personality disorder, and existing research; specific patient populations with borderline personality disorder, psychopathy, narcissism, schizotypal personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, depressive personality disorder, alexithymia, and intellectual disabilities; assessment (a new section); and illustrations of clinical applications, such as to martial and family counseling and dialectical behavior therapy. This edition adds new chapters to reflect new research and explores topics in greater depth. It provides empirical support for descriptions of disorders and the use of the model in treatment planning. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)