Body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) represent
a collection of motoric acts that can become ingrained,
habitual, and functionally impairing. They often relate to excessive
grooming of the body or skin. Although these pathological
habits have been described since ancient times, only
recently have they been incorporated into psychiatric nosological
systems. The relationship between BFRBs and aspects of
personality has been scarcely researched. Understanding how
formal axis-II personality disorders, questionnaire-based measures
of personality, or other putatively enduring traits such as
cognitive impairment, relate to the BFRBs may advance our
understanding of the core characteristics of the BFRBs and
subsequently lead to greater understanding of their pathophysiology
and treatment. This article reviews the existing literature
surrounding BFRBs and aspects of personality, and highlights
limitations in our current understanding of these aspects, along
with future research directions.