A relentless chase for emotions and an active search for self through other people. Cluster B pursues intense emotions with the persistence of an addict, attempting to drown out a sense of emptiness or simple boredom. People of Cluster B need others to recharge their “emotional battery.” This cluster is built around emotions, and like emotions themselves, the behavior of such individuals is unpredictable, vivid, short-lived, and shallow.
Cluster B has a weakness for praise from others; through manipulation, they consistently steer situations so that others are forced to admire them. They struggle to understand other people’s feelings and lack emotional empathy. Unlike Clusters A and C, Cluster B individuals do not withdraw into themselves but actively engage with others — though these interactions are dysfunctional and distorted.