Mental Health ¦ Borderline Personality Disorder
What is Borderline Personality Disorder
What do we mean by 'Personality'?
To understand what Borderline Personality Disorder is, it is crucial that we first examine what the term 'Personality' encompasses. Most people, if asked to talk about their personality, would list a set of traits that they identify as being central to themselves ie those traits that may alter with time but generally have remained a long lasting part of our identity.
The Five Factor Model (1993) blends together different psychological theories concerning personality. It lists five central traits that are considered to be the most comprehensive in measuring a person's personality:
- Neuroticism
- Extraversion
- Openness to experience
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
Each individual will vary in the extent to which they possess each particular trait. While a person may be extremely extraverted or agreeable and therefore flourishes socially, they may be low on the scale of conscientiousness and have a tendency to overlook other people's needs.
So, if we consider personality to comprise of a set of core traits, what then is mean by a personality disorder?
Definitions:
Wiki Definition
Personality Disorders
There are various personality disorders that differ greatly in the way they manifest themselves, spanning symptoms such as narcissism to low self-esteem. So then what do personality disorders have in common? They all entail some form of upheaval concerning the traits that are central to the individual's identity.
The official diagnostic criteria - the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) - defines Personality Disorders as an enduring pattern (of thinking, perceiving, feeling or behaving) that differs from social norms, and leads to distress of impairment.
When an individual suffers from a personality disorder, it often involves a particular rigid trait that has become distressing to the individual and those close to them. This trait is likely to bring about behaviour that deviates greatly from what is considered to be socially acceptable and may greatly impair social interaction, relationships and career opportunities.
Borderline Personality Disorder
The DSM has three clusters or groupings of personality disorders:
- Cluster A: Odd or eccentric disorders
- Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional or erratic disorders
- Cluster C: Anxious of fearful disorders
Borderline personality disorder falls in to Cluster B.
The term 'Borderline' is applied to describe this disorder because the individual is prone to rapid spontaneous shifts in their mood, attitude and behaviour. Their personality traits can then aptly be described as 'borderline' because they are unstable. Behaviours that are inconsistent or destructive such as promiscuity and drug abuse are common in those suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder.
The individual seems to experience confusion about their own identity, and may be uncertain of their morals, values, and aims in life.
Inevitably the disorder has an immense impact on the individual's relations and relationships with others. Not only do individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder shift between extremes in terms of their moods and values, but also in their attitude towards their partner. They may put their partner on a pedestal and greatly admire them at one moment, and then b
Does it have it Origins in Childhood?
Most psychological theories concerning Borderline Personality Disorder attribute its cause to experiences during the individual's background.
Some claim that it is simply a learned pattern or thinking that has become habitual with time. Others directly link it to a traumatic experience during childhood that has disrupted their social development and the development of their personality. Such instances are abuse or neglect, and the supporting figures are astounding: 87% of individuals that suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder have experienced some sort of trauma in their childhood. Between 40% and 70% have experienced sexual abuse in their childhood.
Other explanations don't necessarily blame poor parenting, but rather inconsistent parenting - parents who are inconsistent in how they discipline their child or show their child affection. If parents say contrasting things, or give opposing instructions. This will lead to confusion on behalf of the child about what is right and wrong, and what behaviour is deemed acceptable. It is claimed that the child adapts to the inconsistent parenting by attempting to identify with both parents, which in turn leads to an inner division and an unstable self-image.
Reference:
Winston A.P (2000) Recent Developments in Borderline Personality Disorder: Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, Vol 6, Pg211 - 218.
