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Possible selves and borderline personality disorder.

Irene Belle Janis¹, Heather Barnett Veague, Erin Driver-Linn

¹Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. ijanis@fas.harvard.edu

Journal of Clinical Psychology

|December 31, 2005

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Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) struggle with self-perception, endorsing fewer positive and more negative possible selves. This research explores the self-concept in BPD, revealing a link between negative and positive selves and desired selves.

Area of Science:

Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Personality Disorders

Background:

Clinical theories propose a confused sense of self in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
Empirical research directly examining the self in BPD remains limited.
Previous work highlights the importance of self-concept in psychological functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

To empirically investigate the nature of the self in individuals diagnosed with BPD.
To compare the endorsement of possible selves between women with and without BPD.
To explore the relationship between different types of possible selves and the core features of BPD.

Main Methods:

Utilized the closed-ended version of the Possible Selves Questionnaire (PSQ).
Recruited 43 female participants, including 15 diagnosed with BPD and 28 healthy controls.

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Employed a quantitative, cross-sectional research design.

Main Results:

Participants with BPD were less likely to endorse positive possible selves as current.
Individuals with BPD were more likely to endorse negative possible selves as current, probable, desired, and important.
A significant link was found between negative and positive selves and desired selves in the BPD group.

Conclusions:

Findings support the clinical theory of a confused and unstable sense of self in BPD.
The study provides empirical evidence for self-concept disturbances in BPD.
Results suggest that understanding possible selves is crucial for BPD treatment and theory development.