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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
09:55
Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
[Whose borderline is it? Reconsidering diagnosing borderline personality].
1Western Galilee Mental Health Clinics, Fligelman Psychiatric Hospital, Acre, Israel. tsvigil@bezeqint.net
Harefuah
|March 7, 2009
Summary
This article questions if borderline personality disorder is a social construct, particularly for women. It suggests symptoms may be survival responses to trauma and abuse in patriarchal societies.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sociology
- Trauma Studies
Context:
- Critically examines the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.
- Considers the influence of societal structures, particularly female status in patriarchal societies, on psychiatric diagnoses.
- Analyzes the role of the psychiatric system in diagnosing women.
Purpose:
- To critically discuss the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.
- To explore the potential of borderline personality disorder as a medico-social construct.
- To propose an alternative perspective on borderline symptoms as survival mechanisms.
Summary:
- The article critiques the conventional diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, contrasting it with routine psychiatric assessments.
- It posits that borderline personality disorder may function as a medico-social construct, influenced by female status within patriarchal societal frameworks.
- Symptoms are reframed as adaptive coping and survival strategies employed by women experiencing abuse and trauma.
Impact:
- Challenges the traditional etiological hypotheses of borderline personality disorder.
- Offers a new framework for understanding borderline behaviors as responses to adverse environments.
- Encourages a re-evaluation of diagnostic criteria and their societal implications for women.
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