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Published on: March 8, 2018
Adult attachment to transitional objects and borderline personality disorder.
Jill M Hooley1, Molly Wilson-Murphy
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. jmh@wjh.harvard.edu
Journal of Personality Disorders
|April 11, 2012
Summary
Adults with intense attachments to transitional objects, like stuffed animals, are more likely to have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This reliance may indicate childhood trauma and adult attachment issues, particularly for BPD.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Personality Disorders
Background:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) involves unstable relationships and difficulty with self-soothing.
- Transitional objects, such as stuffed animals, are often used by individuals with BPD.
- Previous research has indicated a link between transitional object use and BPD in hospital settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between adult attachments to transitional objects and personality pathology.
- To investigate the connection between transitional object attachment, childhood trauma, and parental rearing styles.
- To determine if heavy emotional reliance on transitional objects in adulthood is an indicator of underlying pathology, specifically BPD.
Main Methods:
- A nonclinical community sample of 80 adults was surveyed.
- Participants reported on current attachments to transitional objects.
- Assessments included personality pathology, childhood trauma history, parental rearing styles, and adult attachment patterns.
Main Results:
- Individuals with intense current attachments to transitional objects were significantly more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for BPD.
- These individuals also reported higher levels of childhood trauma.
- Participants with strong transitional object attachments rated early caregivers as less supportive and exhibited more adult attachment problems.
Conclusions:
- Intense adult attachment to transitional objects is a potential indicator of Borderline Personality Disorder.
- Childhood experiences, including trauma and parenting styles, may contribute to this attachment pattern.
- Emotional reliance on transitional objects in adulthood warrants further investigation as a marker for BPD and related psychopathology.
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