Interpersonal partner choices by individuals with elevated features of borderline personality disorder

Theoretical accounts and clinical conceptualizations of borderline personality disorder (BPD) highlight pervasive interpersonal dysfunction. Recent investigations have found differences in the interpersonal interactions and social networks of individuals with BPD compared to healthy controls. However, there are few laboratory investigations of these processes and the interpersonal choices made by individuals with BPD. The authors aimed to determine if participants with elevated BPD symptoms made different interpersonal choices than others in a behavioral laboratory task. The authors found that in a condition with no constraint on future time available, participants with elevated BPD symptoms were more likely to choose novel partners (compared to familiar partners) than other participants. In an effort to understand interpersonal constructs related to differential partner choice, the authors tested the contribution of interpersonal sensitivity and interpersonal aggression in the full sample. Interpersonal aggression was associated with an increased likelihood of choosing a novel partner, but interpersonal sensitivity was not related to partner choice. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.