Betrayal trauma and dimensions of borderline personality organization

Borderline personality pathology can be conceptualized as one of many conditions within a broader spectrum of borderline personality organization (BPO). This spectrum is composed of several specific dimensions of psychological functioning (primitive psychological defenses, identity diffusion, and reality testing). Although several theories associate trauma with borderline pathology, betrayal trauma theory specifies that trauma with a high degree of betrayal has an especially pernicious influence on borderline pathology. In addition, betrayal trauma theorists propose that constructs related to each BPO dimension are influenced by traumatic betrayal, but this has not yet been tested within the context of borderline pathology specifically. In this article, we examine the relation between trauma with varying levels of betrayal and the specific dimensions of BPO using a Bayesian approach to multiple regression. Results indicated that trauma with a high degree of betrayal was associated with each dimension of BPO, that medium betrayal trauma was associated with problems in reality testing, and that low betrayal trauma was associated with primitive psychological defenses. These effects differed by gender. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed.